Custom 20 oz Feathered Friends Vireo with 6″+ loft.

[Edward Jursek]

I just picked my custom Vireo up from Feathered Friends today. It took a bit less then a week to get it to me. Here are the specs I got: in size long the bag, before the overfill, was 17 oz (with the Pertex Endurance UL shell option) on the FF store scale. I added 5oz of overfill to the top half of the bag. After discussions with staff about wanting a 25 degree bag, that was the overfill amount recommended. The staff were still cagey about committing to a temperature rating but seemed confident that much overfill would do the trick. In reviews and in my own experience, FF is pretty conservative with their temperature ratings. At home, after the overfill, my scale has the bag at 22oz. Conservatively, I have the loft at about 5 1/2" to 6" for the bag and the foot box at 7". Overall, the quality is excellent and down (900 fill) and the shell (Pertex Endurance UL) are top notch. The bag is super simple, with only a draw cord at the top. At 5'11", I can cinch the size long bag closed almost completely over my head. Paired with a down balaclava, I think this will make a great shoulder season set up. Although I am fairly large, the wide girth leaves room for me to add a down layer. Overall, I am very pleased and can't wait to get the bag into the field.

[Rusty Beaver]

Nice! There was some apprehension on the temp rating with me too…but that is to be expected on custom work…particularly since, unlike their other bags they have a handle on, the Vireo has no hood, zip or draft tube. I actually remember being told something to that effect too. I don't think they've made enough of these Vireo variants to be confident in giving quick and firm ratings.

Made in the USA for 41 yrs, quick turn-around, top craftsmanship, top materials, fair price (our Vireo customizations were easy though). Pretty tough combo of things to beat. I think Feathered Friends deserves to be talked about.

(I have no affiliation w/ FF)

[Steve B]

Just got a Vireo bag also recently; 2oz of overfill in the upper half, in an attempt to get a 25 degree bag when paired with a FF Daybreak jacket. Size medium (68"), weight came to 18oz.

I'm 5'8", 165lbs, and the size is perfect. Not too tight in the lower half as some had mentioned. Temp rating is still to be determined, but after being cold in my Palisade quilt at 30, and tired of re-shifting the Palisade when ever I turned from one side to the other, this is a better bag for me.

A zipper is not missed. The lack of an attached hood is wonderful. It is paired with a Goosefeet hood (1.3oz)

Steve

[Edward Jursek]

Rusty and Stephen:

I am really happy with the bag. FF customer service was great. I went in 3 times to try the bag on and talk about options. I am pretty confident my bag is a solid 25 degree bag, and likely good to 20 degrees. I have a FF Rock Wren for my summer bag and have had it 4 or 5 degrees past its 35 degree rating a number of times with out any problem, including a snowy night on the Boundary Trail in early August last year. Now it is time to test it! My 11 year old daughter will get to use it as her summer bag, she is skinny and sleeps cold, so she will be a good tester. I like the idea of less overfill and pairing it with a Daybreak jacket. I don't own a down jacket or I would have been more interested in that approach. I will be curious to see how that works out.

[Michael Gillenwater]

Ed,
I am looking forward to checking out your new bag on the Wonderland. It sounds like it might be what I am looking for as well. And I really like the idea of being able to go to the FF shop and work with them on the specs.

[Edward Jursek]

Michael,

I think an overfilled Vireo is a excellent quilt alternative. The store had the medium and long to try on. I expect this will be the bag I will use for the Wonderland trip. This bag is the most expensive piece of kit I have ever purchased. However, it was cheaper then the Nunatak and Katabatic quilts I was looking at. I would still take a hard look at the Zpacks bag, as the Vireo ended up costing about as much.

[Rusty Beaver]

Well, in the worst yr for backcountry travel in more than a decade, I finally got out and used this bag. I got it for the earlier and later trips when temps are cooler…but curiosity was kill'n me and had to use it.

Didn't have a thermometer but I'd guess the lows were in the mid to high 30's. Obviously, the bag kept me more than warm. My feet were actually too warm most of the time….but I expected that. Some kind of vent would be nice down there in these warmer temps but that's not what I bought it for…and I'm not sure about a drawstring as the footbox as is, is fabulous. Don't know if it's me or what but I have never felt a nicer footbox. It stands up rather than laying down therefor the loft is always constant….and it has ample wiggle room for my size 9.5 feet.

I see no issue for me with having no zip…at least in the temps intended for. Can't wait to get more time in it. Almost makes me wish the weather would turn south so I could use it sooner than later. Very impressed thus far, with every aspect.

[Edward Jursek]

Good to hear! Please keep me posted. I will be testing my custom Vireo in July on a CDT section hike in Colorado. Like you, I find the construction, shape and loft of the foot box remarkable. I know of another BPL member who picked up a cheap stock Vireo and is weighing his custom options.

[Rusty Beaver]

Adding more loft to an existing Vireo is an easy task for FF. Have your friend ask them.

I used mine for the second time last wkd. Again, I don't know the temps but there was frost on the ground. Slept perfectly warm all night with only a thin fleece hat on my head, shorts, and a super thin shirt. I would have been shivering all night in my Summerlite. Not a knock against WM in any way. Just a comparative note…and admitting that I don't sleep as warm at age 45 than I did at 25.

[Edward Jursek]

Got to use my custom Vireo in some cold weather this week. Got one night with snow and lows likely in the upper 20's. I was warm and snug in the Vireo in my merino base layer sleeping cloths (Icebreaker 200 long johns and an Ibex Indie Hoodie) and a Goosefeet down balaclava. The Pertex quantum endurance shell handled a lot of moisture as well, through a very rainy night under my Hexamid. Although the bag got wet, especially the foot box, there was no loss of loft.

