why you want to buy only a Wiggy bag

INCREDIBLE TESTIMONIAL

I have chosen to publish Eric’s comments in total without any changes.

Hello Jerry,

I thought that I'd send in several product reviews. I tried to be very frank and objective. Basically, you have lots of great stuff! Feel free to use any of the below on your web site or your E-Mails.

Wiggy's Supplex Sweater. The web site says that this is called a sweater because it is intended to replace a sweater. I strongly disagree. This is more of a hoodless parka than a sweater. I verified with Jerry that these are L6. These are made out of the same stuff that he makes the 35°F overbag’s out of. So it is designed to keep you warm and comfy if it is 35°F and you are totally sedentary and you are wearing virtually NOTHING under it! If you are wearing ANYTHING under it and/or you are at all active, this would certainly keep you quite warm and comfortably warm well below zero (and it did keep me comfy as my outer layer in the vicinity of minus 20°F. This is NOT a sweater or a sweater substitute as advertised. I'd say it’s more like a bomber jacket by its design and its warmth. Am thinking that WWII bomber crews would feel very comfy in these during their high altitude missions. I like this product greatly for VERY cold weather. But it is definitely NOT a substitute for a sweater, though.

The Lamilite sweater is named from the down sweaters that were manufactured years ago.

Antarctic Mitts. I ordered the Extreme Arctic Mitts. What I got looked very different from the online photo and I think had "Extreme Antarctic Mitts" written in permanent marker on the plastic bag they came in. These things are shockingly thick (in insulation) and warm. This is the mitten equivalent of being dressed as the bulky "Michelin Man." I used these down to about -30°F and they were great. Frankly, they exceed my typical needs. The best thing about these, I found, was the Lamilite inserts. I found that the inserts worked great either by themselves or wearing them inside the Hand warmer Muff. If the Lamilite mitt inserts were a separate product, I might order several pairs of them. One of the Mitts arrived with a faulty draw cord, but Jerry was quite good about promptly repairing it.

I do have a life time guarantee for many of my products and have no problem fixing an item that may have passed inspection when it shouldn’t have.

Hand warmer Muff. I got the Hand warmer Muff before the new "Vee" version came out. I LOVED wearing the muff in the deep cold. It weighs next to nothing and is very warm. When I need finger dexterity, it is easier to put my hands in and out of the muff than to repeatedly put my hands into and out of my Antarctic Mitts. I wore my Muff all day. If I'm not using it, I could easily push it out of the way behind me.

Maybe the equipment managers of football teams will call me so the quarter backs can have warm hands.

Luxurious Ground Pad. I found this to be supple at below zero temperature, which is good. I was a bit disappointed, though, that it seemed to "bottom out" under my weight. The insulation seemed to be a latex-foam like product. I used this in conjunction with a RidgeRest pad that resisted pressure better. The two combined were very nice.

This “complaint” is very rare.

Fishnet Long Underwear Top. I like this product. It is a bit tight pulling the limited neck opening over my big head, but it basically meets expectations. The fishnet is a hard plastic material. If I am inside sitting at a table, when I put my arms on the table, the hard plastic fishnet material digs into my flesh under my elbows uncomfortably. Then again, these aren't really made for indoor use where you have your arms on tables! I've also tried somewhat similar products from Brynje. I like the Wiggy's product for the most severe conditions. But the Wiggy product isn't very comfortable for indoor wear.

I have started using a much softer finish on the fishnet material. It is referred to as a rag finish so it is more comfortable.

Fishnet Long Underwear Bottom. You cannot tell from the picture, but much of the product is a stretchy nylon/spandex material. The fishnet material is only from just above my knees down to the ankle cuffs. Again, for the most severe conditions, I prefer this product to the softer ones from Brynje. My only criticism is that the hard-plastic feel of the Wiggy fishnet material digs into the flesh of my knees when I kneel down onto the ground. Because of that, I think that I slightly prefer the softer fishnet products made by Brynje.

Same response as above.

Sunwalker 2 Pac boot liners. I've worn these inside Air Force Mukluks and inside Stieger Mukluks. They seem to get the job done well. I can say with confidence that not all moisture moves out through these -- they definitely accumulate a fair amount of moisture. That said, even feeling like they were somewhat saturated, I don't recall feeling cold. Perhaps the best thing about these is how easy they are to insert into the mukluks (i.e., compared with trying to wrestle with thick felt inserts). I like these!

This is the first time anyone has said the moisture stayed in the inserts. But the Lamilite is so efficient that feet stay warm even though they may be moist.

8" Lamilite Socks. I've worn these inside the Sunwalker 2 Pac boot liners. I'm thinking that they increase insulation when used that way. I'm looking forward to more experimentation with these inside various boots.

The Lamilite socks make all footwear work better.

