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At just over 2 pounds 4 ounces, the Valandré La Fayette offers good loft for the weight. The water resistant Pertex Microlight shell is very breathable while offering resistance from condensation. The short center zip offers limited ventilation but is excellent for side sleepers because it keeps the zipper at ground level. While the collar/hood combination is one of the most efficient I've seen, the zipper, Velcro, cords, and cordlocks converge right at your mouth which is uncomfortable.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Introduction
- What's Good
- What's Not So Good
- Specifications: Year/Model, Style, Fill, Loft, Manufacturer, Weight, Sizes, Fabrics, Features, MSRP
- Performance
- What's Unique
- Recommendations for Improvement
# WORDS: 1740
# PHOTOS: 8
# TABLES: 1
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Discussion
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Companion forum thread to:
Valandré La Fayette Sleeping Bag REVIEW
One of the strongest points of this bag is not mentioned!!
When sitting up for sorting gear, playing cards, cooking, reading etc. you can sit right up in the bag: pull the zipper up to your armpitts, pull the drawcord and with a downjacket you got a perfect bag to cook in, sit out a storm etc.
After doing further comparisons of the Valandre La Fayette with other bags and reading Marcel’s comments, I’d like to add the following:
1) I was able to tighten side zip bags (including the Valandre Mirage) effectively under the arm pits and layer with a parka nearly as well as with the La Fayette, minimizing this as a distinct advantage in my opinion.
2) I did, however, see a distinct advantage to the La Fayette when wearing the hood. I was able to sit up in the bag, leave on the hood, unzip the front zip, and slide my hands out for taking care of tasks in the tent without removing the bag (or the hood). This is a real advantage of the center zip design and allows the user to stay much warmer when working in a tent than sliding the bag down.
If you decide to melt snow or cook while using this method, be careful not to get the bag wet! The Microlight fabric (tested) is not very water resistant. However, the fabric used in the newer version will shed water much better and will thus survive a spill more easily.
Thanks for the comments Marcel- and pointing out this advantage that I had overlooked.
Doug Johnson
In my review of the La Fayette I stated:
“It also offers the most efficient, well designed hood/collar combination I’ve seen. However, when you consider that the Western Mountaineering Versalite Super offers similar loft, is several ounces lighter, and costs over $100 less, it’s tough to recommend the La Fayette as a great value.”
As Valandre pointed out (and I agree), this was possibly not the best comparison and here’s why:
-These bags are different styles (front zip- La Fayette, side zip- Versalite Super
-The temperature rating is different (5 deg- La Fayette, 10 deg- Versalite Super)
-The shaped of the insulated neckcollar and hood of the La Fayette is more sophisticated (as pointed out in the review)
-The fabrics are different (The La Fayette has Asahi KASEI fabrics that are more water resistant
Please keep this in mind when comparing these two bags- price and weight are not the only considerations that should be made.
Thank you-
Doug Johnson
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