What Makes a Wiggy's Bag Warmer

For many years customers of mine have after using my bags in numerous situations, asked why my bags perform so much better than all the others they have used during their years camping. What is it about the Lamilite that makes it better than all of the other forms of insulation to include the continuous filament fiber product as used by other manufacturers? Often I have said it was magic, which of course is not the case. They perform better than all of the others that are available for purchase because of the technology that has gone into the making of the Wiggy’s bags.

The single most important component of any sleeping bag is the insulation used. It has been my experience in the field of insulation to have recognized that continuous filament fiber is singularly the absolute best raw material there is for use as insulation. There are several other companies who use the continuous filament fiber insulation in their bags. But how the fiber is used makes all the difference; number one it must be used to its best advantage and number two it must be used in heavy enough weights. What I mean when I say using the continuous filament fiber to its best advantage has to do with the manufacturing method used. Quilting the fiber damages the lofting quality of the fiber. The quilting confines the fiber in small areas. The quilting lines may be as much as 10 inches apart while the over all width of the sleeping bag is 33 inches. This means that the fiber is restrained in 10 inch increments. Restraining the fiber in this manner causes the fiber to fatigue and therefore it loses its loft, never to return. Light weights of the fiber are so thin as to be porous. Under this condition when the fiber is fabricated into a batting the resin binder sprayed on the fiber penetrates deep into the fiber web structure and as such the fibers become adulterated, coated with the resin. This coating weakens the fiber further causing it to not have any resilience of any consequence. Loss of loft is enhanced as a direct result of the coating. The use of these light weight battings is a contradiction to what is actually needed to make a sleeping bag that will perform. The weight or thickness of the fiberfill is so thin as to be extremely porous. There is no density to speak of so all warmed air is not stifled or trapped by the insulation provided. The resilience of the fiberfill as I said is compromised by the resin bonding process so the loft of the bag deteriorates quickly. Now the insulation is further reduced. The quilt stitching also compresses the insulation along the stitch lines which will trap water if it is introduced to the bag. The fabric used for the shell and lining of a bag also matters. It is a known fact that the human body is constantly exhausting moisture which if contained in a sleeping bag is detrimental to the bags ability to retain the heat that is also produced by the human body. Many light weight bags use down proof high count nylon made with fine denier yarns which may also be calendared, at one half the weight per square yard versus what I use. The problem with these fabrics has to do with the lack of vapor permeability. These fabrics are so tightly woven that any vapor coming out of the human body will ultimately get trapped within the cavity of the bag. Once the moisture is trapped in the bag it will absorb the heat you produce and cool you; not a good thing.

The Wiggy’s sleeping bags utilize the continuous filament fiber to its best advantage. I make no concession to the cosmetic appearance of the product. I have eliminated all of the sewn through seams created by the quilting process. Why? Because I have learned sewn through seams are cold spots. Then there is the fiberfill itself, what I use are heavier weights, why? Because the loftier and denser the fiberfill the more difficult it is for the heat produced to escape. Because the fiber is not quilted every 8 to 10 inches but is uniform in its loft from head to foot and side to side the heated air does not have an easy way out. Then there is the nylon that I use for both shell and lining. It is not the high count quality but a fabric that has been to the best of my knowledge in production since the inception of nylon production in the 1930’s when DuPont first developed nylon. Its strength is unquestioned and its vapor permeability qualities are exceptional. Body produced moisture does not stay in a Wiggy’s bag. Wiggy’s bags perform in the temperature ranges they are noted for use. In reality they are under rated. The sleeping bags as well as the clothing that I produce are made in a manner that utilizes the materials to their best advantage as I have learned about them; with respect to their various characteristics. Knowledge derived from experience that I have had with my products as well as from other users of my products dictates the best ways of using the technology that is available.