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SGT Rock
03-12-2003, 19:04
I posted this on my site but haven't got any response yet, so I figured since this site has more traffic...

While I was home on leave, I went to the local outfitters to browse. In the Sleeping bags was a Lafuma Warm'n Light 800 Down bag. It weighs 30.7 ounces with the stuff sack, and has a US rating of about 27*, but since it is European made the package has that system of 4*C comfort, -3*C limit, and -11*C extreme. I decided to buy it because - get this - it only cost $130 dollars for a +800 down about 30* bag. Since we aren't in for much cold weather down here and I'm about to head to the desert where it will be very hot, I was wondering if anyone has experience with the Lafuma bags. This price, weight, and apparent quality looks like a great ultralight deal for those weight concience hikers on a budget. The stats seem very similar top the Marmot Arroyo, but at 1/2 the price.

silverback
03-12-2003, 20:10
Sarge- I saw this bag for sale at Outdoor Gear Exchange for $135 and thought it sounded good, but I couldn't find any stats on the width. If it's big enough it sounds like a great deal. Please let us know if it's comfy..

SGT Rock
03-12-2003, 21:23
It's dang wide. Honestly My assessment is this so far:

1. The shell doesn't look DWR, but I could be wrong. Maybe if I get brave I'll throw water on it.

2. The 1.0 ounce stuff sack looks cheapie. I plan to replace it with a sil-nylon sack. It does pack down small, but I go the other way with oversized bags.

3. The watch pocket it has is OK, but I don't need it.

4. Draft tube looks good.

5. It has about 3" of loft, which means 1.5" per side (top and bottom) not bad.

6. the inside looks huge and I have more room than I need. For a person larger than I, it should be nice, for me it means more space to heat up.

If I were a hiker on a budget would be all over this bag. I bought it for tree reasons:

1. To use in case we don't get some good sleeping bags for deployment.

2. The price was great. I can combine this with my Nunatak blanket in really cold weather and figure I should get down to around 0* F for about 3.5 pounds.

3. In warmer weather I can loan out the pad to my son on family hikes when I normally go with the kids.

DebW
03-13-2003, 14:36
Originally posted by SGT Rock
It's dang wide. Honestly My assessment is this so far:

5. It has about 3" of loft, which means 1.5" per side (top and bottom) not bad.


I'd call 3 inches of loft about a 40 degree bag. A 30 degree bag should have 4 inches of loft. The bag's 27 degree rating is way off, at least for me. I have a Marmot bag with 3.5 inches of loft (spec called for 4 inches) rated to 30 degrees. It keeps me warm to about 35 in a warm tent, 45 in the open. Of course, everyone is different (my basal metabolism is low). Loft is a much better criteria than the manufacturer's temperature rating because you can develop your own custom loft-to-temperature scale.

SGT Rock
03-13-2003, 14:52
I agree.

hawkeye
03-13-2003, 16:20
come on, the Cav not giving you good sleeping bags! Some things never change. In the National Guard we got the new three piece bag system with a gore-tex outer cover(almost a bivy)Good luck to you in the sand.

Ann
03-18-2003, 16:41
Sgt,
I have a La Fuma 800 Warm and Light and have been very happy with it. IT really does weight 1 lb 12 oz!!!! (I also own an REI sub kilo, a Golite Fur, a WM Linelite and a Moonstone down liner) I tend to be a warm sleeper and have had been fine in my LaFuma down to 30 degrees. One thing I want to mention is that when I bought the bag last year they shipped the bag COMPRESSED and I threw it in the fluff cycle with a couple of tennis balls and it dramaticaly improved the loft on the bag...I think you'll get better than a 40 degree rating with it. (I bought mine last year so hopefully they have improved on the shipping methods.) I tend to use it for June temps and Mid-Late Sept temps in the Whites and I really do like it BUT there is one thing I do NOT like about the bag when the months get warmer it tends to NOT have good ventilation due to the short zipper..so I switch over to the Golite Fur for the months of July and August, I like the flexibility of being able to use it as a quilt or bundle up in it....as I said I tend to be a warm sleeper so this might not be a problem for you. I personally LIKE a LOT of venting possibilites when the weather gets warmer. I do use the REI sub kilo for May and will use either the WM linelite as a liner for the bag or the Moonstone for colder temps, usually October early November or Late April.
PS...I weighed mine on a digital scale and it comes in at 29 oz. w/the stuff sack. I know there was some discussion on another thread regarding the rating of down used and IMHO, due to the incredible compressability of the bag, (yes it compressses down to about 5 x 9) , the weight and the loft of the bag they really do use 800 down in the bag. When I ordered mine last year that is also what the sales person told me over the phone. I ordered it through Lafuma USA in Colorado, (FWIW).

Waterbuffalo
07-10-2003, 15:02
Here's my .02 I work at Galyans Trading Company in Buford GA and we sell the 600 l&W and the 1kilo in down and synthetic fill All are great bags we have the 600i&W for 99.00 and the 1 kilo 79.00. the Weights are exact and the packability esp. on the 600 fill L&W (3"x5") are great.


WB