jazzmom
Trail Wise!
a.k.a. TigerFan
Posts: 3,062
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Post by jazzmom on Oct 23, 2016 14:17:48 GMT -8
... frankly, I no longer recommend them outright to people who're looking to get into backpacking or buying their first down sleeping bags unless I know they can afford it and an "investment" bag is an appropriate choice. Most of us went through the same learning process: First bought cheap, (maybe borrowed or rented)...trail experience gained...years of gradual upgrades...finally arriving at the realizations - Backpacking is somewhat addicting; weight matters; good stuff lasts; and that if they had bought the best sleeping bag option first, hundreds of dollars would have been saved. (BTW, I too wish I had purchased my WM much earlier.) As stated so eloquently above, rare is the owner of a WM/FF bag who doesn't rave...you just do not hear complaints from those who are trail-wise. Unfortunately, hard to explain this to/convince a novice. I started backpacking when I was in college. Didn't buy my first FF/WM bag until I was in my 40's. In the years in between, I used two down sleeping bags, a North Face one and an LL Bean one. They served me well; I took good care of them and they're still being used today. Certainly didn't waste my money on them. While I agree that FF and WM make good bags, I don't think there's anything magical about them, nor do I think my backpacking career would have been different if I'd gotten one earlier. I know a LOT of backpackers who have much more experience than I do and are perfectly happy in non-FF/WM bags. I would never suggest to a novice backpacker that it's necessary to spend $500 on a sleeping bag because I absolutely don't think that's true.
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markskor
Trail Wise!
Mammoth Lakes & Tuolumne Meadows...living the dream
Posts: 651
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Post by markskor on Oct 23, 2016 18:28:01 GMT -8
Didn't buy my first FF/WM bag until I was in my 40's. Yes, lots of great bags available, much cheaper too ...some work well, and nobody mentioned "death" if you don't own a WM. Sigh! Respectfully, you seem learned and experienced - obviously trail ready. However, the fact remains that you eventually did buy one too...interesting that most "trail pros" here also carry WM/FF. Why do you think that is? HYOH and all, but can you name any other piece of regularly-carried gear that is universally accepted as best in class?
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jazzmom
Trail Wise!
a.k.a. TigerFan
Posts: 3,062
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Post by jazzmom on Oct 23, 2016 19:43:18 GMT -8
Didn't buy my first FF/WM bag until I was in my 40's. Yes, lots of great bags available, much cheaper too ...some work well, and nobody mentioned "death" if you don't own a WM. Sigh! Respectfully, you seem learned and experienced - obviously trail ready. However, the fact remains that you eventually did buy one too...interesting that most "trail pros" here also carry WM/FF. Why do you think that is? HYOH and all, but can you name any other piece of regularly-carried gear that is universally accepted as best in class? No one is arguing that FF/WM bags are great bags that are most probably worth it for the right buyer. I'm certainly happy with mine. But don't forget that my comments were in response to your statement that most of us eventually come to the conclusion "that if they had bought the best sleeping bag option first, hundreds of dollars would have been saved."What kind of a budget do most newbies start with these days? I may have had the equivalent of $500 in today's dollars back then, if that, and the only reason I ended up with a solidly good down bag was because we drove through Freeport, Maine on the way and I was introduced to the LL Bean bargain basement. For me, the FF/WM bag because affordable when I had accumulated gear that I was comfortable backpacking in.
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Post by bradmacmt on Nov 1, 2016 7:33:35 GMT -8
I've had 6 WM bags, my wife 2. She currently has 1, I have 2. We like WM bags! IMO, the place to buy WM bags is www.hermitshut.com... Free overfill, free shipping (unless you can find a sale, which is quite difficult to find). I personally don't think FF is in the same league as WM... I don't find their bags as "lofty." Yes, that's a highly technical appraisal.😀 Valandre makes bags possibly even better than WM, but that's about it. If WM is out of the budget, the upper tier Marmot bags are quite good and can be had on sale often. My first down bag was a North Face I got in 1975... It was quite pricey then! My next was a USA made Marmot I got in 1982. In 1992 I switched to WM and never looked back. As to cost, I guarantee my 1975 NF bag is more expensive in today's dollars than something equivalent from Western Mountaineering, and the quality of the old NF is pretty poor by comparison. After the price is long forgotten, the quality still remains... And WM is USA made. That still means something to me (when I can get it).
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