DANGER FROM WITHIN
The U.S. Army has a solicitation out for a new sleep system.
The size of the bags is exactly the same as my long wide body size and the
temperature rating is the same as mine, +35 for the outer bag known as the
Patrol Bag and 0 degrees for the inner bag with a combined rating of -40
degrees F.
SOME BACKGROUND
In 1992 a Marine Corps major who was in command of material
command located in Washington, D.C., which dealt with individual equipment
attended the Outdoor Retailer trade show and while there visited all of the
sleeping bag manufacturers and asked each of them for a two bag system that
would perform from summertime conditions to -20 degrees F. The show took place
in early February. I had been doing wor
k
with this major as I had with his predecessor. Having not been an exhibitor I had know knowledge
of his request until a phone conversation in early May when he told me that not
one company offered him any products. A few days later I developed what is the
Flexible Temperature Range Sleep System (FTRSS). I received an order on
May 27, 1992
from MARCORSYSCOM for 12 of them. A short time later I received a call from a
chief in the U.S. Navy located in
San Diego,
CA. He asked for a two bag system that performed at -40 degrees F since
his men were being sent to
Kodiak,
Alaska
for their training. For him I
replaced the Ultra Light with a Super Light. This system has become the bench
mark sleeping bag for all of the services. It meets all of the requirements set
forth in the current Army solicitation except one which can not meet the
weight. My system weighs on average 7 1/2 pounds what they want for the same
temperature conditions has to weigh 6 ½ pounds, more later about this. Also,
the Super Light FTRSS is the single largest sold item in the Wiggy’s line of
sleeping bags to the general public.
The
Marine Corps were so enthused with what they received in 1992 they sent a
captain to visit me and discuss what materials should be used as well as a
number of other issues. I believe today that his purpose was to get information
that was passed on to the people employed at the Army testing facility at
Natick,
MA. This captain never had anything to do with me again.
A
short time later I received orders to produce 300 of the systems for
MARCORSYSCOM as follows: 50 were to be my system using Lamilite the additional
250 were 50 each using Thinsulate Liteloft, Dupont’s Microloft, Primaloft,
Polar Guard HV I believe, and a Dupont polyester fiber that was vacuum coated
with aluminum. Aside from the different fiberfill’s all of the bags were
constructed exactly the same, via lamination. I know from a sergeant who was
part of the test team that my system was the one of choice. He came to see me
while he was assigned to recruiting duties in
Grand Junction
. When I asked MARCORSYSCOM for a copy of the report through my
attorney under the Freedom of Information Act it was not forth coming. I am
sure the reason I could not get the report was because it showed my product
best. And so my system was not chosen, however, the system made by
Natick
and their contractor became the spec system.
In
1994 (I think) the
Defense
Personal
Support
Center
in
Philadelphia
offered a solicitation for bidding for 202,400 systems. The company that got
this contract (the one that worked with
Natick
) never had the opportunity to full fill it because the bag system
failed in the field. The way the contract read which I think is the way they
should all read, was that you make 2,400 bags and they are put in the field. If
they perform you get to make the balance if not you are given one chance to
correct the defects. The failure of the system was a total success, all persons
issued each of the 2,400 bags complained that they were not warm and the bags
retained moisture. That is what I call success. When I heard the good news I
made contact with the so far successful bidder and offered to share with him my
technology so he could now offer the Army my bag. He declined because he said
it would be too expensive, even though there was a provision allowing for an
increase in price if necessary to make a product that worked. The real reason
was because he was quilting the Polar Guard since he has quilting machines and
no laminating machine. In January 1995 solicitation SP0100-95-R-0056 was
published requiring 155,000 initially and an additional 77,500.
