down the sponge

THIS MADE MY SUNDAY

My new sleeping bag

Hello,

I'm just writing to say I received my royal blue ultralight boat foot on Friday. I'm impressed with the quality of the shell and lining material.

They both feel very durable. The wide body of the bag makes it the first sleeping I can lay on my back with my arms to the sides and there is no tension at all. Just comfort. On top of that I can roll from side to side without getting bound up. Like I just said nothing but comfort.

Then when I cinch up the top edge and hood I just feel extreme warmth and comfort. I can just tell it will be great out on the trail no matter what the conditions. My search for the ultimate 3 season backpacking/camping bag is officially over!

What really sealed the deal for me was the video titled "Wiggy's Quality" I wish that video was around 10 years ago. I foolishly bought into the WP Down scam. In 2014 I bought a Sierra Designs 3 season backcountry bed with 800 fill DriDown. I thought I had struck gold. But the first and only trip I used it on I discovered that it performs the same as regular down. Leading up to the research trip it had been raining on and off for a few days. This was September 2014 in NE MN. The rain continued through the trip along with 50F very humid air and fog.

The first night I actually slept great. But when I climbed into my tent the second night almost all the loft was gone and I didn't really get much sleep. And I was in a top of the line all season fortress of a tent. The bag took over 3 days to dry out. I never once considered that just the humidity in the air could render down useless. When people say it's easy to keep a down bag dry they never mention humidity. Maybe that's why so many people say the comfort range of down is larger than synthetic. They are actually just losing loft over the course of the trip.

I've heard a lot of people complain that your bags are bulkier and heavier that all the other bags out there. It seems to me that that isn't the case. All the other bags are probably just crap and yours are properly built sleeping bags. I totally understand why you say buying other bags and clothing is a waste of money now.

Keep doing what you are doing. I'll be back for more!

Michael

Michael it is always great to receive comments from people who express their experiences clearly. The fact that you realized that the humidity was matter of fact having a very detrimental effect on the down was very perceptive.

People who live in the south east and camp in the Great Smoky Mountains are in a humid situation 100 percent of the time and when the down bags some use absorb the humidity even though the temperature may not be lower than 40 degrees they do get cold, as a direct result of the humidity. The same holds true for all areas of the country that is humid.

I wasn’t intending to write an article today but the information presented by Michael was to good to not publish. Michael many thanks.