View Full Version : Comments on Lafuma down sleeping bags?
Hey folks, I just picked up this (http://www.backcountry.com/store/LAF0067/Lafuma-Pro-950-Sleeping-Bag-15-Degree-Down.html) bag on steep and cheap and now I'm having buyer's remorse, as I often do when buying things sight unseen. I've been looking for an economy down bag, and was planning on getting a campmor 20* but the Lafuma 950 pro popped up on steepandcheap and before I knew it, I jumped. The specs (750 down fill, 2.2lbs) and price (less than the campmor's 20*) were just too good. Hopefully not too good to be true.
I've read comments on the web about Lafuma bags messing up ratings when converting from Euro ratings, and I can't find any information on how much loft or fill this thing actually has. I'm guessing it's a backcountry exclusive or nearly so. Anyone have experience with this or other Lafuma down bags?
It's going up to Raven Cliffs next weekend, so I guess I'll see soon enough how it is for me either way, just trying to stave off my concerns for the time being. Thanks for your input.
sheepdog
11-07-2008, 12:38
I own this bag. I like it, very warm, and it packs well. I've slept in it in the low 30's and stayed warm.
mechanic.mike
11-07-2008, 16:26
I don't know about their down bags, but the fiber filled bag I have from them is already coming apart. Two separate seams are coming undone after only 8-10 uses (just over-nighters). I am not real impressed with their quality and yes I have found the temperature rating to be about ten degrees off.
gsingjane
11-07-2008, 21:13
I bought the LaFuma down bag off Steep and Cheap a couple years ago, I bet it's the same model you got. Pros: it packs to about the size of a flashlight and probably weighs less. Cons: it's just not a real high-quality bag. I don't take it out when there's any chance it might get wet, and the temp rating, at least for me, seems way off (in the direction of not being warm enough). It's a real thin thing, too, if you weigh more than 100 pounds you're not going to find it a very comfy sleep in terms of padding.
Jane in CT
p.s. It's experiences like these that really, eventually, dulled my enthusiasm for S & C.
everyone I have met on the trail that had a LaFuma said the temp rating was way off.
sheepdog
11-08-2008, 13:41
I have to revise my statement above. I pulled my sleeping bag out and it is a Lafuma pro 650. I still llike it. I used it six nights between Erwin and Hot springs. A couple nights it got into the high 30's and I was plenty warm. I am a warm sleeper and an unusually strong man though.;)
I have to revise my statement above. I pulled my sleeping bag out and it is a Lafuma pro 650. I still llike it. I used it six nights between Erwin and Hot springs. A couple nights it got into the high 30's and I was plenty warm. I am a warm sleeper and an unusually strong man though.;)
I'm a regular sleeper. As I look around at foreign sites, it looks like the 950 is rated at -1C so about 30* I think I'm fine with that for what I do. I always have bail out plans in the winter. It was less than 120 shipped. If it's anywhere near a 25 bag with a hat, socks and a base layer @ 2.1 lbs, I think I'll be a happy hiker. I can always pull on my field jacket liner and extra socks if I get cold. Tracking says I'll get it Monday and be able to take it out next weekend.
Thanks for the help everyone. I'll report back.
i have a lafuma syntec and the rating is off about 5 degrees, maybe 10...
there are plenty of plusses though.
-roomy
-good zipper
-construction is fine on mine
-light
-cheap
-packs small
overall a good summer bag (mine is +40) with a little flex into shoulder season
everyone I have met on the trail that had a LaFuma said the temp rating was way off.
But sure to have a good...tent,pack...I just dont understand?
after reading the majority of stuff you write slow, i understand why you don't understand
I bought a LaFuma Extreme 800 in Hot Springs and by the time I crossed the Va. border a seam had popped and the synthetic fill was coming out.
I did enjoy its compact size and weight but the quality was very poor.
after reading the majority of stuff you write slow, i understand why you don't understand
I understand a good bag comes first,not some junk.Save your money and buy one time.
I understand a good bag comes first,not some junk.Save your money and buy one time.
