a bag story

ANOTHER BAG STORY!

The Bag I Was Looking For......Trust Me, I Looked At All The Other Bags Out There.

I was looking for a light, warm, compressible bag that would fit my 6'4" frame and give me a good solid three seasons of use in the Pacific Northwest, and I found it!

From having owned Wiggy's bags for almost twenty years I knew that the bag would hold up to moisture and the temperature rating would be accurate, but having had trouble in the past with cold feet and no shoulder room in other companies mummy sleeping bags, I was hesitant to move back into a mummy style bag. The Wiggy's bag has a large well insulated circular foot that kept my feet warm, and when I pulled down the hood with the drawstring I still felt comfortable, but I opened it back up because I did not need that much warmth. The bag is also wide enough for me to sleep on my side with my knees bent without feeling constricted or like I am pushing up against the bags seams or zipper.

Speaking of zippers (this bag has a large full length draft tube) , I slept two nights in 40 degree weather with the zipper three quarters of the way down. I was wearing a pair of light wool boxer briefs and a light wool t-shirt and was never too warm or clammy the entire night. Another bonus is that my Regular / Regular (I SUSPECT THE BAG IS A LONG WIDE BODY AS SHAWN IS TO BIG FOR A REGULAR, REGULAR) size bag fits perfectly on my Big Agnes insulated inflatable sleeping pad. The combination of the bag and pad kept my side warm all night with no cold spots. This is great because my bad hip and old knees really appreciated a warm full night’s sleep.

I am telling all my friends they should get this bag and forgo the ridiculously high prices for "waterproof" down bags and get one that will hold up to the cold and damp day after day. For $135 with an amazing warranty this bag is a steal. It can store in a stuff bag and can even be washed at home or on the road with no special additives or rinses!

If you are serious about hiking sleeping bags, get this bag. You will be warm, dry and never sorry that you did.

– Shawn Connaway

Aside from size I also believe Shawn has the Backpacker model.

“The warmest parka in the history of EVER” is the headline for a new hunting parka from sitka gear. Did you know that sitka gear is owned by gore? Well it is.

I tried calling sitka so I could ask for an explanation of what is meant by “the warmest parka in the history of ever” but all you get is our phone service is not functioning, so much for trying to get the question answered.

Of course the exterior material is a goretex laminate. The insulation is a “hybrid” of water repellent treated down and ultra fine polyester. The temperature rating does not include actual numbers like -10 or -30 degrees F on their web site but the terms “cold” and “extreme cold”. The total weight of the garment is 2.5 pounds. The cost for this parka named “the blizzard parka” is $699.00, which in my opinion represents an incredible credible waste of money.

I was going to ask them if they had a temperature rating in numbers if they ever got their phones working.

I am very sure this garment will not function very well for very long once the thermometer says ZERO degrees F.

Since this company is owned by gore the people who run it use the same tack as gore which is offer what I refer to as erroneous information about their products.

Instead of spending $699.00 for this garment you can get the finest hunting parka ever made from Wiggy’s, the Fossil Ridge parka for $800.00. Yes the finest hunting parka ever made and I have no problem making the statement as I would like to see any other company’s parka that could match it. The reality is not one company in the world can match it.

I sometimes wonder if someone will start a company after acquiring knowledge of materials and how they function in garments. Then I realize that is a pipe dream because nobody actually wants to learn about fabrics, why, because it will take time and the youth of America does not have the time to devote to getting an education. It is for this reason that companies like gore are able to offer products portrayed with bogus and erroneous information that some will believe. I find it interesting the number of people who have written to me expressing total disappointment with products made with goretex but in some cases they continue to buy the stuff.

So I would not be surprised to learn that sitka has sold a number of this garments to the unsuspecting.