Argali sleeping bag review in the works

[HighUintas]

We will probably do a quilt at some point, but personally I'm not a big fan of them in any type of cold weather. I've used them several times on late season hunts and they just don't perform like a full sleeping bag when it comes to drafting. My last experience I took a 0 degree quilt and shivered through the night for a week in early November and temps were around 15 at the lowest point. I think quilts are fine for early season and moderate weather though. I'd need to have a design I was confident didnt draft! The last thing I'll say is you can't run a standard ISO temp rating test on a quilt due to drafting, so when it comes to temp ratings on quilts it's the wild west.

Thanks for the insight. Can you share either here or in PM the details of the quilt and sleeping pad you tried? I'd like to get as much detailed info on the successes and failures before potentially jumping into one.

 

[Brad@Argali]

Thanks for the insight. Can you share either here or in PM the details of the quilt and sleeping pad you tried? I'd like to get as much detailed info on the successes and failures before potentially jumping into one

I'll shoot you a DM.

 

[Fins_N_Tines]

Thanks for the insight. Can you share either here or in PM the details of the quilt and sleeping pad you tried? I'd like to get as much detailed info on the successes and failures before potentially jumping into one.

I used the exact same quilt as exo guys the Katabatic and although it was a quality product I just didn’t like it in cold temps. I still use one for early season hunts August and sept but once temps are below 32 a real sleeping bag is still king. This past season I had a Katabatic flex 22 in temps 25 - 18 degrees and kept having to mess with the attachment straps. And even still would get a cold draft when I moved. Plus the attachment straps are annoying. When I’m tired, it’s late and I get camp setup I just want to throw my sleeping bag out and go to bed. Also if you use both straps (which you should for best draft management) it’s kinda of annoying getting out of the quilt. A zipper is much easier and faster

 

[mtwarden]

I’ve owned (and still have a couple) close to a dozen quilts, including a 0 rated quilt. I found quilts to be problematic (drafts) anything much below the freezing mark. It might be that I’m a side sleeper and turn over quite a bit.

That’s with a wide quilt, learned early on you want to go wide with quilts.

Other than early season, I didn’t find the juice worth the squeeze, of course ymmv.

 

[Brad@Argali]

I’ve owned (and still have a couple) close to a dozen quilts, including a 0 rated quilt. I found quilts to be problematic (drafts) anything much below the freezing mark. It might be that I’m a side sleeper and turn over quite a bit.

That’s with a wide quilt, learned early on you want to go wide with quilts.

Other than early season, I didn’t find the juice worth the squeeze, of course ymmv.

Same eperience for me.

 

[Brad@Argali]

@Brad@Argali you mention Dry Loft but you said shell is Pertex. I thought Dry Loft was a product similar to gore-Tex made by gore. Sounds like you are referring to the actual name of the down.

Yes, Dry Loft is the name of our down. I didn't know that Gore had used a similar term years ago, but that's just what we call our down.

 

[Fins_N_Tines]

Yes, Dry Loft is the name of our down. I didn't know that Gore had used a similar term years ago, but that's just what we call our down.

I am really happy you chose Pertex as the shell. Can’t wait to see the bag tomorrow. I was about to buy another Feathered Friends but hoping spec wise yours fits bill as I like supporting small hunting brands.

 

[mrbillbrown]

Only way I’d consider it is with a center zip. I’ve already got a WM with a side zip I love. No reason to buy another bag that doesn’t have the center zip.
Be bold, be different, otherwise it’s just another side zip sleeping bag in a market saturated with excellent side zip sleeping bags.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Brad@Argali]

I am really happy you chose Pertex as the shell. Can’t wait to see the bag tomorrow. I was about to buy another Feathered Friends but hoping spec wise yours fits bill as I like supporting small hunting brands.

All of the pages now live: Argali Alpine Sleep System

 

[Brad@Argali]

Only way I’d consider it is with a center zip. I’ve already got a WM with a side zip I love. No reason to buy another bag that doesn’t have the center zip.
Be bold, be different, otherwise it’s just another side zip sleeping bag in a market saturated with excellent side zip sleeping bags.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I can certainly respect and appreciate your opinion. But, I think our bags are different. Wouldn't have made them if I didn't believe they were. IMO, WM makes a phenomenal bag, but their hood and foot shape is old school, as are their fabrics. Couple that with our pillow and pillow attachment system and it's a bit different. Doesn't have to be for you, but just wanted to clarify! You can check it out here: https://argalioutdoors.com/alpine-sleep-system.

 

[passinggas33]

@Brad@Argali - With bag design, why do designers put so much (or any for that matter) down on the bottom half of the bag when it mainly gets compressed and loses any insulation properties? Why wouldn’t they just move all the down to the top half and make a super cozy bag and possibly shave weight? Is there a reason for this part of the design that I don’t understand?

I used to love my old big Agnes that had a sleeve for my pad, and no insulation on the back of the bag. I wish a high end bag company would do this so I quit rolling off my pad at night!

 

[Brad@Argali]

@Brad@Argali - With bag design, why do designers put so much (or any for that matter) down on the bottom half of the bag when it mainly gets compressed and loses any insulation properties? Why wouldn’t they just move all the down to the top half and make a super cozy bag and possibly shave weight? Is there a reason for this part of the design that I don’t understand?

I used to love my old big Agnes that had a sleeve for my pad, and no insulation on the back of the bag. I wish a high end bag company would do this so I quit rolling off my pad at night!

I can't speak for anyone other than our design, but from a strictly theoretical sense, putting all of the down on top is a great idea. But the problem is it doesn't work because of the shape of the human body and the fact that people move during the night and it sucks waking up because you're cold.

Putting down on bottom and around your sides really a function of trying to do two things: 1) account for the fact that many people move in their sleep, and the sleeping bag will move with you and the bag won't stay with the "bottom" portion glued to the sleeping pad; and 2) down prevents drafting, which is one of the key ways heat escapes. Meaning when you're laying down, your back doesn't form a perfect barrier with your pad, and air escapes around the space between your body and the pad. And, not all bodies are shaped the same way, so by putting all of the down on top, you wouldn't account for the real world way in which people sleep. Also, the down between your back and the pad doesn't have 0 thermal value. It still helps insulate, but not nearly as much as if it were lofted.

To mitigate this, we sized our bags wide, so as you move, the bag doesn't roll with you, which allows us to put less down on the bottom of the bag and still maintain our temp ratings. This is why we also used baffles oriented in different directions along the back and chest to put more down where you need it (i.e. on top) and less down where you don't need it as much.