The successful bidder whose bag system failed in the first
contract received this contract and the same bag (I never knew of any changes)
was accepted. This is the system that has been in use since and it hasn’t
worked very well. As a matter of fact the Army received 2000 of these bags at
the Alaskan Command for use (testing) during the winter of 1996/1997. The
testing occurred during January and March 1997. I reported at the time that
during the four weeks of testing two in each month when the temperature never
was much below 0 degrees which is highly unusual at that time of year none of
the soldiers was #1 warm and #2 all experienced retention of moisture.
According to the Major and Lt. who were responsible for gathering the test
results the bags froze to the ground pads while used in tents. They asked me
for an explanation as to why the bags froze to the ground pads. This was caused
by the moisture each man gave off condensing dripping if you will down the bag
while still liquid and settling between the bag and ground pad and since the
temperature in the tent was below freezing the water froze. In spite of the
deficiencies associated with these bags which includes those already mentioned
add lose of loft after short term use from stuffing in a stuff sack or storing
in its stuff sack as well as laundering causing shrinkage when dried in a
drier, these bags got made and were issued. I believe the Army’s need to
replace these bags is as a direct result of unhappy soldiers serving in
Afghanistan
in 2001 and beyond.
I
may be kidding myself but I believe the Army spec for the new bag is based on
my Super Light Flexible Temperature Range Sleep System and I have good reason
to think that. I have been producing the system since its inception in May 1992
continuously and selling them to all branches of the military in relatively
large quantities. I have received a multitude of correspondence from the men
and women who have been issued my system praising it as the best sleeping bag
they have ever used. I have received a multitude of orders from soldiers who
upgraded from the issue bag system to mine when they experienced the issue bag
not performing. I am very proud of this and I take pride in knowing that those
who are putting their life on the line for us are able to get the best sleeping
bag made today. The upper command must know this.
As
for the new solicitation the Army incorrectly notes in their statement of why
they want a new system that advances in materials over the past ten years
should yield us what we want. There is no truth to the statement because the
nylon fabric required is the same as is used currently as is the zipper
primarily. What they are referring to is the insulation. Nothing could be
farther from the truth. In 1960 chopped staple polyester fiber came on the
scene big time as insulation in outerwear and sleeping bags. The product used
for outerwear was resin bonded and the product used for sleeping bags was not.
The resin bonded product was not acceptable for sleeping bag use and not used
until 3-M decided to market their Thinsulate Liteloft a rendition of resin
bonded batting known as low melt bonded batting
in the early 1990’s. Several
companies tried the 3-M product and after four years they terminated its use
because it did not work. Today Albany International is and has for the past 10
plus years been marketing a chopped staple polyester fiber batting that is made
as a low melt product. There sales staff has presented this product to the
Army. The Army people have no knowledge of fiber fill so they can be swayed
with miss information.
Historically Albany International received a contract from
Natick
labs in 1983 to research and developed a synthetic alternative to down.
Unfortunately the people at
Natick
did not realize that one already existed and it was government specified
already. [Actually the Army had been for over 10 years using this insulation in
sleeping bags and field jacket liners; it was none other than continuous
filament fiber, trade named Polar Guard]. I have a copy of the final report
issued on the subject from
Natick
labs. The report was written and prepared by
Albany
. It is a review of all of the fiberfill’s that were available in
1984 and fiberfill blends that they though would be best. It was a blend of
polyester fiber and fibrillated Kevlar. Fibrillated means that the fiber shaft
is cut so it has some resemblance to a down shaft, mind you only a very minor
resemblance. It is still in the category of a chopped staple fiber with out a
crimp which would give it lofting capabilities, so it has none. This product
has never been made beyond the hand samples they created. The only information
that was of value in this 200 page report was that a fiberfill made from
silicone treated fiber will allow moisture while in a vapor state to pass
through it 16 time more rapidly than a fiberfill which does not have the
silicone treatment applied to it. However, Albany did ultimately make a
fiberfill product that I previously noted is a low melt batting that does not
work any better
than the product marketed by 3-M.
