A 13 oz down bag. check it out

I have a custom 13oz bag from Nunatak that compromises in it's narrow cut (especially in the footbox but also in the body). I have been cold at 5am (comfortable the rest of the night) only with mid-weight poly underwear at 25F, but comfortable down to 30F.

I have not tried this particular product–it looks like a more conventional mummy and is rated only to 47F. It is reported to have box wall seams (good) but it doesn't give the inches of loft which makes it hard to compare.

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There are threads discussing them here and on TLB. The TLB comments are from about 5 years ago. They're very expensive but quality is probably not as good as WM, Valandre or Mont Bell.

beg to differ – PHD make kit as good as if not better than WM or any other manufacturer – check the 800UK fill power which is equivalent to 875-900 US!!!

PHD is about on a par with WM, Valandre, premium Marmot, and even Nunatak in terms of what I've seen.
I don't know if people noticed—many of the PHD bags offer options. The bag mentioned above is available w/ no zipper, 1/2 zip, or full zip in 3 different bag lengths.

I was just getting MY Brit hackles up at the slightly dismissive tone about something that i suspect no one has ever seen ;-)!

We don't see much Mont Bell, but I would say that PHD equal WM and Valandre for build quality (the Valandre designs are incredible, but the complexity of their cut comes at a price!).

I realise that for the US, any import brands are expensive now, but even allowing for the weak dollar, the Minim Ultra compares well with (since someone made the comparison)a US specialist such as Nunatak.

I'm not sure what the loft of the Minim Ultra would be – on the whole, we have less of an obsession with that measure over here (if you want to understand why, measure the loft of your bag before and after giving it an airing on a damp day – then think about the British climate!).

Assuming a good fitting shell, that is airtight and gives the down plenty of room to loft, I suspect that ratio of (good quality) down to overall weight has a big impact on real world comfort.

Finally (to misssquote) there are lies, dammed lies and manufacturers comfort ratings – PHD do tend to be reasonably conservative!

I think there is a mistake in the prices quoted. The UK price (until June 30th) is £119.20. This includes the 17.5% tax domestic customers have to pay, but US customers should not. However, if you ask for the price in US$ it quotes $236.90, which seems to be the conversion of £119 without any deduction. With the tax deducted it should be to $201.62.

Postage costs are "dependent on weight" demonstrating another benefit of ultralight – lower carriage charges.

"I was just getting MY Brit hackles up at the slightly dismissive tone about something that i suspect no one has ever seen ;-)!"

As it happens I'm currently living in London and previously lived in Tokyo so I'm in the probably unusual position of having been able to actually get my hands on all of the above-mentioned bags – Mont Bell, Valandre, WM – and Feathered Friends, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, Rab as well as several other very light and high quality European and Japanese brands not available (as far as I know) in the UK or the US (such as Yeti, Isuka and Nippin).

My personal opinion, and yours might differ, is that all things considered (price, quality, conservative ratings) WM come out on top, with Isuka coming close for quality but at higher weights. Valandre are great but are just too expensive.

And I do think that PHD are expensive (like most gear in the UK). To take one example, Nippin have a bag similar to the PHD Minim, the Messner 150 (a 430 gram bag with 150 grams of 95/5 800+ fill power). On current exchange rates the Messner is £73 versus £149 for the PHD Minim (N.B. £119.20 is an introductory price only valid until 30 June), so the PHD is more than double the price of the Nippin bag for exactly the same quoted weight of down.

So I am still asking if there is a U.S. custom charge or import fee on top of the sales price?

The bags sound pretty good. They look good in the photos but it would be nice to examine one up close.

Assuming US customs do their job, shipping costs, custom duties, VAT and administrative costs should be added to the original cost.

old thread, but the only one I found talking about the minum ultra- anyone try one? exchange rate is not great, but better than it has been in the past- and you get to deduct 17% for the VAT that's included in the price

tia

I have one, it's a fantastic bag, incredibly light and super warm. Note that it's now european 900 fp down. I've had it down to -5c combined with down clothing. On the minus side, it is a pretty snug cut so may not be suitable for people with a bigger build. I love the simplicity of it too- you get a drawcord and that's the only feature. PHD don't always have the best reputation for customer service but I never had any problems with the two purchases I made. ( Ultra vest, also an incredible piece of gear)

^ thanks- that's good to hear :)

I'll probably shoot them an email, I'd fit into a regular at 5' 11', but my build is a little on the husky side and I would definitely need the ability to add an insulating layer

I also see they have a option of a short zipper w/ a little over an ounce penalty- I'd have to ponder that as well

Mike

Do you know if the wide width version of the PHD MiNIM Ultra is wider in the whole length of the bag (even in the foot area) or just in the shoulders? Thanks

who wants a 45F bag that cannot ventillate for warmer conditons, and you have to wriggle in the face hole?

Useless.

certainly not. the thread is 6 years old.

If im out in weather above 40F, I'm more concerned about rain and being wet than being warm. I would rather have an apex synthetic quilt, which weighs only 10oz and is more versatile.