WM Megalite/Summerlite Weight Over Spec?

[Christopher Wilke]

Took the plunge this weekend and got a Megalite Long for myself and a Summerlite Reg for my wife (http://www.bentgate.com/ 20% off everything until 12/1). Very nice bags but they both came in almost 2oz over the spec on WM's site.

Megalite 6'6": Measured=26.8oz, Spec=25oz
Summerlite 6'0": Measured=20.5oz, Spec=19oz

Just wondering if other Megalite/Summerlite owners have notice bags being over spec or if I inadvertently got bags with 2oz down overfill. Not really a big deal, just curious. I'm guessing the former over the later but certainly wouldn't complain about extra down ;)

[Jim MacDiarmid]

I didn't use a digital scale, but I had a 6' Summerlite (a year old) that was on spec at ~19oz.

[Robert Carver]

Did the site allow the 20% off on the sleeping bags? The fine print states that it's not good toward Western Mountaineering products.

[Brad Rogers]

They don't do overfill on the Summerlite, so that isn't a possibility.

[Jack G]

I bought two summerlite's this year, also from Bentgate, and noticed the same thing. Close to 21 oz. Still a great bag but WM seems to be fudging on the weights a bit IMO. Then again maybe Bentgate is the issue. Not sure how that would be but it would be nice to hear from others who didn't buy it at Bentgate and had the same issue to eliminate the possiblity.

[Jim MacDiarmid]

Hmm. . . many times, when stuff goes on sale that doesn't normally go on sale(e.g. WM stuff) it's for 'irregulars', i.e. something that doesn't meet normal product specs.

I bought a Marmot Exum jacket from Backcountryoutlet.com a couple years ago. The Exum is supposed to weigh ~16oz. Mine weighed 25oz. After calling Marmot corporate and telling them where I bought it and the product number, they told me the jacket was a one-off made of Gore-tex 'stretch' rather than Pro-Shell. BCoutlet didn't advertise that the jacket was in any way different than the stand Exum. I returned the jacket.

(I just read an article about how a lot Black Friday discount electronics do this same thing; change the product number by one number/letter, so you think your buying the standard model, but your really buying a one-off with inferior specs)

Perhaps bentgate is a clearance sight for WM 2nds?

[Jack G]

very possible Jim. I paid full price though, sorry I didn't mention that.

[Adam Frizzell]

I noticed the same thing when I weighed my Summerlite.

The spec of a 6'6" Summerlite is 21oz. and mine came in at 21.85oz. Not a big deal at all, of course, but I would say Yes. I do see a slight variance to spec on my WM bag.
That being said, the bag rules. The .85 oz doesn't mean a thing when I'm wrapped up in it sleeping like a baby. :-)

[Lynn Tramper]

I think most manufacturers allow +/- 10% variance in weight to be within the 'normal' range as there are things they can't control such as variation in fabric weights. So plus or minus 2.5oz for a 25 oz bag, and plus or minus 1.9oz for a 19oz bag would be 'normal'.

[Christopher Wilke]

I actually live near the store so I got the bags in person. They are just having a general 20% on everything in the store sale but I did go back and look at the fine print on their website. Sure enough, excludes WM and some other brands. The sales guy did get a little nervous when I mentioned the 20% sale in regards to WM but he gave me it on both bags and 2 Hooded Flash jackets. He said they are not supposed to advertise any sale on WM gear. Might be worth a call to the store. Maybe I just got lucky. It does look like it will apply the coupon in the cart to WM gear FWIW.

I would be really surprised (and p!$$*d) if these were irregulars. They do look top quality but I wouldn't know what to look for to discern the difference.

[Christopher Wilke]

Lynn,
That's what I assumed was the case. Being an Engineer, I am intimately familiar with manufacturing tolerance. Hopefully, my bag gained the +7% weight in down fill ;)

[Jack G]

I agree, but I also think that 19 oz. sounds better from their POV than 20 oz. in the same way that $9.99 sounds better than $10.00.

[Christopher Wilke]

Maybe I'm just weird but I never understood that idea. $10.00 looks lower at first glance than $9.99 to me. Maybe it's all those zeros that sooth me…

[Lynn Tramper]

"19 oz. sounds better from their POV than 20 oz"

That's the cynical POV. I have owned many WM bags, and some of them have arrived pleasantly under the stated weight, some spot-on, so I am more inclined to believe that the variance is normal and not some marketing hype being covered up…that's more GoLite's style :(

[Brett Peugh]

My Caribou Long is 3.2oz over.

[Jack G]

It is cynical and just a guess. WM is a great company with great products. If the summerlite were, for example, 25 oz. I don't think they would say it is 23 oz. In a case though where it is 20.5 oz. there might be more to gain by saying it is 19 oz. and breaks the 20 oz. mark. Not really sure if 20 oz. is an important mark to break other than maybe sounding better. Also, not sure what came out first, but maybe they were looking to match the GL Ultra 20. Who knows.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

My Megalite was a teensy bit (1.3 oz. over weight but that could be extra fabric as well as extra down.

But that bag has kept me warm on 28 & 25 F. nights in the Sierra Nevada this summer B/C it has no side baffle. Knowing it would be below frezing, I shook as much down as I could to the top side. That feature is nice.

[Christopher Wilke]

Don't get me wrong. These appear to be excellent bags and the slightly higher weight really isn't a big deal. I can't wait to test them out in the backyard to see how low I can take them.

Eric,
What were you wearing/sleeping on/in for those nights? The continuous baffles are a really nice feature. Have you had any problems with cold spots because the down has shifted away from an area? That was my one hesitation about a bag with continuous baffles.

[James Byrnes]

My summerlite weighted 19.85 oz………. until I put it in a dryer (on low heat) then it weighted 19 oz. Humidity also affects clothing items in a similar way.

[Brad Rogers]

I just thought I would throw in that my Summerlite (Reg) weighed in at 19.95oz, and my Ultralite (Reg) weighed in at 29.65oz

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