None of the manufacturers who existed in the
U.S.
at the time would buy into this product accept a small company in the northwest
who made some bags for L.L. Bean. They were on the shelf for one month and Bean
dropped them. There simply was no interest in this product for use as
insulation in sleeping bags.
The
lack of interest in Primaloft as a sleeping bag insulation has not deterred
them from pressing on with their efforts to sell it to our military. The
very fact that fiberfill constructed their way doesn’t work is of no
consequence.
I
for one am constantly amazed by the number of people who have decided that they
are capable of making a sleeping bag even though they have zero knowledge of
insulation and how best to use the various forms of insulation that are claimed
to exist. Albany International is as perfect an example as there is. I have had
the opportunity to meet with a number of their sales representatives from the
president of the division on down and have yet to meet anyone who actually
knows anything about the subject. However, these no nothings have the audacity
to present themselves to our government employees as knowledgeable in the field
and the government employee having no knowledge has no way of knowing they are
being sold a bill of goods. I have spoken with a civilian working for the Army
and a civilian working for the Marine Corps who have told me in no uncertain
terms they have no knowledge of making sleeping bags or of the insulations
used. The do want to see from manufacturers test reports generated by the likes
of Kansas State University’s environmental labs, even though the information
that is generated is meaningless drivel. The fiberfill sales people and the
university are not alone in their deception; they have help from the
manufacturers who have people on board who are as ignorant of the subject as
well. In all the years that I have worked in the fiberfill business I have
encountered many of the same people and to my shock really they still have not
learned or accepted the simple fact that chopped staple fiber is basically
obsolete when compared to continuous filament fiber. The numbers of people who
are hired to develop a line of sleeping bags come to the job empty handed. A
perfect example of this took place in the early 1990’s. It was at a point in
time when I was still exhibiting at the Outdoor Retailer show. Cascade Designs
decided to enter the sleeping bag business. I was visited by one of their
engineers who wanted me to meet a young woman who had been hired to develop
their sleeping bag line. They also wanted to exchange catalogs. When I gave her
my catalog I told her to take the time to read it carefully and when she was
finished she would then know why Cascade shouldn’t be in the sleeping bag
business. He got as hot under the collar as could be and wanted I am sure to
take a poke at me. I was about a head taller and 40 pounds heavier so he chose
not to. The point is she had no earthly idea about the components or
construction. I think she used bright colors. Their sojourn lasted about two or
three years as they lost a lot of money and exited from the sleeping bag
business. They were not the first and certainly will not be the last company to
experience that phenomenon. Mountainsmith the pack company had the same
experience this past year. After two years in the sleeping bag business they
decided to exit it, why because they were losing money trying to sell sleeping
bags that didn’t work.
As
I review what has occurred since the late 1960’s in the sleeping bag business I
can name all of the companies that existed and went by the way side in some
cases because they lost money at it. Why because the bags they were making
didn’t work and sooner rather than later the customers returned the bags and
bought another brand only to do the same thing. What was the problem, a lack of
education on the side of the manufacturer! Each and every one of them refused
blatantly so to acquire that necessary education but they never refused the
advertising dollars offered by one of the no nothings selling insulation.
Wiggy’s is the only company to manufacture sleeping bags ever who has not
changed the insulating material since Wiggy’s started making sleeping bags,
that also holds true for the shell and lining materials and zipper we use.
The
Army, in asking for a bag system that has a lower weight than mine, does not
know what sort of mistake they are making. It is widely known that a person who
is wet or is wearing wet clothing will warm very quickly and dry off or dry
their clothing in a Wiggy bag. I have hundreds of letters from people who have
had the experience. The question then is; why in a Wiggy bag and not a North
Face bag? It has to do with two components of the Wiggy bag the insulation and
the shell and lining fabric which are one and the same. I use a substantially
greater amount of insulation and it is much denser, and my shell and lining
fabric will warm faster than other nylons and lose heat slower and is more
vapor permeable.
