Wet Wiggys

[BillyBob58]

It is quite warm here now. I tested my winter gear in my new hammock (SB).

Down insulation has always been my favorite because it has a quite big usable temperature rating compared to synthetic insulation. Same bag can be used in warm and cold temperature. And here we can have temperatures from +30 to
-20 F within same week sometimes, so it is a important to know one can use same bag during trip.

Last night I slept in Wiggy's Antarctic -80 F rated bag (with over bag) in hammock with Exped synmat 9 DLX and CCF pad 14 mm thick when the temperature was only +28 F.

And I survived!

During the night I did open the bag though, it was half open. But no problems with my sweat condensation anywhere. It was a quite windy, and that probably saved me from getting totally toasted.

And now I go and take the Cover bag away...

Wow, impressive! Amazing that you were not soaked in sweat! Looking forward to you and Festus Hagen someday actually getting some cold enough conditions to really put these to the test.

[Festus Hagen]

Wow, impressive! Amazing that you were not soaked in sweat! Looking forward to you and Festus Hagen someday actually getting some cold enough conditions to really put these to the test.

I'm really looking forward to it although I'm afraid it will have to wait until next season, especially with the lame winter we've had in the Northeast USA.

I WILL say that the quality of the bag seems excellent. I've always thought of Wiggys as "the Kifaru of sleeping bags" and I'm not sure that I'm quite ready to back off that statement... but compared with my Browning Kenai -30F rated SB, well it just makes the Browning feel like a Wal-mart Special (and considering it's made by Slumberjack, I guess that's not far off the mark). Also it is less ginormous than the Browning which must be an advantage in deep cold (still plenty of room). Just the zipper is so much nicer, and the one on the Browning isn't exactly UL!

[Festus Hagen]

A few pics to show what I mean...

Here's my Browning Kenai -30F bag, a bag I've used (with supplemental insulation) down to -36F, comfortably. Not bad, right?



Oh....



The Browning draft tube. It's pretty wimpy, and flaccid.


Now that's a draft tube. Feels almost inflated.


Made in USA with a heavy-duty YKK zipper. Daddy like!!!


I put the Wiggys back in the included stuff sack when done. Amazing how "springy" it feels, don't know how else to explain it but it really wants to expand and loft up.

[Nihilist Voyager]

200 bucks for shipping?!? There is no way that is right! That's a two-thirds of the cost of the bag.

Was impressed before and am looking for a winter bag, but that's a deal breaker right there. I live in the US. What kind of crazy shipping are they doing that it's 200 bucks?

[Edit: the link
http://wiggys.com/moreinfo.cfm?Produ...TOKEN=14578150]

[Festus Hagen]

Not sure where you're getting that, shipping is free to the lower 48 at least. I think the overbag option is $190?

200 bucks for shipping?!? There is no way that is right! That's a two-thirds of the cost of the bag.

Was impressed before and am looking for a winter bag, but that's a deal breaker right there. I live in the US. What kind of crazy shipping are they doing that it's 200 bucks?

[Edit: the link
http://wiggys.com/moreinfo.cfm?Produ...TOKEN=14578150]

[Rolloff]

My first set up was full Snowlion PG. Bag, Jacket, Pants, Gloves, Booties.

Never cold, down to 0. Often wet or damp. Weight is IMO the only penalty. Sure down also stuffs smaller, but compacting down is somewhat counter productive, and no matter how compressed you end up jamming PG into a stuff sack, its always waiting poised to jump right back out and loft up.

Doing it over again, I'm going Down on the bag/vapor barrier, but I'm pretty sure I'll stay syn for the rest. Bags are one of the Big Three, and there are only a couple other places to shave pounds easily w/o counting the grams.

One huge benefit, for me anyway, is PG's ability to allow body heat to dry out base layers, socks, and damp clothing, while maintaining it's insulation factor.

This is a big +1 that I feel often gets ignored, by the weight penalty, which can admittedly be significant.

You really may need to qualify by application. Down thru-hikers spend coin on almost every Zero, keeping the large capacity dryers spinning to remove condensation, and to restore loft. It use to be workmanship that spelled the big question out for me. Down products have almost always resulted in the past with superior quality. I think that while there is still a ton of poor quality Syn out there, the gap is certainly closing, in that regard, to where it may not even be that much of a factor in today's world.

PG should not keep anyone from heading into the Piney woods, because they don't have the coin it costs to carry a pound less. IMHO

[turnerminator]

I returned from the Arctic yesterday after spending 10 nights in my Wiggys Ultima Thule. Trip report to follow.



Temps were not low for the whole trip, dipping to -14 c at the lowest but the constant wet snow and intermittent rain and strong winds blowing melting spindrift into every orofice ensured I was dampish throughout.

The bag handled the damp with no problem, drying everything in the night. I had one night under my tarp with the worst condensation I've ever had. It was dripping on me constantly and completely soaked the top of the bag and pillow.
10 minutes hung by the fire had it bone dry again.
The bag didn't get aired at all apart from that quick drying, but stayed mostly bone dry for the duration. It got slightly damp after 1 night inside an army gore-tex bivvy bag, but again dried out very quickly when I crawled back into it the following night and kept it out of the 'orrible ground dwelling bivi bag.

