Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Feathered Friends vs Western Mountaineering?

I read a lot of good comments about WM on this site when discussing high quality sleeping bags but I haven�t read anything on Feathered Friends who seems like a comparable company. Also any experience with Event or Gore wind stopper in a sleeping bag? Any insight or thoughts would be great.

wyotradhunter:

I own a Western Mountaineering Antelope -5� and I own a Feathered Friends bag (can't remember the name) rated at -40�. They seem to be of comparable quality except I don't like the zipper configuration on the FF bag.

One time I was using the FF bag when the temp was about 0�F and that was too warm. I woke up sweating and I couldn't get the thing unzipped. Talk about a panic attack, I thought I was going to roast inside. I would have cut my way out but I couldn't get an arm out to reach a knife. Eventually I did finally manage to get it unzipped. What a relief.

KC

Wyo, I got my first WM bag almost 20 years ago... up to that time I had been using an old Grand Junction, CO made Marmot Mountain Works bag, but felt it was time for a new bag. I handled both WM and FF bags and for me it was a no-brainer... back then and today I believe WM bags are just "loftier"... why this should be, I can't say (down quality?), but it's noticeable comparing similar bags from each side by side.

I've owned four different WM bags and I'm a lifer...

I purchased a WM Antelope last fall, my wife has owned one for several years. They are a top quality bag, I can't speak of the FF bags.

When I purchased my bag, via internet, they sent me the more expensive Gore Windstopper model by mistake. They said I could keep the more expensive (+$90) bag or return it. After posting here and researching on the internet I elected to return the bag for the microfiber bag. The microfiber bag is lighter and I learned of concerns with the windstopper material breathability.

Since I do all my cold weather camping in a tent I couldn't see the need for a windstopper bag.

Been in both, never owned either. After looking at a TON of sleeping bag reviews in the last year thinking about WM/FF/Valandre/ID, it seemed like almost everyone who has both FF and WM prefers WM.

You'd have to pay me to use a bag with Windstopper.

If you think Gore Windstopper was/is bad, you should have used an actual Goretex shelled bag!

SnowyMountaineer: It's amazing how many hunters here have backgrounds in climbing , mountaineering and ultra running.

I believe it for sure.

My man, I have one of them GTX Antelope bags, and I kind've like it. It is a bit stiffer than other shells, but I think it's also a tougher material. It is also warmer precisely because air doesn't pass through it as easily (and I'm including Windstopper in that statement). If I'm sweating, I unzip the dang bag.........

But it's moot, 'cause WM doesn't offer that shell anymore

I have a friend who has the same complaint about his FF bag.

I had a FF bad that was Gore-Tex. Not a great idea. The FF bag was very well made, but too snug and too restricted of a zipper on that particular model (a Hummingbird).

My circa 1982 Marmot bag had a Goretex shell. Ditto my circa 1992 WM Dakota. Both felt clammy to me in less than cool weather. The Goretex started slightly delaminating in the hood of my WM Dakota. WM replaced it with the bag of my choice, free (Gore covered WM for the cost I've been told as this was a common problem with actual goretex in sleeping bags, one reason Gore abandoned it for Dryloft). I got an Antelope Super with Dryloft. I liked it better than the "real" Goretex, but eventually sold it and went to the Versalite.

I have three WM bags. Love them all. Looked hard at FF but they just didn't have the same comfort/weight to warmth ratio as the WM bags. My - 20 deg WM bag is Dry Loft. It's the right cover for that rating, but you need to run a vapor barrier to keep the moisture out of your bag, its no fun, but neither is camping at -20. For all other (normal temp, > 0 deg F) bags a microfiber shell with DWR is the way to go.

I have both the Rock Wren and the Winter Wren by FF. Awesome bags. I sleep comfortably down to about 10 degrees below their ratings.

The main criticism i've heard about FF bags is they don't include as much down (measured by the ounce) per "anticipated" temp rating as the other hi-end manufacturers (WM, Integral Designs, RAB, etc) - even if it's stated in their Tech Specs or not. As a result, they're bags are considered by guys i used to know as overly optimistic for their rated temperatures.

I have a WM Puma Dryloft (-20F), Marmot CWM Dryloft (-40F), Marmot Pinnacle Dryloft (+15F) and a few others as well as having many bags before these over the years. I'll take a WM over any other. OK, i'd consider an Integral Designs, but they're on the high side price-wise even among other top-shelf bags.

I'd say your friends are a tad anemic. My Wrens are heaters. FF tells you how much fill they put in their bags, and, as they are custom made, if you want overstuff, you just ask for it. I ordered my Winter Wren with 2oz overstuff, the standard Winter Wren is rated for 25F, I usually have to vent during the night in the teens.

^ - Nope, both were "hot/warm-sleepers" by their own admission (and in observed experience RE: which bag they used being similar to what i used). Maybe you're a "hot sleeper" and using a bag in temps easily within the specifications your bag was made for.

There are alot of variables in "temp ratings" and the required specifications required to help achieve them (adeqate rest/hydration/response to elevation/humidity/,etc).

This isn't a personal attack, just the observations of a couple trust-worthy, experienced guys i used to climb with.

I believe the point of their contention was that FF must have weighed their fill "differently" than other hi-end manufacturers - or were simply optimistic, having nothing to do with overfill additions.

Who knows, maybe they had the only bags FF ever made that weren't up to spec, but that was their experience.