When
I offered this information to the Marine Corps representative he essentially
covered his ears. He told me he was a scientist or came from the scientific
community and needed to see documentation of a scientific nature and the
information documented by real live human being was unacceptable. I wonder who
will be using the sleeping bags if not humans who happen to be Marines. I even
told him of a significant number of letters, I should have called them reports,
many were from military personnel and several were from Marines. After my
meeting with this individual I was informed that he was a Canadian, had I known
I would have made him aware that the Canadian Rangers who regularly train near
Hudson’s Bay in winter when the temperature is quite often -50 F use my
Antarctic Flexible Temperature Range Sleep System which is rated to -80 F and
my ground pad. A short time later I received the following e mail; “I am a
Petty Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. Several years ago I worked at the
equipment procurement at Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic. I ordered five Super Light
FTRSS (rated for -40 F). They proved to be indispensable and when we were
deployed to northern
Maine
in February. The temperature reached a chilly -57 one night. Although we were
not sweating, your bags kept us warm through the night and I am eternally
grateful. Now I am working on the opposite coast at Fleet Diving Unit Pacific.
We need to order six of your Super Light FTRSS sets.
Thank You,
Dale Thomas, PO2-2IC”
Here is a second e mail that I recently received from a
soldier although it doesn’t show any military designation except when you get
to the end of his e mail. “I love fly fishing so I spend the majority of my
time standing chest deep in freezing cold water. I have tried everything from
neoprene waders to Gore-Tex (I know you don’t like the stuff). The big problem
is that when I start fishing it is early evening when it is warmer than when I
finish at dark. When I start out I sweat from the gear I am wearing. My feet
get soaking wet and then they freeze. The latest I tried was the poly thin sock
that allegedly wicks away the sweat (bull) and the outer sock of a wool
synthetic blend. It just doesn’t work. Any ideas? Thanks and keep up the good
work. I am alive today thanks to your sleeping bag that I used in
Afghanistan
that in the
Tora
Bora
Mountains
. Thanks again, Jim.”
My answer to his question was to use my Sun walkers and
fishnet long under wear. I have also asked if he could be more specific about
the saving of his life comment.
A third e mail that I received is very telling about the
current issue sleep system. “Dear Wiggy’s, I have to give a testimonial as to
how your patrol bag out performs the US ARMY patrol bag. I had been activated
for
Iraq
freedom and was sent to Mississippi Camp Shelby for training. I served in the
Gulf War 90-91 and was in Bosnia 95 so I know how important gear that works is.
I have owned your bags for a few years never really having to put them to the
test. I have slept outside in my backyard to test the temperature ratings which
seem to be on.
My first put it all on the line test came last January, we
were sent out to a mock forward base for 3 nights. My Cavalry Troop had all
just been issued the Army’s latest and greatest sleeping system (looks
strangely like yours) and the guys were very excited about not having to drag
the older heavy green cotton duck down filled bag to the field. They now had
this new small light weight patrol bag. I put out my alarm clock that has a
thermometer in it next to my bag. We all had some kind of sleeping pad. I used
my Wiggy’s Stadium Chair as a pad as well as a chair to save on space. We were
in a tent on a raised ply wood floor. We had a stove on one end that we were
not allowed to have on at night with out somebody pulling fire guard. Anyway it
got down to +30 that night and I was warm as could be, but I found out the next
day that all the guys that had just brought the patrol bag which was rated to
+35 just like your bag had a hard night. I asked 50 out of 100+ guys we have
and they all told me stories of how they froze all night long and all tried
many different things to try to get warm, I felt a little bad as I had the
power to have the stove turned on, but never imagined anyone was! I did not
find one guy that had not been cold but for the few who had brought the whole
system which is rated to 0.
