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Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15

Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15

Scored on 9 verified owner verdicts, from 22 comments read across 2 communities
TL;DR
Owners of the Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15 are largely positive, repeatedly calling it a well-made down backpacking bag they'd recommend, with several noting it lofts and compresses well after switching over from synthetic bags. A recurring highlight is that it runs warmer than its 15-degree rating suggests, with some owners finding it outperforms similarly rated competitors in cold conditions like snow-covered Sequoia trips. A smaller group pushes back on comfort, describing the mummy cut as too constricted with little room to toss and turn, and at least one cold sleeper reported feeling cold in it despite the rating. Overall the consensus favors warmth and build quality over roominess.

56% of 9 verified owners recommend the Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.

What 9 owners say
22 comments reviewed · scored on the 9 clearest verdicts
56%
Recommend
5 owners
33%
Neutral
3 owners
11%
Don't recommend
1 owners
Source
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
56%
9
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
YouTubeiowner comments
100%
1
No clear verdictiSetup, tips & quirks
11

The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.

What owners like
  • Owners consistently recommend it as a well-built, comfortable down backpacking bag · 5 · 56%
  • Owners consistently recommend it as a well-built, comfortable down backpacking bag · 5 · 56%
  • Performs warmer than its stated temperature rating, and warmer than comparably rated bags · 3 · 33%
  • Performs warmer than its stated temperature rating, and warmer than comparably rated bags · 3 · 33%
What owners flag
    Who it's for
    A great fit if
    • Backpackers wanting a warm, packable down bag that compresses and lofts well
    • Cold sleepers heading into snowy or near-freezing conditions who want honest temp ratings
    • Car campers and backpackers alike who want one bag that pulls double duty
    • Buyers who value roomy foot box comfort over ultralight, minimal-cut mummy bags
    Look elsewhere if
    • Restless sleepers who toss around, since the cut leaves little room to move
    • Hot sleepers, since several owners found it runs too warm in mild weather
    • Those needing a wide comfort range bag for both cold and warm-weather trips

    Synthesized from what Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15 owners say — not a spec sheet.

    Top quotes, sourced

    22 reviewed · 10 shown
    Sentiment
    Community
    Sort
    Reddit▲ recommend

    I like the Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15 Sleeping Bag. I'm in Southern Calif, and have used it to when doing Sequoias with snow still on the ground.

    Reddit— neutral

    The other is the mountain hardwear bishop pass 15. It’s a bit warmer and a bit cheaper but I find it less comfortable and not great in warmer weather.

    Reddit▼ don’t recommend

    Cold, cold, cold...and he runs hot.

    Reddit— neutral

    I think the bishop pass is a bit warmer, though I like the spoon design and the gills on the disco. I think the bishop pass is better for lower temperatures, but the disco has a much wider useful range due to the gills

    YouTube▲ recommend

    Superb bags, Excellent value for a reasonable price. Also not fudging on temperature rating. Warmer than other bags in this rating range.

    Reddit— neutral

    However that leaves zero room for tossing around and it sucks.

    Reddit▲ recommend

    replaced it with a Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15. Switching from synthetic to down seemed to make a huge difference in packability.

    Reddit▲ recommend

    I have the bishop pass for car camping and a western mountaineering bag for backpacking. The former is too heavy for backpacking but a great bag

    Reddit▲ recommend

    I have the mountain hardware bishop pass and I absolutely love it. Great backpacking sleeping bag, roomy foot box

    Reddit▲ recommend

    The down of the Bishop Pass still allows it to compress decently for backpacking, and it lofts up well.

    Common problems & things to know

    Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.

    Redditⓘ good to know

    I tried the Kelty, but found the shell material thin, I ended up with mountain hardwear bishop pass 15 on sale was a tad bit above $200

    Redditⓘ good to know

    If we look at the ever-popular Nemo Disco 15, the men's bag is rated 27/16 comfort/limit and the women's 17/4 comfort/limit, and the MSRP on the women's bag is cheaper even.

    Redditⓘ good to know

    Mountain Hardware - [Bishop Pass](https://www.backcountry.com/mountain-hardwear-bishop-pass-sleeping-bag-15f-down-womens) My boyfriend has the mens’ equivalent and the bags zip together, which def adds warmth.

    Redditⓘ good to know

    They were a great company 20 years ago, but have been bought and sold too many times, sadly. Their products are still mostly okay, with their bags tend to be on the slightly heavy side, but otherwise they are a good value. Were you thinking about the MountainLight, or Downtime 0 (F)?

    Redditⓘ good to know

    Thanks for the reply, I ended up settling with the mountain hardwear bishop pass 15, but let me know how it goes with the exped since rei does have a pretty good return policy

    Redditⓘ good to know

    So the bag rating isn’t accurate or you sleep really cold. I’ve had the same problem as you, but I just sleep pretty cold. Either return it or get extra layers.

    Redditⓘ good to know

    That's a summer pad for warm temperature. Your bag is ISO comfort rated to 26*F, the testing apparatus used to generate these ratings requires a sleeping pad with an R-value of 5.38 and assumes you’re also wearing long underwear (top and bottom) and a warm hat.

    Redditⓘ good to know

    I got the regular but I’m pretty short (5’5 on a good day)