Feathered friends?

[zacattack]

I never see much about them, but ive been comparing them to say western mountaineering (which gets a lot of love around here) for my one and only sleeping bag. Just curious as to y’alls impressions and thoughts if anyone uses FF sleeping bags.

 

[dutch_henry]

Both FF and WM are interchangable in terms of quality. It's a coin flip. They're both so good I think it's safe shopping on price alone.

My winter backpacking bag is FF snow goose (-40F). My spring/fall bag is a WM antelope (5F). I've found the temp ratings to be accurate, if not conservative. After coming from years of synthetic bags and decent but middle-of-the-pack down bags, I was blown away by both. Of course, they're different temp ratings so I can't do a direct, apples-to-apples comparison. That said, my FF hood is a big more sculpted where my WM hood is roomy. Both work. And there's a slightly different approach to zipper snags with both.

If you care about such things, might be worth reading about stuff like pertex shield vs gore windstopper. Likewise 850 vs 900 down. I don't think the differences matter to 99.99% of us. I've used both of mine from Brooks Range to Rockies to Appalachians. No regrets with either.

 

[zeroforhire]

As someone who used to work for them as an expedition consultant, I am biased. FF is a top 5 down gear producer in the world. Yes. In the world. Fantastic gear.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[mtwarden]

I've owned probably three dozen different down bags/quilts over the years; I'd rate Feathered Friends in the top tier- spendy, but you'll have a bag that will last decades- I own two currently and looking at a third

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

WM and FF are both absolutely solid bags. At this level of quality, the differences are quite subjective. I’d check out some YouTube videos on both to see which one you’d like the features on more. For me personally it’s the WM all the way. I like their overall design and zipper snag system better than FF.

 

[zacattack]

Both FF and WM are interchangable in terms of quality. It's a coin flip. They're both so good I think it's safe shopping on price alone.

My winter backpacking bag is FF snow goose (-40F). My spring/fall bag is a WM antelope (5F). I've found the temp ratings to be accurate, if not conservative. After coming from years of synthetic bags and decent but middle-of-the-pack down bags, I was blown away by both. Of course, they're different temp ratings so I can't do a direct, apples-to-apples comparison. That said, my FF hood is a big more sculpted where my WM hood is roomy. Both work. And there's a slightly different approach to zipper snags with both.

If you care about such things, might be worth reading about stuff like pertex shield vs gore windstopper. Likewise 850 vs 900 down. I don't think the differences matter to 99.99% of us. I've used both of mine from Brooks Range to Rockies to Appalachians. No regrets with either.

So I’ve been trying to do some reading on the pertex vs windstopper but can’t find anything really definitive. What I’ve got so far is that GWS is tougher, but heavier and that pertex is more breathable and maybe more packable? So, what about the other shells for WM? Don’t they only use GWS on one line of bags?

 

[hikenhunt]

If you can convince yourself to spend the money, you'll be more than happy with either FF or WM

 

[Theringworm]

I have a WM Summerlite and a FF Swallow. Both different but equally as good. You can’t go wrong with either company. WM has a couple more options as far as outer shells and the fit between the two is a little different however they are different bags intended for different purposes (referring to my two bags). Decide on a temperature rating and then compare similar ratings from each brand. Then compare the bag measurements, styling designs etc. and choose based on that. Both contain top tier down so warmth will be so similar it’s likely indistinguishable. It will be the other things that will sway you one direction or the other.

 

[zacattack]

How well do WM bags hold their value? I’m looking at a badger MF that is 13 years old. Just curious as to how to price a used one. Looks to be in very good condition.

 

[*zap*]

You can do an advanced search on ebay for any sold item, it will show the sale prices unless 'best offer' was accepted.

 

[zacattack]

Got what I felt like is a good deal on a used WM Badger MF. Hopefully this will be my do all bag. Plus maybe a synthetic blanket on top for really cold. Thanks for the help.