I think you're missing that part where I wasn't even considering spending 250% more on a WM. The competition was campmor, remember? I save my money to feed and clothes my kids, not buy 400 dollar sleeping bags. If that means I have mediocre equipment, I consider it a badge of honor.
sheepdog
11-10-2008, 17:40
I think you're missing that part where I wasn't even considering spending 250% more on a WM. The competition was campmor, remember? I save my money to feed and clothes my kids, not buy 400 dollar sleeping bags. If that means I have mediocre equipment, I consider it a badge of honor.
That is one of the best things about backpacking...there is always something better to save for. What fun would it be if you owned it all?
I think you're missing that part where I wasn't even considering spending 250% more on a WM. The competition was campmor, remember? I save my money to feed and clothes my kids, not buy 400 dollar sleeping bags. If that means I have mediocre equipment, I consider it a badge of honor.
Well,maybe you should have gone with campmor?Bottom line is you will end up spending money twice...so how will it help the kids?
after reading the majority of stuff you write slow, i understand why you don't understand
Best post on Whiteblaze this year:clap
itsallgoodchuck
11-10-2008, 20:19
Recieved the 800 30* bag tonight. Pulled it out. Man is it light. Packs smaller than a football. Havent tested it, but the down does look like it is not dispersed well.I put it in the dryer on cold and it looks a bit better. It was a bit of a snowstorm up here when I got home so I dont think I will be testing it tonight but I am going to test it in my room without the heat, not the same but still gets cold in this old house.
Best post on Whiteblaze this year:clap
Some just love the 2 rate M.B. I KNOW IT HURTS.:)
Best post on Whiteblaze this year:clap
BTW...he is picking on me.:confused:
pyroman53
11-10-2008, 22:45
I save my money to feed and clothes my kids, not buy 400 dollar sleeping bags. If that means I have mediocre equipment, I consider it a badge of honor.
I respect you for that!
The bag is what it is. Its yours now, and it will do just fine for whatever it can do. Now that you own it, make it work for you and plan your trips and packing list accordingly. Once you know the temps it can handle, either don't go when temps are forecasted lower, or just take some extra clothes to augment.
If, after a few uses, you don't like it, sell it (with full disclosure) and get something else. There are lots of economical choices, inlcuding the bag you got.
Ok, it came. I'm no longer worried. There's nothing like new gear to make you feel like a 6 year old at christmas.
First impressions are good. It's very light and packs very small. It came with a somewhat odd compression sack and a storage bag with mesh sides.
It's about 4" lofted on the bed after unpacking it and shaking it out.
The sewing seems to be good, no loose threads. Fill seems to be well distributed, but maybe a little thin at the knees. The fabric is kinda funky on the outside, it feels like silnylon- real slippery and soft, almost stretchy, but not. I'm hoping it speaks well to water resistance.
It fits, but no room for a water bottle. I'm 6'2 220 and I can sit up with it on and zip up comfortably.
The only question left is how warm it is. Pyro's comments were right on, it is what it is. How warm it is will determine how I pack.
Thanks all, I'll update after this weekend. Lows forcasted for 30* on saturday night in Cleveland GA. :banana
Threw it in the dryer on "fluff" for 10 minutes, it came out lofted to 5 1/2 inches at the chest and 4 1/2 at the knee. We'll see.
Santa will put something extra in the kids' stockings and save the lumps of coal just for Slow. ;) :bse
Parkie Man
11-11-2008, 12:17
I've had the bag for 2 years now and have no problem with it. Went in knowing that it was 10 degrees off and camp accordingly.
Lafuma typically has 3 temp ratings for their bags, something like "comfort, standard, & extreme. Consider the "comfort" rating what most good makers (WM, etc.) give as a conservative rating. I've had a Lafuma One Kilo for years and its been a nice bag for the price, but its exclusively a summer bag. I think it has an extreme rating of something like 25F, which is arguably dangerous to consider doing in this bag. Has a comfort rating of around 55F which is right on.
Lafuma typically has 3 temp ratings for their bags, something like "comfort, standard, & extreme. Consider the "comfort" rating what most good makers (WM, etc.) give as a conservative rating. I've had a Lafuma One Kilo for years and its been a nice bag for the price, but its exclusively a summer bag. I think it has an extreme rating of something like 25F, which is arguably dangerous to consider doing in this bag. Has a comfort rating of around 55F which is right on.
