Argali sleeping bag review in the works

[mtwarden]

It looks like you've got a typo on the amount of down in the 0 degree bag. It should have 31oz of down in the regular length 0 degree bag, not 45 oz.

Thanks- yeah it should read the ) degree bag weighs 45 oz and contains 31 oz of down fill.

I let the boss know

 

[Jake Larsen]

@mtwarden thanks for the awesome review. I noticed you addressed wearing damp/wet base layers in your bag to dry them out. I’m a big believer in doing the same, or at least having that option in a wet/crappy situation. I’ve run synthetic (Kifaru slick or Sitka) in the past for that reason. Between moisture from single walled shelters and wearing my clothing dry night after night, I’ve learned to stay away from down. However I recognize this bag is utilizing cutting edge fabric technology and untreated down. My understanding is that untreated down will actually handle this type of moisture better, although there’s obviously debate around this topic. Did you notice any loss of loft during longer trips, wet conditions both from layers and condensation? Were you able to test the bag in those conditions? My experience in the past has been that down does ok for the first couple days, then as the moisture load adds up, I’ve seen a progressive drop in performance. I would love to lose the weight and bulk of a synthetic bag, I’m just not sure I can fully trust a down system yet!

Edit: @Brad@Argali I’d like to hear your thoughts on this as well

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[mtwarden]

Jake—I've had pretty good luck using down while drying out my base layers at night; mind you they are usually just a little damp, not soaking wet. If I think my bag is losing too much loft or is damp it's self, hanging it over my tent (or in a tree) with a little sun usually does the trick.

The Argali's interior is black which is ideal for drying out a bag.

Mike

 

[Brad@Argali]

The pillow looks awesome. I was just thinking about how much I hate my inflatable pillow the other day.


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there should be a support group for all of us in this camp.

 

[Brad@Argali]

@Brad@Argali - Great looking bags! Interested in how low would you take the 20 degree bag before switching to the 0?

I agree with what some others have said regarding quilts at lower temperatures. I have a 10 degree wide EE quilt that I've been cold in at 25 degrees with a good r value pad. I'm a "rotisserie" sleeper and change positions a lot throughout the night which may have something to do with quilts being cold to me. Love them for summer backpacking trips however.

Really depends on your metabolism, but our temp ratings really are based on comfort ratings. I sleep cold, and I used our 20 degree bag down to outside 20 degree temps and was warm with a pair of long underwear bottoms and tops on. Some of our testers that sleep warm used the 20 degree bag into the low teens and were totally fine. Personally I would switch to a 0 degree if it's going to be in the teens knowing I sleep cold.

 

[Brad@Argali]

@mtwarden thanks for the awesome review. I noticed you addressed wearing damp/wet base layers in your bag to dry them out. I’m a big believer in doing the same, or at least having that option in a wet/crappy situation. I’ve run synthetic (Kifaru slick or Sitka) in the past for that reason. Between moisture from single walled shelters and wearing my clothing dry night after night, I’ve learned to stay away from down. However I recognize this bag is utilizing cutting edge fabric technology and untreated down. My understanding is that untreated down will actually handle this type of moisture better, although there’s obviously debate around this topic. Did you notice any loss of loft during longer trips, wet conditions both from layers and condensation? Were you able to test the bag in those conditions? My experience in the past has been that down does ok for the first couple days, then as the moisture load adds up, I’ve seen a progressive drop in performance. I would love to lose the weight and bulk of a synthetic bag, I’m just not sure I can fully trust a down system yet!

Edit: @Brad@Argali I’d like to hear your thoughts on this as well

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@mtwarden is correct and I agree with his take. Most treated down can take longer to saturate, but once it is wet it takes longer to dry. So if you have moisture inside your bag, treated down can actually make it harder for your bag to dry out. And the reality is untreated down is highly water resistant if it has been processed properly and not stripped of its' natural oils. It's the same principle of active insulation like Primaloft Evolve, keep the moisture from collecting isnthe best principle for staying warm. Our fabrics, and the way they work in tandem together, still allows moisture to move away from the body and out of the bag while also preventing most moisture from getting to the down.

We did a treated down vs. untreated down submersion test that I think will surprise pretty much everyone. releasing that video in a couple days.

 

[bmart2622]

@mtwarden, do you have any experience with the SG Chilkoot bags? If so, how would these two bags compare?

 

[parshal]

I just saw this thread and, since I have some sort of sleeping bag addiction, looked deeper.

I have a FF Lark (10) and looked at the 0. I realize the Argali 0 has larger dimensions but I was still surprised at the higher price and weight difference. My Lark weighs 32 oz and the Argali is 44.5 oz. (950+ vs 850+?). For clarity, I'd carry the extra weight since it has to be warmer. I figured FF and WM would always be priced higher due to name but I'm guessing not.

 

[mtwarden]

@mtwarden, do you have any experience with the SG Chilkoot bags? If so, how would these two bags compare?

I do not. If you're looking at two or more bags, it's very useful to compare the dimensions, the overall weight and probably most importantly the amount/quality of fill between the two. There are other considerations obviously—fabrics used, overall design, etc, but you have to know the quality/amount of fill. The same would apply when looking at down puffies.