I have on my floor right now a brand new Western Mountaineering Kodiak and brand new Feathered Friends Ibis EX. Both rated zero degrees. Neither have overfill. Kodiak shoulder girth 66″. Ibis shoulder girth 64″. Kodiak hip and foot girths 1″ more than Ibis.
I wanted to compare these bags for many things but first I have an overfill question based on my at home test today.
I was in the Kodiak for 20 minutes. I got very warm but not hot and my skin never approached getting damp. I was in the Ibis 15 minutes and got hot to the point my skin was almost getting damp and I had to get out now!
Can overfill compensate for a bag that’s probably got too much girth for a particular user? In this case would overfill have made the bigger girth Kodiak as hot as the smaller girth Ibis was after 15 minutes?
WM offers up to 4 oz overfill in the Kodiak. But IIRC, WM said their overfill has negligible effect on inside girth. This leads back to my question: does overfill compensate for a bag that’s probably got too much girth to begin with?
Thanks to all who read and answer!
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Almost 70 yo now. 5′ 8″. 175 lbs. On skin: shoulder girth 46″, chest 44″, arms at side 52″. Shirt: large.
Kodiak shoulder girth 66″. Fill weight 30 oz.
Ibis shoulder girth 64:. Fill weight 28.5 oz.
I wanted to compare these bags for:
1. comfort of back sleeping position,
2. ease/difficulty of turning onto sides for side sleeping position,
3. for comfort in the side sleeping position,
4. how hot I’d get inside each bag after 20 minutes.
I wore clean, freshly laundered lightweight merino bottoms and l/s zip neck merino top. Lightweight cotton socks. Lightweight merino beanie. My a/c was on with indoor temp of 70 degrees and low humidity.
I was inside KodiaK 20 minutes. I was very warm after 20 minutes but I never got hot. By “hot” I mean to the point of damp skin and “I gotta get outta here now”.
I was very comfortable on my back and my sides. Hood fit extremely well. I closed top and bottom drawcords until only my nostrils and bridge of nose were exposed. Neither top or bottom hood drawcord was tight against any part of my head. Inside top edge of the hood rested lightly against my forehead and closed eyes, without any pressure or discomfort.
Kodiak neck baffles were uncomfortable at first because the drawcords strained across front and back of neck. Moving the baffles around by hand and playing with drawcords relieved the tension while allowing full closure of top and bottom neck baffle and enough comfort that the cords, while still felt, didn’t bother me and after a bit, I didn’t feel them.
Still, this isn’t understandable in a bag made by guys who’ve been making bags since the 70s when we were listening to the Eagles and Stones.
After moving neck baffles by hand, the top and bottom baffle snugged and puffed up marvously. That’s not a real world test in the cold, though; so I don’t know if any gaps existed that’d let cold air inside. But it sure felt snuggly comfy at home.
I could easily turn onto my sides the Kodiak. Once on my side I was a little more comfortable than in the Ibex because I had a little more room to put my left arm under my head (when on left side) and vice versa. I had enough room to bend my knees and spread my feet; enough that I’d be as comfortable as one can be in a mummy bag.
I was very comfortable on my back in the Ibis. After 15 minutes I was hot to the point my skin was almost at vapor point and I had to get out “now”! What a difference 2″ makes (pun intended)!
With hands on chest in coffin position, my elbows made soft contact with both sides of the bag. I couldn’t tell if the down was compressed but I don’t think it was. I think my elbows were only contacting the inner shell and not poking into the baffles. I’ll have to try that part of the test again!
I had enough room to move onto my side from my back without straining or stretching the bag anyplace. I was comfortable on my side with just enough and a smidgeon more room for arm under head. I could bend my knees and spread my feet enough that I felt I’d be as comfortable as any mummy bag would allow. If I’d not been inside the Kodiak on my side I’d have felt the Ibex had a lot of room. It did indeed have that room, but the Kodiak had a tiny bit more.
I don’t know if that extra leg room’s enough to make a difference. I mean, really! A “difference” to stretch out is 24″ or more! Not 1″ in girth!
Right off the bat, Ibis neck baffles were much more comfortable than Kodiak. Top nor bottom drawcord strained across my neck. Even with front and back cords fully taut I never felt them on my neck. I didn’t have to manually move the top or bottom baffles to be comfortable. Just snug ’em and be done with it.
Ibis hood definitely not as comfortable as Kodiak. I couldn’t get hood to close to a tiny circle exposing only nostrils and bridge of nose. When I did close hood as much as possible it closed to football shaped hole across my face, left to right. The inner shell, while still lofted, was pressed uncomfortably against my closed eyes. Enough that I could never sleep that way.
I futzed with the hood cords. I stuck my arm out the bag and tugged the hood up. Then down. I re-futzed with the hood cords. I could never get a round breathing hole, just a football hole. Every time I got that hole small as could be, the inner shell pressed uncomfortable against my eyes. I don’t think I could sleep, or sleep comfortably without waking, with the hood pressing against my closed eyelids.
I think it was Outdoor Gear Lab’s FF Snowbunting review that said FF’s hood wasn’t very deep and testers wished for a deeper hood. Now I understand what they mean.
Today I learned the FF 64″ girth bag allows for comfortable back position, ease of turning onto side, and comfort when on my side. I learned the bigger 66″ Kodiak is a bit more comfortable for those things. I also learned 2″ girth difference makes a big thermal difference, much more than I thought.
For me, the Kodiak’s extra wiggle room would be appreciated at my age. But at 5F in a tent in the woods, the warmer Ibis might negate the wiggle room comfort of the Kodiak.
Going to ask WM the overfill question. If overfill can make the Kodiak as hot inside my a/c house as the non-overfilled Ibex, I’ll take the Kodiak. If not I’ll return this Ibex for an overfilled one and deal with the hood best I can.
My fingers are cramped now!
Thanks everyone!