SSGT Randy _______
Camp Al Ramdi
Iraq
”
I forwarded
these e mails to the major in MARCORPSYSCOMM who this individual answers too. I
wonder what his response was upon reading what his own country men think of my
product. We have an authorized manufacturer in
Canada
, Spike Camp who produces the system all year long which
is sold to the Canadian military. I have also suggested to the major that he
might contact Jim for a more detailed explanation as well.
The last e mail presents a picture I have heard numerous times
about the issue system. I am sorry to say the few manufacturers who have bid on
the new solicitation will not be offering a patrol bag that performs any better
except me. I have offered what I have been making all these years that has
never failed to perform as expressed by SSGT Randy.
The
danger from within is if all logic is cast to the wind, and a disastrous
decision is made to go with a sleep system that simply put does not work. I
have had the opportunity to wor
k with so many people both military
and civilian who spend substantially more time in the field than I ever will or
have and have found their input to be of the greatest of value. As an example I
worked with the survival instructors for the Air Force at Elmendorf AFB,
Alaska
for two years before they approved the vacuum packed bag. It was approved by
them because they tested them and found out they work. They wanted to make sure
if one of their pilots had to eject he had a bag that would work for him. I
could go on and on with examples but it would be redundant. The Lamilite is
simply the best insulation in the world today and will be for years to come.
Even though I have offered to sell it to any and all sleeping bag companies
dealing with the military or wanting to deal with the military it has been the
military that has shied away from it. The civilians they employ are in my
opinion the problem. They the civilians like be stroked by the snake oil sales
types and until the military decides to wor
k with people who have knowledge the
soldier (man) in the field will be facing a danger
from within with respect to his sleeping bag and clothing.
I
recently became aware of the fact that about 20,000 outerwear garments have
been ordered for use by our soldiers in
Afghanistan
. These garments are going to be insulated with Primaloft.
Again the people in the position of purchasing for the military do not know the
history of how poorly the Primaloft performs in very cold conditions, say from
0 degrees F and lower. In a previous newsletter I wrote how poorly the
Primaloft garments performed on the Peace Climb sponsored by L.L. Bean several
years ago. The climbers changed from the Primaloft garments to down and Polar
Guard insulated garments. Again it appears that the powers to be at Albany
International could careless about whether the product they produce works or
not, just lets make the sale is their attitude.
The
problem with insulations and how to use them goes deeper and deeper as time
goes by. The root cause in my opinion is the recreational backpacker who is
always looking to save weight. It is not uncommon for these types to cut the
handle off of their tooth brush to save weight. When it comes to their sleeping
bag they want a bag that will pack down to the size of a baseball that performs
at +20 degrees F. It doesn’t matter to the sleeping bag maker what the
consequences are, if the customer wants a lighter weight bag for a given
temperature all we have to do is ask the customer what the weight is they want
and then tell them here is the bag for that temperature at the weight you
requested. I noted in a previous newsletter about making a bag using a lighter
weight fabric and one half the insulation on the bottom of my otherwise Ultra
Light model bag. I did not give the bag a temperature rating until I had feed
back from the buyers. These buyers loved the weight reduction of about one
pound and its significantly smaller compacted size, but it failed to perform at
the temperature they wanted. I knew the bag wouldn’t perform but I figured
experience for each of them would be a wonderful teacher and they paid for it.
The other companies that make these light weight bags
that do not perform haven’t a conscience and will tell the customer that they
aren’t wearing enough clothing or something to that effect, in essence placing
the responsibility on the customer for being cold. In a manner of speaking they
are correct, as they gave the customer a bag with the weight and compatibility
requirement requested. My position was to stop making the bag since it did not
work and my name was on it.
When
it comes to the military they too want what they see the backpacker wanting and
somehow they in the military who are involved with product development think
that they will actually get a product. There is also a perception that the men
in the military function differently than men not in the military. The military
men’s bodies are better able to sustain themselves in cold conditions,
non-sense. A human is a human is a human, we all function exactly the same.
