The combination of a highly water resistant shell and treated water-resistant down insulation helps ensure campers will be warm even when not 100 percent dry. That tough, water-resistant shell, though, is lightweight, and coupled with the 750-fill down, keeps the weight of the bag minimal. Indeed, this is one of the lightest bags in the class.

Compressibility
The Talus stuffs neatly into a 7×12 sack that features an integrated compression system that shrinks the stuffed bag to just 7×7 inches (among the smallest in our test).

Warmth-to-weight
That small size and low weight doesn’t change the fact that the Talus is also a very warm for sleeping. The narrow cut snugly wraps you during the night, holding every bit of heat right on your body–there are no unnecessary voids to heat up. The layered baffles hold heat well and the water-repelling shell is a final heat-sealing layer. Every one of us praised the Talus as one of the warmest bags in the lineup.

Comfort
Unfortunately, much of the warm comes at a price ¬¬–the price of comfort. While the narrow tapered cut greatly increases the warmth of the bag, it also greatly restricts motion within the bag. As one of the largest testers (46-inch chest, 36-inch waist), I found the bag too constrictive for comfortable sleeping, but even our more slender testers complained of a narrow leg section and footbox.

Still, the comfort on the trail of carrying a bag barely over 2 pounds, and sized to fit in a tiny weekend pack, was all the compensation some of our team needed to dub this a bag worthy of use on fast-and-light shoulder-season outings.

Durability
For its weight, we were pleased with the remarkable durability of the Talus. The polyester shell resisted every opportunity we gave it to be snagged, scratched or torn. It came through our tests with nary a mark on it.