Deuter USA DreamLite 500 Ultralight Bag

The world of ultralight backpacking, and now ultralight bikepacking, can be an austere place to hang out.  Some of the dedicated practitioners of traveling with less can really be, ahhh, frugal, shall we say, about what they pack and travel with.  How about using an auto windshield screen for a sleeping pad?  Or maybe none at all?  Picnic tables are pretty cushy ya know…who needs a pad?  And for that matter, who needs a tent?  Or even a tarp cover?  A lightweight bivy will be fine.  

All wrapped up like a Hot Pocket

Maybe a space blanket on steroids like this one is the ticket?  http://www.rei.com/product/750938

Well, I am just a bit more used to comfort than that.  My old bones need just a bit more around myself then a space blanket over a bed of pine needles.  So when I was assembling my bikepacking kit I looked at the gear I already had for backpacking and camping.  I had a ¾ length Thermarest inflatable pad from days of yore.  It rolled up into my bar bag where my full length Big Agnes pad would not fit.  OK.

I needed a one man tent and REI provided that with a nice price on a closeout Chrysalis tent.  I do want to move towards a tarp cover option, but for now the tent will do.  But the sleeping bags I had, an old but nice goose down Blue Kazoo +20 degree and a more full cut Big Agnes +15 degree bag were a bit big to carry.  Good gear, especially when weight is a priority, is usually pretty costly.  So, when I was doing some poking around on the Deuter website looking at backpacks, I noticed they had a pretty minimalist sleeping bag aimed right square at the bullseye of bikepacking. 

The Dreamlight 500 is reasonably priced, web costs ranging between $60.00 and $80.00. It packs incredibly small and would fit in nearly any bag I was carrying on the bike.  From the Deuter USA DreamLite 500 web page info:  

DESCRIPTION:

The DreamLite 500 is the perfect compliment to the Speed Lite Series, the Aircontact Lite Series, and of course the new Zero Series. At only 500 grams (that’s only 1 lb. 2 oz.) and the packed size of a 1-liter water bottle; this little beauty is perfect for warm weather camping, ultra light backpacking, travel, hut trips, and any other time you do not want to sleep on the ground.

FEATURES:

Adjustable Hood with Drawstring
- Anti-catch Zipper Strip
- Stuff-sack
- Zipped Inner Pocket
- Temp. Rating: 40 - 60 F
- Body Size: 6''0"
- Pack Size: 4.75 x 9.75 inches

I ordered a DreamLite 500 and received a very small and light box.  “It’s in there”, I wondered?  Sure enough.  Man, this thing packed up small.  I opened it up and crawled into the bag on the living room floor.  Now I am 6’2” and the bag is rated to 6’.  I had also read as much of on-line reviews that I could find and one complaint was a very tight fit around the shoulders.  The length seemed to be OK for me as I typically side sleep with my legs bent and usually do not draw the hood of the bag over my head, preferring to wear a beanie cap instead.  The fit around the shoulders is quite tight fitting though.  If you tend to feel trapped if you are confined, then maybe this will not appeal to you, or, if you are very broad in the shoulders, it may be an issue.  We shall see how I do in it.

I decided to spend the night in it on my back patio on an early summer night.  Temps got into the high 40s and I had no enclosure to sleep in, just a bug screen over my head and shoulders.  I was wearing PJs and a long sleeve cotton T with socks as well and I was on a full length, ¾” thick air pad.  All went well till about 3 or 4 in the morning when the pre-dawn chill hit.  Brrr.  I actually got up and found a blanket from the house and crawled back out into the bag.  Now to put some perspective on this, I am a cold sleeper.  Even in my +20 degree bags I can be cold on a mid thirties night.  This worried me with the DreamLite 500.  Would it be much better than a space blanket and newspaper (the dirtbag approach to keeping it light and fast)?

The first overnighter came into being (finally) and I packed up the gear.  How small is this bag in its stuff sack?  Check out the pic next to the water bottle cage.  It is tiny.  It easily dropped into the bottom of my seat bag.

Not much bigger than a water bottle!

I picked a warmish summer day for the overnighter, temps in the mid 80s and overnight to be expected to drop into the mid 50s.  I used the tent with no storm fly and plopped down on the ¾ Thermarest.  To bolster the rating and see how I would fare, I brought a lightweight sleeping bag liner.  I slept in my baggies with leg warmers, socks, and a long sleeve Capilene shirt.  Now for some of you, that would be enough wrappings to camp in the snow, but I was still concerned.  Actually, I was quite comfy.  I zipped the bag up pretty tight to the shoulders and never felt cramped in it.  Every so often I would be aware of cold creeping through the bag but never enough to prevent sleep.  In the morning it quickly stuffed back into its sack and disappeared into my seat bag like magic.

What I plan on trying is a system of ‘layers’, if you will.  The DreamLite 500 is the main component, plus the inner liner, some kind of shell to be determined (working on that), and any clothing I would have for colder climates would combine to allow me to take the level of insulation up or down as needed.  What would be better?  A bag that packed small and was rated for lower temps, but that will come as the budget allows.  Expect to pay 2 to 4 times the cost of the DreamLite 500 for a high end, high rating ultralight bag or quilt.  Right now I will keep playing with the Deuter bag and I think it will be very serviceable for my needs and if the limits of the Deuter fit yours as well, give it a try.

Contact Deuter here.