What
the military does not consider or even give thought to when they observe what
is sold into the private sector is the effect on a person who is using a
product that doesn’t perform like a sleeping bag. The person can pack up and go
home, however a soldier stationed at 9000 feet in the mountains of
Afghanistan
can’t, he is stuck to freeze his butt.
It
is of no consequence to me if you make an insulated jacket or a sleeping bag;
of the variety of insulations offered one and only one stands miles above the
rest and that is an insulation made from continuous filament fiber. All others
are obsolete and the last 20 years that I have been making products with
Lamilite have proven that. As I stated earlier I am the only manufacturer never
to have had any reason to change insulations. Regardless what the insulated
product is when it is made with Lamilite it works better than it does made with
any other form of insulation.
Now
if only those who are given the job of getting the best for the military would
only do their job, of course once they finally accept and start using Lamilite
the quest for a new insulation will have ended, because for the next 50 years
at least there will be nothing to replace it, so their jobs will be obsolete as
well.
At
this time the Army has yet to choose a new sleeping bag system.
THE SLEEPING BAG SOLICITATION
Here is a follow up to the sleeping bag bid.
First my bid was rejected because according to the Department
of the Army my “proposal failed some major design requirements such as: water
repellency before laundering, water repellency after laundering and the weight
of the patrol bag.” I worked with another company who used my material and my
patterns and this company’s bag was rejected because the fabric failed the tear
strength test and their bags weren’t the correct size. When I advised my
supplier of the failures he went to the mill who said B/S, I have the report
showing what I supplied met the specification requirements. Initially if I were
to contest their findings I would let the Army know that I have a copy of the
report and supply them a copy. Also,
the material I submitted quite possibly came from the same source that is
supplying the current contract holder, since there are but two possibly three
weaving mills left in the country. If my material had a problem with water
repellency then all bags supplied by the current contract holder have that same
problem. If the other company who submitted a bid had fabric that didn’t meet
the strength requirement again the current contract holder’s fabric doesn’t
meet the specification. As for the weight of my over bag and the size of the
other company’s bag these excuses are just as bogus. And finally our bids were
$27.44 per system lower.
The
report from an independent laboratory states the following: product: sleeping
bag, modular, type II, 1.9 oz., nylon rip-stop. Basic masterial for
intermediate cold weather sleeping bag, black 357. Specification: A-A-55262
dated
15
November 1994.
The tear strength test shows an average of 11.4 in the warp
and 12.4 in the fill. The specification calls for 9.0 in each direction. The
water repellency rating after 3 launderings shows a spray rating of 90 and 80
which is equal to the requirement.
I
leave it to your imagination to come up with an answer as to why these
deficiencies appeared.
I
spoke to the successful (?) bidder to find out what he did with this new (?)
bag system that makes it better than the old system he is making. I was told it
was proprietary, big deal. The old system weighted 7 ½ pounds and was supposed
to perform as cold as -30 degrees F and it didn’t so why do they think the new
bag system weighs 6 ½ pounds and is supposed to perform as cold as -40 degrees
F, lots of luck. The one pound difference is all insulation, so I guess these
people are magicians.
As
I see it the Army is spending more money and getting even less product than
they had in the first place.
This
situation about lowering the weight of the bag and increasing how low a
temperature the bag will perform too is not new to the sleeping bag industry. I
recall when the North Face company changed the temperature rating of two of
their bags; the Cats Meow was originally rated @ +20 degrees F and a few years
later was rated @ +15 degrees F. The weight of the bag never changed, so how
did they make it perform better, they didn’t. The other bag they produced was
called the Tangerine Dream and was rated for -25 degrees F I believe with a
weight of 6 to 7 pounds. The new bag is called the Dark Star; while it has
about the same weight the temperature rating was lowered to -40 degrees F. How
did they do it (?) they didn’t, they just changed the numbers. This is what the
Army folks are doing, changing the numbers to suit a need.
