Could this be the perfect bag?-- Vaude

[CornerCreek27]

Hey yall, after many nights of looking for a bag to thru hike that is a) less than 3lbs and b) less than $200 I think I may have found the one!

Vaude Featherlite 350: its down, 34 degree, and weighs only a 1lb 11oz (!!!)

http://www.vaudeusa.com/shop/product.asp?p=10244&pg=1&c=1507&o=0&s=0


can this be too good to be true? has anybody had experience with this bag or the brand? Do yall think I'll be able to use it as my one bag for a thru this spring???

all info/opinions welcome

[CaptainNemo]

I would say yes and no. The weight to price ratio is not always the most important consideration when buying a bag. I think you could maybe get away with this bag yes but do I think there are far better options out there for you, big yes. Since I am limited by the narrowness of my experience, Thoreau, I would say if it was me, I'd be looking at Western Mountaineering pretty hard among others such as Marmont, Montbell, goLite, nunatak, etc. I would be looking to score a used on here or Backpackinglight.com. Sometimes new ones sell on ebay for good prices.

My concerns for your current route are A. Durability and B. Believabiliy. Sleeping bag degree ratings are proclaimed by companies with no general tests or commonly accepted measurements. So a WM bag rated to 32 and this bag rated to 34 could actually be a 15 degree difference rather than just 2. The expected "shelf life" of my bag is 30 years with proper care. I like knowing my bag wont rip and I won't have a good warranty.

I hope that helps a lil.

[Tinker]

Could it be the perfect bag?

NO! - There's no such thing.

550 cu. in. down is used in cheap clothing items and bags. It fills less space per weight, and, therefore cannot compete with higher quality down fills as far as warmth/wt./total cubic inches needed to fill the bag.

The bag, to be this light, needs to be:

A) Underfilled, therefore not nearly as warm as they claim,

B) Undersized, therefore too tight for the average American football-with-legs figure, and/or

C Utilizing such lightweight fabric and zippers so as to be useless for any serious use.

The only thing great about this and similar inexpensive bags is the MARKETING.Kudos to the marketing department. :D

[AndyB]

I read bad customer reviews, that of course I can't find now, but the jist of them were 35 degrees is a little too optimistic. If budget is a concern buy used. I've been told the campmor store brand down bags,due this spring might be the ticket. The 20 degree will probably fall into the below 150 range. 2 bags for the AT isn't that bad. Skimp on the summer bag though not the cold weather one.

[Tinker]

I read bad customer reviews, that of course I can't find now, but the jist of them were 35 degrees is a little too optimistic. If budget is a concern buy used. I've been told the campmor store brand down bags,due this spring might be the ticket. The 20 degree will probably fall into the below 150 range. 2 bags for the AT isn't that bad. Skimp on the summer bag though not the cold weather one.
+1

Agreed. If your budget can handle it, buy two bags, if money's tight, spend more on the bag which is more likely to save your bacon on a cold night. Other than the White Mountains and the Mahoosucs you should be able to handle the states from central Va. to central NH with a warmer rated bag.

[Tinker]

Here's a suggestion on where to start looking for a decent bargain bag: http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AnWa2dYJ7wNaiQbAX.vjTxabvZx4?p=down+mu mmy+bag+closeout&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&fr=fp-yma2

Look at fill weight, loft (important) shell/liner material weight/yd, zipper length and size# and dimensions. You might find a bargain. My Golite Feather-lite has high lofting down, light, high quality fabric, fits my fat American body, was marketed as a 40 degree bag but has kept me warm (without a tent) on a still 28 degree night wearing only long johns and a warm hat, and had way more loft (the important thing I mentioned) than it was marketed as having. The outcome is that many folks didn't want it as a summer bag - it was too warm for summer and had limited venting options.
FOR ME and my intended use (hammock camping, running a hammock through the bag) it has proven to be the perfect bag to use in the conditions I'm most likely to encounter in the spring and fall, my favorite hiking seasons. In the winter I can use my Montbell down liner and down clothing. I've used this combination down to 5 degrees (and that's before I got my Western Mountaineering down pants).
Remember: You can buy a sleeping bag for one set of conditions, or you can buy a sleep system for all of your needs.

I should say in closing this post that I spent a total of $320.00 on the two bags, which can keep me warm in light clothing down to roughly 10 degrees, and both of them together weigh 2-1/2 lbs.

Shop wisely - off season if you have the luxury of that option - warm weather bags are normally on sale everywhere this time of year.

[nitewalker]

this is in youhttp://ems.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pEMS1-8538850t100.jpg (http://www.whiteblaze.net/product/index.jsp?productId=4434439) EMS Down Under 20° Sleeping Bag, Long (http://www.whiteblaze.net/product/index.jsp?productId=4434439) FREE Standard Ground Shipping with no minimum order! Limited time offer! PRICE: $209.00
5.0
r range...

[nitewalker]

hmm, that didnt go as planed....but the ems bag is a nice happy medium....

[Tinker]

http://www.gearbuyer.com/products/eastern_mountain_sports_down_under_20_sleeping_bag _regular.html

Here's the link.

[Kookork]

Vaude has a medicer reputation among climbing society. I did not find anything special about your choice of bag except the price. The numbers and degrees of sleeping bag are mostly overstimation. Your bag has only 350 gram or 12 oz filling inside and it is not the high quality goose feather. It is very very questionable to count on this bag in temp under 40. I have a bag that is rated 0 in extreme conditions but the first night in 15+ temp I was cold enough to ask my dog to help me warmup my bag.

Is this bag a bogus? No ,Vaude has some history in the business but it is just shinning in price compartment IMO.

[JAK]

I recently got a Kelty 20F bag for $50. It is 550 fill down, 20oz fill, 20oz shell.
If it was 850 fill it would be 7oz lighter, but for $50 I can live with that.
It's a good fit for me, and is nicely put together.

[danceswithrocks]

I have this bag and only used it one time. The conditions were: 37 degrees, Carbon Reflex 1 P Tent, Neo Air Pad size M, very light polartec base. I was very warm and the bag performed very well. I have a Sea To Summit e-vent size small compression sack; when compressed the thing is a tad larger than a soft ball. I woluld give it an A+ and I paid about $110.00 for the bag.

If you want a synthetic bag a good deal right now is the NF Cat's Meow at Gander Mountain for $79.99. If you go this route buy a Sea To Summit size M stuff sack and the bag will compress to the size of a soccer ball.

Cheers,

Dances With Rocks

[nox]

have you looked into the marmot arroyo? 2lbs, 30' rating (i've had mine down to 20 with just baselayers on). and it can usually be found on sale around $200.. It's a great bag.. check it out!!