Bag for a very cold sleeper!

[Eduardo Lartigau]

Hi; I need a bag for use in +-15 F, I’m a very cold sleeper and dont like to put more clothes inside the bag, I look for the WM Antelope, Marmot Litium and Valandre Lafayete, any information abouth this bags is very welcome. Any other sugestions ok. Tanks.

[Mark Verber]

All nice bags. You might also look at the WM VersaLite Super. It’s 10F rating is very conservative.

–mark

[Eduardo Lartigau]

Tanks Mark;I have the Ultralite. Do you have the Versalite super. wath is the exactly weight of the bag?

[Richard Nelridge]

Eduardo,

Add the Feathered Friends (FF) Lark to your short List:

http://tinyurl.com/aqjah

In the stripped form, the FF Lark is considered a 10 degree F sleeping bag. Upgrading to 800+ down from the 750+ down lowers the lower temperature range to about 5 degrees F. I am very pleased with mine in eVENT fabric. My FF Lark in eVENT outer fabric and inner nylon weighs about 40 oz. Lighter materials like Pertex Quantum are available. This bag uses a removable collar that adds to the warmth, but can be removed (saving about 2-3? oz) for warmer conditions.

Also, with the FF products, you have a choice of colors, materials (one alternative mentioned), down overfill, and down quality (as already mentioned).

Rich

[Mark Verber]

My VersaLite Super is exactly 2lbs (32oz).

[Eduardo Lartigau]

Tanks Richard and Mark, tanks your atention.

[Eduardo Lartigau]

Mark; I have 5.11 tall do you recomend the 6′ or 6.6’bag for my.

[Mark Verber]

I am 5’10”, 180lbs. I find the bag to be a very comfortable size for me. I still have a bit of room. My best guess is that it would be fine for someone who was 5’11”.

[Eduardo Lartigau]

Tanks Mark, tanks very much. Eduardo.

[David Ure]

Consider the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 0D. Good to -18c and about 2.5 pounds. I have also heard that MH tends to underrate their bags such that you might be able to get closer to -25 with this bag comfortably.

[Eduardo Lartigau]

Tanks David, but I feel this bag a litle confined with 60 sholder girdt, for I can use some clothes inside if necessary.Eduardo

[Ken Helwig]

I would consider Western Mountaineering. Fine bags indeed. I own two and will not own anything else.

[Eduardo Lartigau]

Dear Ken; Tanks your atention, I consider in a first option WM bags, just any sugestion to my chouse is very wellcome. Eduardo.

[David Ure]

Eduardo,

I am not sure how tall you are, but I am 6 foot and use a ‘long.’ It has a girth of 63 inches, I believe.

[Richard Nelridge]

Hi Eduardo,

I know that the FF Lark is listed as a 60″ girth and that the weight listed is 38 oz (in 1.8 oz Epic outer and 1.3 oz nylon taffetta inner). The bag can certainly be made lighter using Pertex Quantum (.9 oz) and rip stop nylon (1.1 oz or .85 oz).

Consider reading what they had to say about the WM Highlight and the same outer fabric used in the VersaLite Super in the Rock and Ice article (and possibly about the FF Vireo just for fabric):

http://tinyurl.com/bwsh4

Also for your benefit and Ken’s- WM, FF and along with Nunatak are probably the best makers of down sleeping bags in the US. Particularly FF and WM keep each other honest with its main competitor. Both make an outstanding product, and you will probably not go wrong with either maker. However, FF and perhaps to a lesser extent, Nunatak make custom products the way that you want it in fabric materials, colors, down quality and overfill.

Rich

[Mathieu Fagnan]

Hi guys

Just to mix up Eduardo ideas a little more.

I was in France lately and got my eyes on a Lafayette. These bags are INCREDIBLE.Craftmanship and desing is second to none. Its on my list as the next to own sleeping bag.

I presently own a Marmot Helium, wich is OK, but I have lost about 20% of loft over the years (the bag is 5 years old)althougth I took extreme care of it (washing, storing, etc.).
I also have a WM Antelope, wich is a great bag. It looks more home made than the Marmot but the quality is much higher. This bag as seen a lot of action lately and is still in perfect condition.
Finaly I am a proud owner of a masterpiece, a Integral Desing XPD3 Endurance bag. This bag was custom made for me (material,lenght and profile (shoulder, hip and foot grit))for my last year expedition to Denali and Logan. ID bags are probably the best kept secrets in the industry. Craftmanship is of prime level,Loft is unreal and custom options endless. Also because you buy in Canada I think they are a cheaper. ID actually dont really like to sell their Down bag because they realy dont make money out of them because of the time they take to built them. (as they say). Incredible enough, it was the first time I had a bag that was almost too warm (particulary on Denali where june was unusualy warm).

As said in past posts, I also think that whatever you select WM, FF or even ID, you cant be wrong.

Althoug big companies states that they use the best possible material, there is not doubt, by the feel of the bag and the way it lofts (even considering the amount of down in each bag), that the down in my WM and my ID is of much better quality than my Marmot.

Sorry for bad, broken english…I am one of those french canadian!

Math

[paul johnson]

no need to apologize for your english. it’s really quite good, and it’s much better than my french (je ne parle pas francais).

really appreciate your informative posts. keep posting, s’il vous plait. merci.

[Eduardo Lartigau]

Hi Guys, tanks very much your atentiom. Tanks Mathie your informations,I am very interested in the Lafayette and Richard I have look your site, man, you are a incredible photographer, congratulations, your photos looks fantastic. Eduardo

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