YAYAB (Yet another yarn about bags)
First, does anyone know if anyone is selling Marmot bags in NZ?
Now for the yarn. I've been given a ridiculously generous budget to buy a bag as my birthday present. I would like to have the Marmot Helium EQ/MemBrain, but by the time you add freight, convert that to NZ$, and then have NZ Customs whack 18% on top of it, even I am starting to feel sick at the total amount (and I have a relatively good capacity to ignore that feeling, having previously bought the NeoAir pad - the most expensive blow up balloon I've ever owned ;)
So I'm thinking, surely there are similar bags of equally reputable companies that are for sale here in NZ, and I can at least avoid the freight and customs duty.
So if I can't buy Marmot in NZ I'm looking hard at iClimb's 800 fill #2 Spiral Mont Bell bag. Does anyone have direct or 2nd hand feedback on these bags? User reviews are generally quite good, the bags seem to perform. But I've seen two photos where they are held against the light and some compartments had no down in them. Also, they reported loft is quite low (5cm), but that's to be expected with an elasticised bag I guess.
So any war stories very welcome, please.
Finally, a general question - at 178cm/5'11" I seem to //just// fit in a regular bag. Would that mean that's great news because you want the best fit possible, or should I go for the long because that extra 10-15cm translates to a lot of comfort?
At the risk of talking to myself, I have stumbled into http://www.rrsport.co.nz/ who sell some Marmot gear, but not the high end bags. Bugga.
You live in the country that made the sleeping bags that Hilary and Tenzing slept in on the night before they climbed Everest. Surely you can find something in this country that is at least as good, or has the market really got that bad.
I haven't found a NZ made bag that stacks up against the brands that float to the top in any typical magazine or typical user feedback. That doesn't mean they don't exist - it may simply mean they aren't very visible. I'm open to specific suggestions to look into.
There was a thread on winter sleeping bags earlier in the year. You might want to look at that http://www.tramper.co.nz/?view=topic&id=401 My first sleeping bag with I only replaced about 5 years ago was a Fairydown Everest probably not that much different to the one used by Sir Ed in 1953. I replaced it with a MacPac Solstus 700g and am impressed with the new technology in modern bags. Not so much that it is warmer, if anything my Everest is warmer but the use of modern fabrics to keep the down dry and also the distribution of down in the bag etc etc. I am not sure what has developed since then but when I last looked the bags on the shelves in local shops were as good as any in the world. What is it that makes the Marmot Bag special?
You would be lucky to find a "nz made" bag nowdays. They all come out of the same factory somewhere in China as do a very large portion of the foreign bags. Such is life.
Look at the features you need in a bag first ie warmth weight durability size. Then look at features you like ie colour the stupid flap inside the bag thats meant to keep the heat in but also tickles your neck.Then look at brand and cost.
What makes the Marmot bag special to me are 4 broad categories. 1) they constantly float to the top in any tech review/user report as "one of" the better bags. 2) They use materials which are lighter, warmer, more durable (for its weight and size) and waterproof (depends on model). The specs are all up there, as are the reports on their use. 3) I know a guy who is a life-style tramper/mountain runner. Ex Coast to Coast, SAR volunteer, out there 25-40 weeks of the year, probably an average of 3-4 days a week, with frequent 1-2 week trips. He uses a Marmot Helium and I've seen it, held it, listened to the stories. 4) I can't afford to buy a mistake, so I am trying to err on the side of caution. The extra few hundred will be long forgotten in a few years from now if the bag makes me happy.
You asked :)
But that doesn't mean this is the only bag. There's Montbell, Mountain Hardwear, Northface...
There is no doubt in my mind that I can buy a bag for half the price that will keep me warm and dry. But it will be twice the weight. And less weight is something I am willing to spend money on. Well, my birthday benefactor is ;)
I have used a Marmot bag and cant see any difference to make me change from the one planet i eventually bought. The most impressive thing for me is how quickly it lofts after huge compression in my pack and how quickly it heats up. Thank god for the foot vent for climate control.
That rapid lofting is the acid test of a good bag. Backpacker magazine did a test where they parked 4 bags under the types of a 4WD overnight. The GoLite Ultra 20 lofted up really fast compared to the other 3.
One Planet make good bags. I bought an old one on Trademe for $42 bucks. None of the other bidders realised what it was. I auctioned it off for $100.
I have the Montbell Super Strech #2, rated down to -4C and it's the best bag I've ever had. The strech system is great for side sleepers like me and the temp rating is accurate. The fact that they are ultralight and small is a bonus as well.
The prices that iClimb have are actually quite competitive.
Search the forums
| Forum | Gear talk |
|---|---|
| Started by | MistaB |
| On | 26 February 2010 |
| Replies | 9 |
| Permanent link | |
Participation in the forums signifies acceptance of forum rules.
In order to manage spam, new members are limited to 1 post every 10 minutes.
Formatting your posts
The forums support MarkDown syntax. Following is a quick reference.
| Type this... | To get this... | |
|---|---|---|
| Italic | *Italic text* | *Italic text* |
| Bold | **Bold text** | **Bold text** |
| Quoted text | > Quoted text | > Quoted text |
| Emojis | :smile: :+1: :astonished: :heart: | :smile: :+1: :astonished: :heart: |
| Lists |
- item 1 - item 2 - item 3 |
- item 1 - item 2 - item 3 |
| Links | https://tramper.nz | https://tramper.nz |
| Images |  URL/of/image |
 |
| Mentions | @username | @username |