Wiggy's bags - anyone own one?

[grrickar]

Looking for opinions, test results, experiences had when using a Wiggy's bag. Friends of mine all have them and say they would not have anything else. The articles on the website seem reasonable enough, and the fact that the military uses them makes me wonder also. I was looking to buy one of the 'sleep systems' that was made up of two bags. Carry both in extreme cold, or one of the other depending on how warm or cold it got. All of my pals are section hikers which is what I aspire to be (several gear purchases from now) so the bag does not have to be featherlight. They are heavier than most (also cheaper), and user comments I have read seem to indicate they keep their loft and stay warm when wet.

[BeaverTrapper]

I have two Wiggys bags and I give them very positive ratings, as long as you understand that you are buying a bag that is heavier, and bulkier than other bags.

Wiggy bags are built to survive military abuse, not just backpacker use. They use heavier fabrics, heavier zippers, etc. His insulation is called "lamilite", which is a synthetic that he has laminated, so that it cannot absorb water.

Given military usage, there is no guarantee that you can choose your own campsite, or even keep your gear dry. His bags would be the bag to use if you might end up sleeping in a ditch on the side of the road in the rain.

Clearly, the average backpacker can choose their campsite, and has some control over their situation. In the military, this is not always the case. You'll find Wiggys bags to be heavier and bulkier than most; but they are built to endure conditions that most are not.

My Wiggy bags breathe better than any bag I've ever used. I often sleep under the stars without so much as a tarp for overhead protection. I have woken up with the dew so heavy that my bag looked like somebody pissed all over it, and I have been warm and dry. It's the only bag I know of that I would crawl into wearing soaking wet clothes, and know that I will wake up the next morning dry. Wiggy also attaches a small thermometer to the zipper pull of his bags, so that during the night you can check the temp and compare it with how warm you really are. I know of no other manufacturer that does that.

In summation, I don't claim that Wiggys is the best bag out there; just the best bag for the money when very wet conditions are expected.

[SGT Rock]

I'm in the military and I prefer down.

[BeaverTrapper]

Have you ever used one of his bags?

[SGT Rock]

My commander had one in Iraq and it looked way too bulky, heavy, and overbuilt for backpacking compared to it's rating. Typically I find that anything made for military use is way overbuilt for the average person's needs during backpacking. For example I could say that military men have been using the Army field jacket in cold weather for over 60 years and they are warm and durable enough for them, but that doesn't mention that a backpacker wouldn't need 3 pounds of jacket that most people in the military choose not to use. Most of us would prefer an 11 ounce puffball jacket that is warmer and lighter, yet takes a little more care. I would say the same thing about a down bag. I have been exclusively using down for recreation and even some military applications (my own personal bags) for over 20 years. Any bag will be cold when you get wet, so aspire to get the warmest and lightest you can afford and learn to keep it dry.

[BeaverTrapper]

OK. Thats good enough. I just wanted to make sure you weren't basing your comments on internet bashing of his stuff. I readily admit that the bag is heavier and bulkier than down.

I have often thought about going to a down bag for weight savings and compressibility, but I have one question and perhaps you can answer it. I trust you to give an honest, unbiased opinion based on what I've read on your personal site (which is great by the way!). When I sleep in a bag, I get all the way down inside the bag. My head does not poke out - I am completely inside the bag. The Wiggy bag is long enough to allow me to do this (I'm 6'1). The moisture permeability of his bag/insulation is so great that I can exhale warm air inside the bag, and the vapor will pass completely through the bag, without wetting the insulation or condensing inside the bag. On a cold night, I can hold the bag to my mouth and breathe out, and watch the vapor condense in the air on the other side of the bag.

My question is, would a down bag allow me to get allow the way down inside it, and breathe through the bag? Or would this cause a "wet spot" at that area?

It is this ability to pass vapor that allows me to hunker down completely, and the ability to put moist, damp clothes inside the bag with me knowing that when I wake up I will be dry, and my wet clothes will have dried - that keeps me a Wiggy devotee; even if it means hauling an extra pound.

Mr. Wigutow will make a lighter weight bag if you request it. You can order a lighter shell, lighter/shorter zipper, and a combination of insulation such 35 degree on bottom, 20 degree on top, etc. Check out the following thread:

http://www.kifaru.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=001042

His 20 degree "Kifaru Special" bag has 66 inch girth 80 inch length, weighs 2 lbs 13 ounces and costs $180.00 with standard stuff sack, compresses to 10x13. Lifetime guarantee.

A Western Mountaineering AlpinLite has a 65" shoulder girth, 20 degree rating, weighs 2 lbs, 1 ounce and costs $380.00.

For $200 bucks, I'll carry the extra 12 ounces knowing that I can put wet clothes in my bag and throw it in the washer and dryer when I get home.

PS:

Thanks for your service to our nation. It's been a while for me. Panama was my last hurrah. I know what it's like to be away from home. The lonliness and missing family is hard. Thanks and welcome back!

[SGT Rock]

Personally I am a big fan of a quilt solution. Jack's R Better I think were selling a 19 ounce quilt for something like that price. the benifit to a quilt is not wasting the insulation and weight to put it under you since you compress all that insulation by laing on it anyway. These solutions are made to work with a pad, which almost everyone uses anyway. It does take some learning to sleep with one since you have to work at it a little. But the Jack's R Better quilt is a very good lightweight option. I sleep with my head covered usually using my quilt, and I have found that my body heat generally has the bag pretty dry and lofty by the morning despite and minor mosture I may have had on me or from my breath. I sometimes go to bed in damp clothing since I am dry in them in the morning doing this.


edit for forgotten to add info:

I have reccomended the Wiggy Bag to someone hell bent on buying a synthetic bag since they do seem to retain their loft better after multiple compressions than other synthetics I have seen, and at that weight and price they are a good deal.