One of the selling points of the Badger was that it is cut wide, and Alex does not like being confined in a true mummy design bag. Also everyone agrees that Western Mountaineering bags are superb and good to temperatures below their rating.

The Western Mountaineering Summerlite is a legendary lightweight bag, but is reported to be quite slimly cut (a true mummy bag). Mont Bell has a couple of bags that deserve to be compared to the Summerlite, namely their 30 degree rated UL Super Spiral Down Hugger #3 and their 40 degree rated UL Super Spiral Down Hugger #5

WM Badger           rated 15 $490 list 23 ounces of 850 down 38 ounces total weight (regular size)
WM Summerlite       rated 32 $330 list  9 ounces of 850 down 19 ounces total weight (medium size)
Mont Bell SSDH-3    rated 30 $219 list 12 ounces of 650 down 31 ounces total weight (regular size)
UL Mont Bell SSDH-3 rated 30 $339 list 11 ounces of 800 down 22 ounces total weight (regular size)
UL Mont Bell SSDH-5 rated 40 $244 list  6 ounces of 800 down 16 ounces total weight (regular size)

Mont Bell seems to be going out of their way to have confusing product labelling. They have two lines of sleeping bags, one with 800 down, the other with 650 down, and you have to take care which you are buying (or comparing prices on). (Actually, it seems that the secret is to look for the "UL" prefix, which applies to the 800 fill series and not the 650 fill series. The 650 fill version has 2 more ounces of down to get the same warmth, but also adds 8 ounces of fabric weight (the less expensive bag uses 40 Denier nylon, the more expensive bag uses 12 Denier "ballistic airtight" nylon and a better DWR treatment).

And I just found out (March 23, 2012) that Mont Bell has made some minor changes in the UL Super Spiral Down Hugger 3 (whew!) for 2012. Namely they added 1 ounce of down fill and upped the weight by an ounce (now 22 ounces instead of 21). Also the 2012 "edition" is now bicolor (black on the bottom, blue on the top), whereas the prior version was just blue. Also, they are giving their bags EN standardized temperature ratings (which might explain the extra ounce of down). This may imply some standardized testing. A good thing. There may be changes to other bags in their product line, but I haven't checked.

These summer bags can be compressed to the size of a football or large water bottle. It may not be wise (in my opinion) to actually compress them like this, since I believe that extreme compression may permanently reduce loft. It is nice to know this though.

Between the two 800 fill Mont Bell bags (the 30 versus the 40), you spend an extra $50 and get nearly twice as much down fill, and only 5 ounces more weight, which seems totally worth the while unless you are really determined to shave every ounce and think you can handle a few cold nights. People who have had experience with both the Summerlite and the Mont Bell 30 degree bag say that the Summerlite is warmer, but more confining.

My recommendation for Alex is the Mont Bell 30 degree bag (800 fill) based on his dislike of being confined in a mummy bag. This bag won't be as warm as the Summerlite, but he is a proven warm sleeper. We have talked too about supplementing the warmth of the bag by sleeping with clothes on, which is more of buying into the ultralight mindset of making everything do double duty. Why carry clothes and then have them sitting on the ground while you sleep in an overly warm sleeping bag? One final consideration would be whether to get the larger sized Mont Bell bag. Alex is 5 foot 9 and a half. The regular Mont Bell sizing for a regular is to 5 foot 10. One fellow who was 5 foot 10 says he got the large size and was glad he did, and this might be significant for someone who feels confined in a mummy bag.

Compared to the Badger, you are leaving behind an entire pound of 850 fill down when you carry the 30 degree rated bags, that extra pound of down is what gets you down to 15 degrees.

And almost totally off the topic - I have read a number of reviews where people mention sleeping in "ice breaker" thermals. Apparently this is a popular brand of clothing made from New Zealand Merino wool. Wool has two selling points. It is a natural fiber, which is nice - and it does not suffer from the stink issue that is so well known with synthetic fibers. I have tried wool thermals and like them well enough, but have turned back to polyester (Patagonia capilene) for several reasons. Polyester is much more durable and rugged than wool, it holds up to hard use better and lasts longer. Polyester can just be tossed into the washing machine, whereas wool does demand some care in washing. And then there are moths. I recently had the unpleasant surprise of discovering that moths had invaded my stash of wool thermals. I now have thermals with lots of small (and not so small) holes in them. If you have wool thermals, take a tip from me and store them in zip lock bags or do something. (Avoid mothballs. They have been called the most highly toxic item in common household use.)