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PHD Minim 400 Sleeping Bag Review


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Home Forums Campfire Editor’s Roundtable PHD Minim 400 Sleeping Bag Review

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  • #1255046
    Addie Bedford
    BPL Member

    @addiebedford

    Locale: Montana

    Companion forum thread to:

    PHD Minim 400 Sleeping Bag Review

    #1571734
    Diplomatic Mike
    Member

    @mikefaedundee

    Locale: Under a bush in Scotland

    Nice review. Just a couple of details. When comparing down fill, European manufacturers usually use the Lorch test, which gives a reading approx 4% less than the US system. So a fill power of 800 from PHD equates to a fill power of 832 using the US system.
    Also, the VAT charge that US customers can deduct is 15%, not $15, so that would be a saving of $57.30 on the $382 purchase price.

    #1571755
    Pieter Kaufman
    Member

    @pieter

    Mike, VAT in the UK is currently 17.5%, and that's in line with my memory of VAT refunds I got on items purchased in the UK over the years. If I'm correct, then that brings the cost down slightly more for US buyers.

    To anyone in the US purchasing goods overseas, it's useful to check on tax refund policies. With certain rules or restrictions, it's available in a number of countries around the world on items for export.

    #1571756
    Matt Lutz
    Member

    @citystuckhiker

    Locale: Midwest

    The part that is most impressive of about the bag is the percentage of the total weight that is insulation – 400 of the 680 grams – 58.8 percent. I don't know if this is a common stat, but my gut says that 50 percent is a good benchmark to shoot for.

    #1571759
    Diplomatic Mike
    Member

    @mikefaedundee

    Locale: Under a bush in Scotland

    You're correct Pieter. I forgot they just raised it again. (It was reduced to 15% for a year to help the economy :)

    #1571769
    Addie Bedford
    BPL Member

    @addiebedford

    Locale: Montana

    Those VAT numbers are corrected. Thanks guys!

    #1571866
    Jim Sweeney
    BPL Member

    @swimjay

    Locale: Northern California

    BTW, I believe that the cost after VAT reduction is computed most easily by dividing the VAT-included price by 1.175. That is, the amount saved, the VAT, is 17.5% of the price before VAT is added. (Which is different from taking 17.5% of the English, VAT-included price.) PHD does that automatically for you on their website as you check out, though first you need to register so that the checkout program knows you're from the US.

    #1572165
    John Davis
    Member

    @bukidnon

    Can I just add that I find zipless bags more comfortable than zipped. If it's really hot, I put the bag across my torso, leaving my legs uninsulated. But mostly, it's just nicer to have no stiff areas in a bag. The drape is closer and there is nothing to end up lying on.

    Since going zipless, I have acquired an insulated jacket to supplement the bag. This system is more versatile than buying a zipped bag rated for low temperatures and having no jacket.

    #1572363
    Dan @ Durston Gear
    BPL Member

    @dandydan

    Locale: Canadian Rockies

    Something seems a bit strange to me. It seems surprising that having 400g (14.1 oz) of 800fp down only results in a single layer loft of 2.6". How is it that the GoLite Adrenaline bag manages to accomplish virtually the same loft (2.5") with significantly less down (10.1oz)? Except for the Feathered Friends bag, all the other bags being compared to the Minim 400 have significantly higher loft:down ratios. The North Face Beeline and Marmot Hydrogen are two other examples of bags that accomplish similar loft with significantly less down.

    It kinda makes me wonder if the down is really 800 fp. If the down was lower grade (ie. 700fp) that would explain a lot. It would explain how 58% of the bags weight is in the down and it would explain why over 14oz of down only results in 2.6" of single layer loft. Then again, I could be totally on the wrong track and the real explanation could lie in something else like the cut of the bag.

    #1572546
    S. uedonim
    BPL Member

    @ruan

    Locale: UK

    I'd be very surprised if PHD were supplying a lower grade of down whilst advertising (and charging for!) a higher grade. They've got an excellent reputation, and go into detail about their down testing methodology on their website (http://www.phdesigns.co.uk/techdown4.php?).

    I'd be more suspicious of the average loft measurements for the various bags, myself. Its a very tricky number to pin down reliably.

    #1572784
    Dan @ Durston Gear
    BPL Member

    @dandydan

    Locale: Canadian Rockies

    You're right that the fill power is not the most likely explanation. The difficulty in measuring loft, baffle design, or the cut of the bag all seem like more plausible explanations.

    #1574850
    Will Rietveld
    BPL Member

    @williwabbit

    Locale: Southwest Colorado

    Hi all. Some of you commented that the bag's loft was less than expected. That is probably due to the bag's girth; note that this is a wider bag (Size Standard: Shoulder/hip/foot: 67/58/39 in (170/148/98 cm), probably to facilitate sliding in and out.

    Also, thanks for straightening out the VAT issue; that's something we're not familiar with.

    Happy hiking,
    Will

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