[Edward Jursek]

We are having some unseasonably cold weather in Seattle right now so I thought it was a good time to test the limits of my custom Vireo. So I was the crazy guy who camped out in the yard last night under his Duomid from 11pm to 7am. I used a Zpacks poncho/groundsheet, a torso length Zrest pad and a NeoAir X-Lite size short pad. I was wearing light weight Injinji socks under a pair of old Smartwool socks, Icebreaker 200 long john bottoms, an Ibex Indie Hoodie and a Zpacks down balaclava. I had left all of my gear out in the afternoon so it was good and cold when I put it on. It has been cold for several days and the ground was hard, frost covered and cold. I am 6'0 tall and 210 pounds, and a side sleeper who runs towards the warm side. I did not use gloves, any down clothing save for the down balaclava, or any fleece. Just my basic merino sleep cloths and the extra pair of hiking socks I carry in my basic kit.

It was 22 degrees when I started and the low got down to 18 degrees. There was very little breeze. I was warm and toasty at the start and ended up being comfortable at the end when I woke up. I cinched the bag up tight to avoid drafts. 18 degrees is about the lower limit of the bag in my basic shoulder season merino sleep cloths set up. I had taken a FF Hyperion vest out with me just in case, but did not need it. I am sure I could push the bag further if I wore more cloths but that wasn't the point of my test. In the low 20's the Vireo was great. FF did not not want to commit to a rating as this was a custom bag, but the guy I dealt with felt it was easily good to 25 and maybe good to 20. I would say FF erred on the side of caution and this bag is good for me to 20 degrees in my sleep cloths. Again, I was comfortable to 18 degrees in just my sleep cloths; I did not suffer or push through any discomfort. I got a good 8 hours of sleep.

The custom Vireo is solid alternative to a 20 degree quilt. With the 5oz of overfill added to the top half of a size long, my bag weights 22oz, has 14.4oz of 900pf down and lofts like crazy. It was cheaper then the Nunatak and Katabatic quilts I looked at and the same cost as the Zpacks 20 degree bag I considered. It has a quality performance fabric shell to boot, making a bivy unnecessary in most circumstances. I want to give a big thanks to Rusty for the inspiration to get this bag.

[Rusty Beaver]

Thanks for the update, Edward. Glad the bag is working for you. I haven't used mine since I last posted. Terrible yr for backcountry human powered travel. Other aspects of 2013 made up for it though. 2014 is going to be stellar!

[Anthony Weston]

I was also the crazy guy out testing my Vireo this weekend, I have the 18 oz Vireo Nano with a FF hooded Helios. I was fine in the snow at 29 degrees. I also was testing a Zpacks 20 degree bag, the footbox of the Vireo was warmer than the zpacks as was to be expected. I drove home and the snow was now rain at the lower elevation so I put the bags thru a moisture test. I put the Vireo with Nanosphere protection in the rain for 30 minutes. It weighed 18.4 oz dry and 18.8 oz after 30 minutes but I could not see that any water had been absorbed except in the label. Incredible water protection. I'm not saying use the bag without a tarp but condensation will not touch this bag. I also tried the same test with the zpacks and I was amazed how well it shed water, not quite as good as the nanosphere, the zpacks still felt wet on the outside while the Nanosphere felt dry on the outside but neither bag will take any harm from condensation; the down stayed dry for both bags. The zpacks has the advantage in the summer because it opens to a quilt and the Vireo was warmer and I was very impressed by the Nanosphere treatment, no need for a bivy.

[Allen C]

For those who have a custom Vireo as described above, how are they working out? I am considering moving from a Katabatic Sawatch to something like this. Thanks in advance!

Allen

[David Chenault]

I ordered a 68″ Vireo Nano in 2014, and later ended up adding 3 oz of down to the upper five baffles.  At least this much overfill is the way to do it, I got cold far to easily otherwise, even with a largish jacket.

I’d say mine is a legit 20-25 degree bag.  It’s a great value.  The tight legs and footbox are warm without being constraining, and the torso has room for lots of layers.  I’ve used it for almost all trips, save really warm or really cold ones.

[Rusty Beaver]

Allen,

I’ve used my custom Vireo a number of times since last posting. I can’t say enough good things about it! It’s like crawling into heaven. Love it all but the footbox is amazing! Can’t say I’ve used it in really cold temps yet though….really cold meaning 20’s. Although, I can’t be sure of that as I never have a thermometer with me. I just know it hasn’t been cold enough for me to need to use my down Goosefeet hood. Thus far, my fleece hat has been enough.

I do know that I’ve used it when it was cold enough to have frosted the ground. I’ve never been chilled in it or even close, wearing only a light wicking layer.

I’m as persnickety as they come with details and nearly always find things on gear I want to change. To date, there’s nothing on this bag I would change. That would not be the case if it were my only bag…but I don’t winter camp and I have a WM Linelite for warmer trips.

rusty

[Allen C]

David and Rusty, thanks so much for the feedback. I sleep cold and move around a lot, and tend to camp up high where it is windy and chilly so I’m thinking this might be a good option for me for shoulder season backpacking and the occasional climbing trip as well.

It sounds like no one really misses having a zipper on these when used in cooler weather…I have a palisade for warmer weather trips so I’m thinking I would only use this on colder trips where I want to keep all the warmth in.

[Rusty Beaver]

For me, not having the zipper is part of the beauty of this bag. Keeps it super simple and light. I just pull the bag down to my chest when warm or leave the top uncinched. I don’t even think about not having a zipper to vent or for ease of crawling in or out. Don’t miss it at all.

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