(Editor’s note: After reading the article, be sure to follow down into “Comments” for a fascinating perspective from a reader; there’s a lot to be learned from it!)

This started out to be another in our series of tests of waterfowl down vs. synthetic fiberfill…but then a look through the REI catalog revealed something unusual. They had two REI-brand +10 down women’s winter sleeping bags! Stranger still, they weighed virtually the same, but had noticeably different costs. The Radiant +10 comes in at 3 pounds and $219; the Halo, REI’s top line, weighs 2 lbs 12 ounces and runs $299. Same rating, nearly the same weight, same material…different price. Hmm…very, very strange. Clearly, this required checking into!

In came a very big, very light box.  And out came two very pretty, very fluffy bags.  I know all of the arguments for synthetics, but aesthetically, there’s just something comforting about a big, puffy sleeping bag.  And these are beauties, particularly the Halo. The quality of workmanship was excellent on both, and they both had the details you’d expect in a quality sleeping bag; draft tube on zipper, check; draft collar, check; anatomic fit, check; hood that easily snugs down to make an itty bitty nose hole, check. One other nice small touch is a little zipper pocket by the hood; great place for keys, gum, maybe even a tiny flashlight. Handy.

But…it seemed hard to believe that they’ve got the same rating.  The Radiant is… well… flatter.  Less loft in the same material usually means less warmth.  Something just seemed not right.  Time to head for the woods and find out.  Off we went, with two very eager female testers… they’ve been using men’s bags for years, so something that fits them is automatically a bonus!  The first night, Susan had the Radiant, Marilyn the Halo; guess what happened the second night?  Yup, reverse it. Two nights, two opinions of each bag.

Interestingly enough, we got the exactly the same comments from both without letting them discuss the bags first.  They both felt the Radiant was an excellent bag, and they’d have been happy to keep using it… but both of them loved the Halo, period. No quibbles; it was comfortable, warm, easy to use. And, they both loved the way it looked, too, fashion queens that they are. So, what were the differences?

Let’s go from the bottom up.  First, the footbox.  Marilyn commented that her feet felt a bit “squished” in the  Radiant.  So, I stuck my feet in both.  Clearly, the footbox is higher internally in the Halo.  If you’ve got a foot smaller than a size 8 women’s, you’d probably never notice the difference; larger, you will.  Next to the inside size of the bag. It’s hard to tell from the photos, but the Radiant looks wider, and it is.  Both Marilyn and Susan are relatively small, at 5’3 (or 5’4″, if you ask them), so they don’t need a huge bag, and the Radiant had more room than they needed.  Don’t take that to mean that you have to be stick-straight to fit into the Halo, though; Susan, thank God, has curves and real hips, and the Halo had plenty of room for her.  Plus, she’s a “wiggler”…she can’t sleep in the same place for more than a half hour at a time, so if it were really tight, she’d have had a major problem.  Speaking of wiggling, both of them had the same comment about the two bags; the material used in the Halo was much more comfortable, because it was a lot more slippery.  The could move and roll onto their sides, and the bag didn’t move with them; that wasn’t true with the Radiant.  Look at the photo of the two of them in their bags; you can see that Marilyn has turned the bag with her, while Susan’s is still flat on the sleeping surface.  Not a big deal, but definitely a consideration.

Now, on to a very important point, warmth. To be honest, both of them felt both bags were very warm. It would take more testing to find out if there’s a real difference between the two, but based on their experience, we’re comfortable in saying that at 10 degrees, with light long underwear, socks, and the hood snugged down, you wouldn’t be cold unless you’re an exceptionally cold sleeper. REI has used the new EN13537 testing system on these new bags, so they can back up their ratings with specific testing.  Our gut still tells us that the Halo is the warmer bag, overall…but the Radiant lives up to its end of the bargain.

So, which should you buy? First, be honest with yourself. Do you like to sleep in the fetal position?  Are you particularly wide hipped or wide shouldered?  If either applies, think seriously about the Radiant.  Do you have particularly big feet?  Do you squirm a lot at night?  Are you a lover of beauty for its own sake?  Do you want the very best?  Think seriously about the Halo.

From our perspective, you really can’t go wrong with either of these women’s winter sleeping bags; the Halo provides excellent value and performance for the money, and the Radiant is just plain a bargain.