Kelty Cosmic 20 Review

Kelty has slowly become one of our favorite manufacturers of outdoor gear (and we say slowly because it’s been around since back in ’52). Its teams are passionate about the outdoors, and their products are designed by nature lovers and tested out in the wild before hitting the shelves, so you know they’re going to meet your needs.

Kelty is mostly known for its durable outdoor backpacks but, in more recent years, it has branched out into the realm of camping gear. Kelty’s sleeping bags have proved to be a huge success (surprise surprise), and there is a wide range of bags available to suit every camper’s needs.

Here, we’re going to investigate one of Kelty’s latest products, the Kelty Cosmic Down 20, a down-filled sleeping bag that offers fantastic all-round performance without breaking the bank.

What’s more, it’s light enough that you can take it with you on your backpacking adventures. Sound like something that could come in handy? Read on to find out more about the perks and pitfalls of this bag – hint: there are more perks than pitfalls!

Warmth

First things first, you aren’t going to the rejuvenating night’s sleep you most likely need after a day on the trail if you’re shivering away all night. Although it comes with all sorts of ISO rating advertised, at its core, the Kelty Cosmic Down 20 is primarily designed, as the name suggests, to keep you warm at 20°F – but can it stand up to the challenge?

Insulation

Sleeping bags rely on their insulation to trap precious body heat and keep you warm, but not all insulation is created equal. The Kelty Cosmic 20 is stuffed with 550 duck down, which is made from bird feathers and forms 3D clusters that expand and create a labyrinth of air pockets that traps air within the down structure.

This traps precious body heat as it tries to escape, which is how it keeps you warm. Synthetic insulation works in a similar way, but the pockets formed aren’t quite as efficient, so down is generally considered the warmer of the two fills.

Having said that, down fills do differ in their ability to keep you warm and this is rated in terms of ‘fill power’ (the higher the warmer). The fill power of 550 is more than enough for a three-season sleeping bag, so Kelty has got their warmth rating spot on.

One thing to note, however, is that, although down fills are generally better at keeping you warm when dry, it’s a whole different story if your bag gets wet – synthetic bags retain their ability to trap heat far better.

To partially overcome this issue, Kelty has treated the down with a hydrophobic finish to repel water and keep your bag drier for longer. Although it’s not quite as water-resistant as a synthetic bag, it’s an innovative way to somewhat fix the problem – good thinking Kelty.

Physical Features

As well as the fill and tye of the insulation used, there are tonnes of other ways a bag can help to keep you warm.

One method Kelty has used is to use a trapezoidal design for the baffles to prevent the cold-patch formation and retain heat. On top of that, the hood itself is cinchable and helps to stop precious body heat from escaping from the top of your head. Plus, the zipper is lined with a draft collar to stop any pesky breaths of fresh air from entering your bag in the dead of night.

Overall, this bag is filled with super-warm innovative water-repellent down and has lots of structural features to keep you warm too, winning.

Comfort

So, we know that the Kelty Cosmic Down 20 has a great fill and some nifty features to keep you warm, but you still won’t sleep well unless you’re comfortable. So, what does this mummy-style bag have to offer in terms of comfort?

Well, let’s start with the not-so-good – the liner itself is constructed from 50D polyester fibers, which isn’t the softest choice.  However, the down filling does make for generous padding, and it won’t shift either thanks to the baffles (but you will still need an actual pad), and the cinchable hood and neck baffle definitely create a cozy feel.

Mummy-style bags don’t generally have as much space to offer as their rectangular counterparts. However, one great thing about this bag is that it’s available in a range of sizes – there’s nothing worse than finding your perfect bag in terms of specs but not in terms of fit – so you can upsize if you like a mummy-style bag with some extra space.

On top of that, the ‘natural fit’ footbox means that you can stretch your feet out after a long day’s hike, yay.

Overall, as far as mummy-style bags go, this one is pretty spacious. The liner could be softer, but the padding is great and, at this price, we guess you can’t have everything.

Portability

How important portability is will depend on the kind of camping trips you’re planning – essentially, whether you’ll be driving to set up camp or carrying your load on your back. The Kelty Cosmic 20 is a mummy-style bag, which has long been the favorite among minimalist packers, but is this sleeping bag really suited to backcountry outings? Just about.

With all three sizes weighing in at under 3 lbs (typically considered the limit for backpacking), this sleeping bag, with its 20°F rating, offers a fantastic warmth-to-weight ratio.

This is one of the classic advantages of down fillings, and another is their ability to compress well. Unfortunately, the Kelty Cosmic 20 doesn’t perform so well in this department. Although we love that it comes with a compression sack included, the packed size remains larger than expected.

For the price range, however, it’s definitely not the largest we’ve come across, and a synthetic sleeping bag with the same rating at the same price would be substantially larger when packed.

Overall, for its price and warmth, the Kelty Cosmic Down 20 performs well in terms of portability – just watch out if you’re backpacking don’t have much space in your pack (it might be worth clipping it to the outside if it’s dry).

Extra Touches

Okay, so aside from a cinchable hood, a draft collar covering the main zipper, and an included stuff sack, are there any other features that set the Cosmic 20 apart from other bags?

There are indeed. We love that the zipper itself is anti-snag for stress-free entries and exits (although the fact that it runs for just three-quarters of the length of the bag does mean that you can’t double up this bag as a quit). Our favorite feature, however, is the stash pocket – perfect for keeping your essentials close at hand.

Some of the materials used in the Kelty Cosmic Down 20 are worth an extra shout-out too. Although we complained about the lining not being the softest fabric, the tougher material means this bag will stand up well to the test of time, which is pretty important too. Also, we love that the DWR coating used is PFC-free, which means that it’s better for you and the environment.

Overall, for an economical down-filled bag with a decent temperature rating, we expected Kelty to skimp on extra touches… but were pleasantly surprised to see that they haven’t.

Value for Money

We’ve mentioned to favorable price tag a few times now… but that’s because the Kelty Cosmic 20 really is a steal. Sure, it might be lacking some finishing touches here and there but, overall, you’re getting a great allround sleeping bag with some nice extra touches at a fraction of the price we’d expect.

Rating

Overall, the Kelty Cosmic 20 has performed well against our rating system, with good marks in all categories.

Sure, the liner could be a little softer, it could pack a little smaller, and it would be nice to use this bag as a blanket from time to time. However, it’s warm, it’s lightweight, it has loads of other perks, and it’s surprisingly affordable too.

Verdict

All in all, what do we think of the Kelty Cosmic 20? This bag is a fantastic three-season bag for anyone taking baby steps into the world of high-end down-filled sleeping bags.

Kelty Cosmic 20 Degree Down Sleeping Bag - Ultralight Backpacking Camping Sleeping Bag with Stuff Sack, Blue, Regular

• The Kelty Cosmic 20 Degree sleeping bag is ideal for 3-season backpacking and camping. Water-resistant down insulation and an array of features make this sleeping bag a great combination of value and comfort.
• This sleeping bag is insulated with 600-fill DriDown. Renowned for efficiency in retaining heat and compressible properties, down has an incredibly soft, comfortable feel, and continues to provide the best warmth-to-weight ratio of any insulation.

Buy On Amazon

To upgrade on this sleeping bag, you’re going to have to shell out a LOT and that extra cost just might not be worth it for everyone. Kelty has done well to produce an affordable, durable bag that offers a fantastic warmth-to-weight ratio, has lots of thoughtful features, and doesn’t have any major downsides.