View Full Version : Feathered Friends Wren series
Anyone have any experience with any Feathered Friends sleeping bags? I am interested in the Winter Wren bags with the drawstring bottom and zippered armholes. Oh yeah, I'm a hammocker (HH). Tweaking my system, and starting my Santa list.;)
fiddlehead
08-29-2006, 21:30
I have 2 feathered friends bags: the hummingbird which is my favoriter mainly because it fits me so well and has no frills (half - zipper)
The other is the Swan i believe at 0 deg. It doesn't fit me right as there's too much wasted space inside that means i have to heat up that space for what?
I believe they make some of the best bags out there. I never had any problems with the quality or workmanship in any way.
I am not familiar with the zippered armholes and don't really see what advantage that could give you unless it perhaps zipped in half and you could use it as a coat or something. No frills is usually the best
Just Jeff
08-29-2006, 21:54
Arm holes - you can cook or grab your water bottle w/o losing all of your heat. But you can open the foot as well so theoretically you could wear it around camp.
I've had a FF Swallow for many years. Rated at 20 degrees, it is my three-season bag. It's been great: light, not too tight, honestly rated. A few years back I ran into the occasional attitude problem both at the main store in Seattle and by phone. Mostly a kind of wise-assiness, not a lack of performance, and it may have been just one unprofessional employee. The bottom line is that I'd buy this bag again.
The Will
08-29-2006, 22:33
Anyone have any experience with any Feathered Friends sleeping bags? I am interested in the Winter Wren bags with the drawstring bottom and zippered armholes. Oh yeah, I'm a hammocker (HH). Tweaking my system, and starting my Santa list.;)
I own the Rock Wren (as well as a Lark) and enjoy it quite a bit. I think it is a good design for hammocking since you can be inside the bag and still crawl in and out of the hammock when you use the drawstring foot.
Two recommendations:
The meaurement for length of the Wren series if with the draw-string undone. When you actually close the drawstring (which of course you will even in moderately chilly weather) the bag is a solid 2 inches shorter. I'm 5'10" and with the drawstring drawn tight the bag (a regular or designed for 6'0") is tight.
Feathered Friends by no means underfills the down chambers, however on any bag I would order from them in the future I would request 2 oz of overfill.
Enjoy. They make tremendous products.
ty
I first purchased the winter Wren a few years ago but found it too warm for most thgree season use (I still have it) so I bought the Rock Wren, overstuffed it with 800+ down and used a water proof fabric around it, dont remember which and i have many, many miles on it. In fact I used it so much that it developed a small smell, was losing loft and I did not want to do the washing myself so I sent it back to Feathered Friends and, for a small pittance, they washed it, repaired a hole and sent it back to me in NEW condition. Amazing service. And it really looks, feels and, mopre important, smells new again!
I start the AT again in April '07 and its the bag I'll take. I think its about a 30-35 degree rating and it works, weighs slightly less than 2 pounds and with the arm holes and foot opening is perfect for a hammock. In fact I can get up at night for the occasional pee and never have to leave the warm bag, just hike it up sufficiently!:)
Thanks, folks. As always the experience on this site is priceless. Now to decide rating, length, outer material, etc.