PHD Minim 400 Sleeping Bag Review

Mike, VAT in the UK is currently 17.5%, and that's in line with my memory of VAT refunds I got on items purchased in the UK over the years. If I'm correct, then that brings the cost down slightly more for US buyers.

To anyone in the US purchasing goods overseas, it's useful to check on tax refund policies. With certain rules or restrictions, it's available in a number of countries around the world on items for export.

You're correct Pieter. I forgot they just raised it again. (It was reduced to 15% for a year to help the economy :)

BTW, I believe that the cost after VAT reduction is computed most easily by dividing the VAT-included price by 1.175. That is, the amount saved, the VAT, is 17.5% of the price before VAT is added. (Which is different from taking 17.5% of the English, VAT-included price.) PHD does that automatically for you on their website as you check out, though first you need to register so that the checkout program knows you're from the US.

Something seems a bit strange to me. It seems surprising that having 400g (14.1 oz) of 800fp down only results in a single layer loft of 2.6". How is it that the GoLite Adrenaline bag manages to accomplish virtually the same loft (2.5") with significantly less down (10.1oz)? Except for the Feathered Friends bag, all the other bags being compared to the Minim 400 have significantly higher loft:down ratios. The North Face Beeline and Marmot Hydrogen are two other examples of bags that accomplish similar loft with significantly less down.

It kinda makes me wonder if the down is really 800 fp. If the down was lower grade (ie. 700fp) that would explain a lot. It would explain how 58% of the bags weight is in the down and it would explain why over 14oz of down only results in 2.6" of single layer loft. Then again, I could be totally on the wrong track and the real explanation could lie in something else like the cut of the bag.

You're right that the fill power is not the most likely explanation. The difficulty in measuring loft, baffle design, or the cut of the bag all seem like more plausible explanations.