It was also used as a sit pad when kept inside the bivi bag. 3 of us sat on it one night round the fire, sitting the snow for hours and couldn't feel any cold conducting through. It became the seat of choice.

I'm a Wiggy's convert.

Its my arctic security blanket and it'll be coming with me on future trips up there.

[voivalin]

Me with wool long under wares, socks + wool socks, thin cotton trousers, wool pullover, fleece gloves, and wool cap.

Sleepping with SB DL 1.9, netting open, CCF pad 14 mm (0,55 inch) between layers. And Wiggy's Overbag rated to +35 F (+1,5 C).

No tarp.

No real wind at any point during night.

From 22:00 to 02:00. Temperature first -2 C (+28 F) but sinking steadily. At 02:00 temperature was -8 C (+18 F). At this point I felt CCF pad was not sufficient for insulation. But if necessary I could have slept more by changing my position from side to back to other side etc.

But I got my Exped Synmat 9 DLX and after that I was toasty and slept some more. But temperature was sinking even lower. About 05:00 it was -12 C (+10 F). And in this point the Wiggy's overbag rated to +35 F started to feel little cold over my chest. I could lift it up a little and the warmth got back, but after awhile it got closer again and coldness was felt again. But still if in real hike I could have slept through it.

At 06:00 clock I got inside, temperature was starting to rise, sun was coming up.

I have to say Wiggy's mummy Overbag for FTRSS system surprised me greatly. I was thinking to test if it would be sufficient for summer use (we have cold summer weather sometimes), but it turned out it could be rated as a three season bag. In ground use it should be even warmer. The bag is so thin one can see light through it. And packs reasonably small when compressed with straps.

And I think that compared to down quilt it would have been lot colder to sleep only with CCF pad in -8 (+18 F) than with this synthetic full sleeping bag with extra insulation under my back.

With one purchase of suitable graded winter bag and Overbag one can have the right sleeping bag for all possible seasons and temperatures. And actually not very much more bulk than with down bag.

[voivalin]

[BillyBob58]

I returned from the Arctic yesterday after spending 10 nights in my Wiggys Ultima Thule. Trip report to follow.



Temps were not low for the whole trip, dipping to -14 c at the lowest but the constant wet snow and intermittent rain and strong winds blowing melting spindrift into every orofice ensured I was dampish throughout.

The bag handled the damp with no problem, drying everything in the night. I had one night under my tarp with the worst condensation I've ever had. It was dripping on me constantly and completely soaked the top of the bag and pillow.
10 minutes hung by the fire had it bone dry again.
The bag didn't get aired at all apart from that quick drying, but stayed mostly bone dry for the duration. It got slightly damp after 1 night inside an army gore-tex bivvy bag, but again dried out very quickly when I crawled back into it the following night and kept it out of the 'orrible ground dwelling bivi bag.

It was also used as a sit pad when kept inside the bivi bag. 3 of us sat on it one night round the fire, sitting the snow for hours and couldn't feel any cold conducting through. It became the seat of choice.

I'm a Wiggy's convert.

Its my arctic security blanket and it'll be coming with me on future trips up there.

That sit pad part is especially impressive! And sounds like the wet conditions were handled with ease.

Me with wool long under wares, socks + wool socks, thin cotton trousers, wool pullover, fleece gloves, and wool cap.

Sleepping with SB DL 1.9, netting open, CCF pad 14 mm (0,55 inch) between layers. And Wiggy's Overbag rated to +35 F (+1,5 C).

No tarp.

No real wind at any point during night.

From 22:00 to 02:00. Temperature first -2 C (+28 F) but sinking steadily. At 02:00 temperature was -8 C (+18 F). At this point I felt CCF pad was not sufficient for insulation. But if necessary I could have slept more by changing my position from side to back to other side etc.

But I got my Exped Synmat 9 DLX and after that I was toasty and slept some more. But temperature was sinking even lower. About 05:00 it was -12 C (+10 F). And in this point the Wiggy's overbag rated to +35 F started to feel little cold over my chest. I could lift it up a little and the warmth got back, but after awhile it got closer again and coldness was felt again. But still if in real hike I could have slept through it.

At 06:00 clock I got inside, temperature was starting to rise, sun was coming up.

I have to say Wiggy's mummy Overbag for FTRSS system surprised me greatly. I was thinking to test if it would be sufficient for summer use (we have cold summer weather sometimes), but it turned out it could be rated as a three season bag. In ground use it should be even warmer. The bag is so thin one can see light through it. And packs reasonably small when compressed with straps.

And I think that compared to down quilt it would have been lot colder to sleep only with CCF pad in -8 (+18 F) than with this synthetic full sleeping bag with extra insulation under my back.

With one purchase of suitable graded winter bag and Overbag one can have the right sleeping bag for all possible seasons and temperatures. And actually not very much more bulk than with down bag.

So you did 10F ( or 18F?) warm enough with the 35F overbag? Either way, impressive!