Euro Comfort rating is 30 (-1c) for the one I got. I found it on LaFuma's french site, though I couldn't find the lower limit or extreme ratings defined. I'm pretty sure that the rating of 15 that they give is the extreme, though I think they're supposed to be using the middle rating of lower limit if they only give one number. I'm testing it this weekend with lows around freezing, so I'll soon see.
Extreme=pissed and real cranky, but not dead.
Yeah, it goes something like "the temperature at which the average woman could survive for 6 hours without getting hypothermia" I read up on the EU standard a bit and it's recommended that if a manufacturer only gives one number that they should give the one that is the "temperature at which the average man can sleep curled up for 8 hours" My guess is that it's going to be 10* off the extreme, but warmer than the comfort with my cold gear base layer and hat. I'm aiming for real life 25, if it gets that, I'll be happy.
Gee, sure would be nice if there was a standard that every manufacturer could cheaply test to and would voluntarily meet. :rolleyes:;)
i took my syntec lafuma +40 down to 34 one night using supplimental clothing - fleece top and bottoms, hat, expedition socks. glad i tested it out at my house before going on the trail. i lasted about 4 hours before i had to come inside. i got borderline scary cold, to the point where my body temp was no longer heating up inside the bag. my core remained cold for quite awhile.
In a strange twist of serendipity I stopped at goodwill on the way home today and came across a Vintage Weis Hirsch White Stag down sleeping bag for $4.60 and a twin size down microfiber comforter for my son's bed for $7.40. He'd been wanting one, and can use the bag too.
D I R T B A G ! !
:banana:banana:banana
brooklynkayak
11-13-2008, 18:23
In a strange twist of serendipity I stopped at goodwill on the way home today and came across a Vintage Weis Hirsch White Stag down sleeping bag for $4.60 and a twin size down microfiber comforter for my son's bed for $7.40. He'd been wanting one, and can use the bag too.
Keep in mind the option to layer sleeping bags. I stuff one spring/fall bag inside of another spring/fall bag for cold weather trips.
If the new sleeping bag doesn't resist water very well, use it stuffed inside a thin light synthetic summer sleeping bag or a more waterproof down bag. Maybe look for a nice breathable water repelling bag cover. Exped and others make these.
Here's the update I promised.
It got to 30, but was super humid, with rain turning into sleet hitting the tent. I was toasty warm with a cold gear type base layer, socks and no hat. Slept on my old thermarest 1.5. I should say I was warm except for my butt when sleeping on my side, maybe from the down compressing and shell pulling tight as I rolled over. Maybe I'll get some field pants liners and make cutoffs out of them. I had a few (2 or 3) feathers on me when I got out, but nothing too bad.
My son was warm in his vintage goodwill down bag with an extra blanket thrown on top for good measure.
Anyway, I'm happy, no regrets. This bag should be ok for me from 25-50 degrees or so. @ 2.15 lbs, I don't think I could have done much better for my 117$
Odd Thomas
11-17-2008, 19:08
Well,maybe you should have gone with campmor?Bottom line is you will end up spending money twice...so how will it help the kids?
Hand me downs :p
"Awwwww daaaaaaad! It smells like feet!"
Hand me downs :p
"Awwwww daaaaaaad! It smells like feet!"
I dont like to see people waste money....bottom line.IF you save now you will pay in the end.
What is wrong with a buddy bag or rent one till you save for what you really want or need?A ...F.F. W.M. is good for 20yr and stats dont lie.
I dont like to see people waste money....bottom line.IF you save now you will pay in the end.
Two words for you slow, opportunity cost. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opportunity_cost)
I know you're slow, but try to catch up, OK?
Maybe I should have bought a montbell instead, eh slow? I hear tell they're pretty good! ;)
Maybe you should sell the bag now and go to walmart and save more money.;)
Do they have WM at walmart? ;)
No but they may have M.B. like you are looking for?;)
I have met slow on the trail.
He's a bit cranky some times, but he knows gear and is systematic in selecting his own.
Listen to what he says
I am a cheapskate and DO, in fact, end up buying things two and three times.
In a way it's fun. Buying new gear is one of the few pleasures left to me. If I bought the best the first time, what would be left for me???
Grinder