Polarguard vs Thermolite bags

[Rob Kunzig]

Hi,
Looking for a good 15 to 20* synth bag.
I've seen some good prices on the thermolite bags. Why is that? I have a MH Polarguard bag but this one is for the wife…!
Any and ALL input is appreciated –
Thanks,
Rob

[Jon Rhoderick]

Well consider the new MH ultralamina bags, with the laminated insulation. Better compression, water resistance, probably slightly less absorption and its around 2 lbs 13 oz which is decent for a synth bag around there. Theres the Big agnes lulu, which 15* 3lbs 3 oz and also 150 dollars. And then theres also the mont bell super stretch burrow #1, with stretch baffles, 4 lbs 3 oz, and $170, the 20* golite doze 200$ 2lbs 11 oz. Its a shame that no one makes good synthetic quilts in this range as far as I know, but a 30 degree bag or quilt with some clothing that equates to about .5 inches of loft (like one of those ultralight synthetic or down jackets) could maybe help have more versitile gear

[James D Buch]

My limited experience with Thermolite bags is that they don't maintain loft for very long.

I only owned one Thermolite bag, from Slumberjack. After about 30 nights of sleep and 1 laundry in a commercial large machine, the loft was reduced to about 1/2. I did follow the instructions on the care tag carefully.

Somehow, cheap and good doesn't always work out, and Thermolite seems to be a less expensive fill for bags.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Any bag (except maybe a light summer bag) that uses Thermolite is using GARMENT insulation. Absloutly OK for an insulating layer of clothing but wrong for sleeping bags.

My Thermolite Ultra insulating jacket and pants are fine but I seldom stuff them, unlike a sleeping bag. In fact my Thermolite insulating clothes are MUCH warmer than 300 weight Polartec.

We all await the day when we can have great synthetic insulation that is:
light, very compressable, as warm as down and keeps its loft indefinitely.

Just as tentmakers await reliable skyhooks.

Eric

[E C]

I've had great luck with a Wiggy's Lamilite bag.

[David Wills]

"Its a shame that no one makes good synthetic quilts in this range as far as I know"

Looking at the clo of fanatic fringe quilts, the 40* quilt has a clo of 3.4, which is around 30*. Both of the 30* quilts have a clo of around 3.7-3.8 which put it slightly cooler than whats considered normal for a 20* bag, so about 23-25*. They basically copied ray jardines designs for their product line and thus listened to his temp rating formula as well.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

OK "EC", yer keerect.

I forgot about Wiggy's. Like Softie SnugPak it's a likely exception in that both retain warmth after repeated compressions.

Eric

[E C]

That durn Wiggy's bag & an issue synthetic were the only exceptions I made to my usual preference for down (Western Mountaineering) bags…it's now been passed down to my rugrat.

[larry savage]

Oh please don't let this morph into a synthetic insulation thread, many of us would not hold up to another round of the lamilte wars.

[E C]

LOL…not being familiar with the aforementioned "lamilite wars" I made my remark in complete innocence…
However, isn't this whole thread about the comparision of two different synthetic insulations?

[larry savage]

Yep, comparisons of two synthetic insulations, that's right, that's what it is gonna be but, ….. these things can get hijacked by sneaky individuals who have their own agendas to fill along with insulation in a bag or coat.
It's a form of backroom politics; partisan and a deceptive smoke and mirror information blast. There is not one subject on this forum that'll light it up like a good ol' synthetic insulation thread, there will be bars and graphs and tables and unkind words will spill forth.

My own personal motto goes like this …. Do you have synthetic bag?"Yep" What kind of insulation is it? "Look, isn't that grisly bear poo?"

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