Eric E. Haas

Eric,

Many thanks for your comments, as I appreciate honest observations by people who use my products and it also helps me to improve them.

The one common denominator about Wiggy products is the Lamilite/Climashield insulation. Every insulated product made at the Wiggy’s factory as well as the boot factory contains the Lamilite insulation. It is the Lamilite insulation that sets Wiggy’s apart from ALL of the rest of the supposed insulated products available on the market today as well as in the past and for all intent and purposes the for- see-able future. I say for-see-able because some company (s) may actually decide to follow me.

WHY YOU ONLY WANT TO BUY A WIGGY BAG

I will present a comparison of my primary product versus all of the rest available; sleeping bags.

After many years most of my critics admit that my bags do perform the function of keeping people warm, but they claim at a price; weight.

Okay are Wiggy bags heavier for each temperature range and size than all of the other brands regardless of insulation; NO!!!

As an example my Ultra-Light plus 20 degree sleeping bag in a long wide body size which is 90 x 34 inches has a weight of 4.25 to 4.50 pounds (synthetics vary). I chose this size because it is the most popular size sold. I do not know of any other brand of sleeping bag for this temperature capability and size that is the same weight let alone lighter. This can be said of the other sizes of this model bag. Also they aren’t as efficient.

Actually it can be said for any temperature range sleeping bags that I produce. Also the colder the environment the bags are used for the less choice available, not that they will perform. Aside from Wiggy’s there are no bags made that are rated for – 60 F degrees other than the Wiggy’s Antarctic bag.

So the question I propose is; if there are no other brands of sleeping bags of equal size, equal weight and equal temperature capability are the Wiggy’s bags heavier? NO!!!

Are there any other brands of sleeping bags that allow moisture to vaporize and move out of the bag during a restful night’s sleep other than Wiggy’s bags? NO!!! I now know that the efficiency of the Lamilite when used in what is the most efficient weights the Lamilite insulation is capable of retaining enough of the heat produced by the body to cause moisture to vaporize, and once vaporized the moisture will move to the outer layer of the bag. This is the same process that we have learned about sweat moving out of a Lamilite insulated jacket.

Wiggy’s sleeping bags are by far the most durable sleeping bags available and that has been the case for 32 years. There are people who are still using the bags they bought from me when I first started making them. Of all the synthetic insulations a manufacturer can buy only the continuous filament has the capability to perform as it has in Wiggy’s bags for so many years even if it is used daily. In that situation it must and I mean must be laundered twice each month. Are there any other sleeping bag brand regardless of whatever chopped staple synthetic insulation used that can be washed once without the structure being damaged? NO!!! Having worked with every known chopped polyester fiberfill and I am very qualified to state they will deteriorate as a result of laundering. How about down, the companies that market down bags do not want you to ever launder them!!! Once the down is soaked it will rip the interior baffles of the down bag apart, so much for down. However, I have told many customers prior to them making a purchase that if they had no intention of washing the bag, do not buy it because after any number of uses the oil from their body would get into the fiber and cause it to mat down like hair on your head which will compromise the ability of the bag to do its job, hold in your heat.

So if you have delayed washing your bag please do so. INSTRUCTIONS; any temperature water, any detergent, normal water level, GENTLE CYCLE since a sleeping bag is a large size item. Low temperature or fluff cycle of your drier.

The most broken component of all the other brands of sleeping bags available is the zipper. All of these companies use a coil zipper which comes with a guarantee that is a guarantee to break. I use and have used from inception the YKK #10 molded tooth zipper. I believe I am the world’s largest buyer of these zippers for use in sleeping bags. Of the couple of hundred thousand I have purchased I have received about 5 that I can think of that have had a flaw. They are guaranteed by Wiggy’s not YKK to my customers.

Storage of a Wiggy bag is the simplest that can be; just leave it in the stuff sack that came with it. Wiggy’s bags are in the ejection seats of all of the U.S. Air Force aircraft that fly. They have been vacuum packed under about 20 tons of pressure and maybe in their blister packaging for 10 years, but if needed once removed from the blister packaging in an hour they return to full insulating capability. If they can stand the test of time in a vacuum packed survival kit who knows how long they will last just stuffed in their stuff sack.

Wiggy bags are only made in the U.S.A. using materials made in the U.S.A. that are not treated with any chemicals, so they are an excellent choice for the chemically sensitive.

Wiggy bags are also moderately priced, actually when you consider their longevity they become really inexpensive.

Lamilite/Climashield insulation makes Wiggy’s brand of sleeping bags the best sleeping bags that have ever been produced in the history (which may go back 150 years) of sleeping bag manufacturing, and based upon all of the information I have presented I do not know why anyone would even consider any of the other brands available.

One more benefit of purchasing a Wiggy bag; LIFETIME GUARANTEE