Western Mountaineering…5’6″ or 6’6″

I am a little under 5'3" and have the short 5'6" ultralite. It's just right for me, so I don't think someone 2 inches taller than the maximum height would be comfortable in it.

Have a seamstress do a little adjusting. It should be a simple thing to solve…

Thanks for the responses! I'm 99% sure that I'm going to go for it (the 6'6" one)…just one quick question:

Mike (or anyone else)–Do you have an idea of what it would cost to have a seamstress shorten it for me? I'm just trying to make sure it would be more cost-effective to do the larger discounted bag than to purchase a 6' bag at full price.

Thank you again!

Gosh, find the seamstress first and get an estimate. My wife and her friend recently had nearly identical alterations done to their wedding dresses. Her friend – who found an friendly old lady to do the work paid $40. My wife – $300, almost as much as she spent on the dress. Thank heavens I'm only doing that once!

Elena,

Looking for a deal is a virtue right out of Proverbs 31, but maybe in this case paying full price would be the better course. An extra 20% for the right size and comfort might be the wiser choice??

Test drive it first before you pay to have it altered. It may be fine.

You may be able to alter it first if all you want to do is make it shorter and don't mind packing the extra weight. You said the weight difference is neglible. Just sew a running stitch (like quilting) across the bottom of the bag the amount you want to make it shorter. That way you don't have to cut the bag if all you want to do is make the volume of the bag smaller for more effective insulation. Some children's bags are like that – the bag can be made longer as the child grows by taking out the stitching.

i can help you w/ a wm sycamore 25° @ 6' L. zip for $276, brand new

It sounds like it will cost almost as much to get a seamstress, as just getting one new. And if you have to ship it to someone and back, it'll really cost you. You could probably find another good deal and have a bag in hand sooner than getting the alterations performed. I suppose with a seamstress you could overstuff part of the bag though.

Regular sized WM bags will fit between 6'0" and 6'1"(max), I know becuase I'm 6'1" and a regular is marginal… at best. I know you don't want to go over $300, but if you look around at all possible sales you may find one very close to that. Within a minute I found several just over $300, and also a "used 2 nights" for $250. For a quality bag like a WM I, personally, wouldn't start modifying it just to save a couple of dollars.

Elena, I would agree with John K, the sale price is only a good deal if the bag fits well. The WM standard 6' size would fit you best and the Ultralite is IMHO a great bag worth the investment. The WM Ultralite has a narrow/snug fit that some will find confining so be sure this is the best model for you.

Thanks again for all the input…so as I proceeded to the checkout with the WM bag in my virtual shopping cart, I found that taxes and shipping would bring the total to $345.25…a lot to pay for a bag that doesn't fit me perfectly. I think I'm going to hold off and see if I can find a WM dealer in the area so I can actually go and try the bag on…if it fits, at least I won't have to pay shipping!

My WM is the Alpinlite Super and it is ideal for someone your size. WM baqs tend to fit very snugly relative to the girths they offer and mine is too tight for me, I am 5'8" and just over 200 lbs and a "boy".

So, for a bag used in summer, where some room is nice to have as it allows better venting, this would be my recommendation to you. The new "Bloody Mary" bag by Valandre will be out soon and this would be my first choice over anything now available, but, it does cost more.

I have WM, ID, FF, Exped and Valandre bags and have had several others and while WM bags are about the best value, I prefer Valandre and ID, overall.

I would NOT buy a bag that is not perfect for me and would NEVER modify one as you are considering. Spend the bucks to get EXACTLY what is best for you and you will be glad that you did.

Dewey,

Thanks for your input; I'll take a look at the Alpinlite bag. I checked into the "Bloody Mary" bag, and I have to say, that thing is my worst nightmare. I have a "neck thing," or in layman's terms, an irrational fear of things that are too tight around my neck. I'm generally OK as long as I can touch my hands to my neck to put a "layer" in between my neck and the fabric/necklace/scarf/what have you…but that thing gives me the heebie jeebies (are people still saying that nowadays?) just thinking about it. Anyways, it's just a weird quirk of mine, but I found it amusing that while some UL backpackers are drooling over the bag, I'm sitting here terrified of it. Frankly, if you wanted to torture me, you'd do better threatening to put me in that bag indefinitely than you would threatening to chop off my head. At least the latter would be swift!