New Bag Help

I have been testing the Bloody Mary recently, and I personally like it for use as a bag in the temp range that you specified. It has a unique feature where it has two different zip-out collars, depending on the conditions in which one is experiencing. It appears like it is usable anywhere from 5 degrees (extreme) at the low end, to 50 degrees at the high end. It has a full zip for venting and a generous girth for layering. Valandre is a small company in France, but makes very high quality bags and has done so for many years. This particular model is well suited for the backpacker, in my opinion. I plan to use it as my three season bag here in the Rocky Mountains, in Wyoming and Utah, above 10,000 ft.

I have been testing my demo down to 20 degrees and have been quite toasty in it, wearing just a base layer.

The Bloody Mary is expected to be available very soon for the consumer, either this month or next, I believe, here in the U.S.

Disclaimer: I am an authorized retailer for Valandre bags and have been for about 5 years.

I looked at these bags on their website, and they look pretty nice at first glace. I do have one question though. The description says that the bag has 3 collar options that make it useable for 15C and above. Isn't 15C about 59 degrees?

Since you say that you've been using the bag in 20 degrees (F) I must be missing something.

It's -15°C = 5 °F. BTW, that's the extreme rating for the bag. Comfort rating should be around 15°F.

Kyle – indeed tricky – the Minus sign looks like its a hyphen.

The other bags there look nicer (like the shoking blue and lafayette). Although i have heard these bags are all the rave in Cont EU – i am not sure how they will fair weight wise with the stuff you can get in the US – mostly because Euros tend to make things sturdier. That being said the fill power as measured in the US is about 100~50 higher FOR THE SAME SAMPLE OF DOWN than the way the Euros test it AND the new EN13537 defines new test methods for EU based comapnies….this might mean that a 10F bag from MH is not as warm as 10F bag from Valandre.

Mike

Haha, thanks for pointing out the mistake guys. I did misunderstand that.

So, what are some other "mom and pop" companies out there that make good bags?

Michael- I suggested the Bloody Mary because of its design and amount of down fill — it seemed to be the best fit for the temp rating that he was looking for. If he is living in Arkansas, he'd roast in a Shocking Blue or a Lafayette in that part of the country.

In regards to Valandre French Grey Goose Down, I'm convinced that they buy some super high quality stuff from their local suppliers. I had a lady buy an Odin model from me a few years ago, she was climbing Denali, and she remarked that the Odin was a pound lighter than her other -40 degree bag from a well known company.

Their down just seems to feel different and act different to me. I do not know if it is possible for them to buy 900 fill down or not, but what they are using is working really, really well and has a very high warmth to weight ratio.

That being said the fill power as measured in the US is about 100~50 higher FOR THE SAME SAMPLE OF DOWN than the way the Euros test it AND the new EN13537 defines new test methods for EU based comapnies….this might mean that a 10F bag from MH is not as warm as 10F bag from Valandre.

Wouldn't that mean there would be more weight in feathers for an American bag of the same temp rating of a european bag?

As for small american sleeping bag makers, I would suggest Feathered Friends and Nunatak.

The Nunatak quilts look awesome! It looks like their ARC line are just quilts by a different name.

Is Western Mountaineering considered a small company? I have a Highlight, and love it. How does their quality stand up to some of the other manufactures out there?

Western's quality is considered to be exceptional. Most people would consider them to be one of the top 3 or 4 down bag companies in the world–along w/FF, Nunatak, Valandre. Most reviews I read of Nunatak seem to suggest their temp ratings are optimistic, best w/some overfill. Ounce for ounce, I usually find the WM bags warmer for the weight.

So since there have been some good bag companies thrown out there, here's another question. How do you decide between a bag and a quilt? In Arkansas where the coldest it usually gets is mid 20s, would a quilt work for me in the three "coldest" seasons?

I'm a recent convert to quilts and can only say, "why not". I plan to use my Nunatak Arc Specialist down to around 20F in conjunction with a light down parka and a merino base layer. The Arc Alpinist is designed for 20F and wouldn't need much extra.

I can only tell you that I've had my nunatak arc alpinist down to the 20 degree comfort rating, with a wool hat on and a down jacket, wool socks, long underwear in a bivy and was very comfortable. Surprisingly so, in fact.

I made the switch to a quilt last year and now only use a "bag" for sub 20 degree weather. I use the quilt all other trips. I use it in loose mode in the summer, and tighten the straps to varying degrees depending on the temps in the fall and spring. The weight savings alone is worth it, IMO.

I'm 5'11 and got the arc alpinist with 2 ounces of overfill and an extra few iches of length. I'm pretty happy with it.

I sleep very cold, btw.