Some
years ago I had the opportunity to give General Chuck Yeager (retired) a tour
of my factory. During our conversation I related a story from a colonel who had
been a wing commander at a base that trained experienced pilots to teach. One
day a T-38 took off with two experienced pilots one the flight instructor in
command. At about 20,000 feet altitude he lost power. After examining their
situation the command pilot called the tower and said he was in excellent
position to land the plane safely, which he did. The colonel put in for a
commendation for the pilot, after all he save two lives and a multimillion
dollar aircraft. Upper command wrote back if the pilot ever does that again
court martial him. Rule number one is to bail out when you lose power. General
Yeager told me he had been assigned as a safety office at one point in his
career and upper command was absolutely correct, he was very matter of fact
when he told me that. The reason being the man was more valuable than the piece
of equipment. It could be replaced the man couldn’t. I guess the ground soldier
in the Army isn’t as valuable as a pilot in the Air Force, so we can issue
sleeping bags that are less that capable of doing the job.
I read an article in the Army
Times about a new clothing system
that the Army intends on instituting in 2006 with testing done during the
winter of 2005 using troops in the mountains of
Afghanistan
. It is believed that wearing this new clothing system will allow
the sleeping system to perform at the cold temperatures that the troops will
encounter over there. All a pipe dream!
First
of all they are issuing polyester close knit long underwear which will trap
their perspiration against their skin surface. Polyester does not wick moisture
as is claimed. So they are starting out with a problem of retaining moisture
which will cause a chill effect. Then they are issuing a fleece top as the
second layer as well as a fleece third layer. Fleece is notorious for trapping
moisture. Then we have the insulated layers, which have Primaloft as the fill.
The Primaloft must be quilted in order for it to stay together and of course
each and every quilt stitch is a cold spot, which means 10 cold spots to the
inch, that being the normal number of stitches per inch on a quilting machine.
These outer garments are for “extreme cold”, which in my opinion again is
incapable of doing the job. I have written extensively about Primaloft and/or
chopped staple fiberfill insulations in the past and they are not even close to
continuous filament fiber as an insulating medium.
I
have also previously noted that the moisture will not be driven out of the
clothing as they expect because the sleeping bag system itself is not up to the
job.
As I see it and the soldier in the field is getting the
short end of the stic
k
with regards to his personal equipment and its ability to work. Unfortunately those who have been hired
to find product that works lack the necessary background to actually develop
these products; they depend upon some one who is intent on selling them their
product even though it does not work.
INCREASED COSTS
Effective
January 1, 2006
all Lamilite insulated products will increase. The cost of all raw materials
has jumped considerably for Wiggy’s since all of our products are made from
oil. The only items that have been calculated thus far are the sleeping bags
all other items will be published on our web site www.wiggys.com
as they are available.
ANTARCTIC BAG
$350.00
FTRSS
495.00
ULTIMA THULE
265.00
FTRSS
430.00
SUPER LIGHT
175.00
FTRSS
340.00
ULTRA LIGHT
160.00
FTRSS
325.00
HUNTER SUPER LIGHT
210.00
HUNTER ULTRA LIGHT
190.00
HUNTER WITH HOOD SL
255.00
FTRSS
465.00
HUNTER WITH HOOD UL
235.00
FTRSS
445.00
OVER BAG
145.00
NAUTILUS
145.00
NAUTILUS WITH HOOD
185.00
NAUTILUS W/H OVERBAG 190.00
DESERT BAG
130.00
CAMPER 1
180.00
CAMPER 2 190.00
YOUTH BAG
125.00
BABY BUNTING
35.00
PONCHO LINER
38.00 – NEW PRODUCT
YOU CAN NOW GET A LAMILITE PONCHO LINER IN
WOODLAND
OR DESERT CAMO.
So if you are thinking of getting a bag now is the time to
order.
SEE OUR WEB SITE FOR NEW PRODUCTS: www.wiggys.com
