Does asnyone know anything about this bag? What is invista quallo fill? Is that a synthetic fill? does that hold up in the rain? this is a 20 degree bag that looks light. can you give my any other bags out there that would be good at the 20 degree rating?

Link (http:/www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?i=402046&pdesc=Gander_Mountain_Guide_Series_Rainier_Hooded_ Mummy_Sleeping_Bags&r=view&from=grid#details_box_holder)

Here is an old thread (http:/www.adkforum.com/showthread.php?t=1014&page=4&highlight=holofil)I wrote about 4 years ago in another forum about the generational synthetic fibers - go to Post #3.

OK, So you are at the low end of sleeping bags with this bag. I used to sell bags years ago, and may not be up on some of the newest technology or terms, but I think there are better bags in this price range out there.

QualoFill is (or was) a patented DuPont Fiber that was considered a 2ND generation fill back around the late 80's. There was Poly Fiber - Solid fibers, then Holofill, Hollow fibers that trapped more air (like small straws) , then Holofill II with four tubes inside each tiny fiber, trapping even more air. (think of tiny straws within a straw). and then Qualofill, with 7 tiny holes.
(IIRC, The smaller the holes, the slower the air will move and the slower the heat transfer process). These are synthetic fibers, hydrophobic in nature (won't absorb water).

Invista may be a new manufacturer of a expired patent on Qualofil.

Enough about the fill, let's talk about the bag.
You need a good zipper and zipper guard, because a bag is worthless, if you have to struggle with the zipper to get in or out, or it keeps binding on the nylon fabric, stopping dead in it's tracks. This needs to be checked by playing with it. You also need to crawl into the bag and roll around in it a bit.

They call this insulation dual layer, but it could be problematic, because they don't say anything else - Is it just 2 thinner layers of fill criss/crossed? I don't know. Many better bags used to be built with a a bag-in-a-bag construction, meaning that you could compress the fill (lose the loft) in the inner bag, but it was cut small enough that you wouldn't compress the fill in the outer part of the bag, thus avoiding cold spots. This bag doesn't say that.

I don't know what Waterproof/Breathable means in this bag, but the last thing I want it a W/B sleeping bag. Most of us give off a pint or two of water through our pores while sleeping, I have found that time and again with my gore tex bivy sacks that as moisture vapor travels to the outer sections of the bag, it cools enough to form small droplets that are too large for Goretex and slowly it just becomes damp/trapped.
I would rather have a light bag that is nylon or poly/nylon combo with a couple of sections of W/B panels (Like near my head where I drool :)), but is completely breathable and can dry within an hour when laid out over a branch at midday.
For the amount of money you are looking at ($150US), you are better off going to Campmor.com and looking at some well-known name brand manufacturers (Sierra Designs, Mountain Hardware, Kelty, Marmot, Noth Face...). They all have bags that I would consider as better built and probably a much higher quality.
Good Luck
Rick

The North Face Cats Meow 20 synthetic can't be beat (you can usually get it better priced at Campmor). The cheaper bags tend to do poorly with temp rating, IMO. And they are heavier.

The North Face Cats Meow 20 synthetic can't be beat (you can usually get it better priced at Campmor). The cheaper bags tend to do poorly with temp rating, IMO. And they are heavier.


REI has got the Cat's Meow on sale right now.

thanks for the info, everyone. i really did not know where to start. i am 6'4" tall. will the cats meow be long enough? also, is it filled with only synthetic fill? thanks.

Here is a link to the Cat's Meow at REI. Long fits up to 6'6". Very good price.

This has been an old stand-by bag from The North Face for decades. Very reliable bag.

http://www.rei.com/product/763622

Not sure if you are interested in down, but the Campmore 20* down bag gets good reviews as a lower priced, very decent quality bag. It's also on sale now for $129.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___40066

Here is a link to the Cat's Meow at REI. Long fits up to 6'6". Very good price.

This has been an old stand-by bag from The North Face for decades. Very reliable bag.

http://www.rei.com/product/763622


Wow $45 cheaper and 1/2 pound lighter. Can't beat that TNF bag!!!.
By the way, for some reason my links on my previous post in this thread keep coming up with "www.whiteblaze.net" in front of the link address. You can backpace out the Whiteblaze part, but I don't know why it is happening.
Rick

Wow $45 cheaper and 1/2 pound lighter. Can't beat that TNF bag!!!.
By the way, for some reason my links on my previous post in this thread keep coming up with "www.whiteblaze.net" in front of the link address. You can backpace out the Whiteblaze part, but I don't know why it is happening.
Rick

The regular length is only $99 !!!!

thanks for all the tips and help. just pulled the trigger on this bag.