Yeah, Dose anyone have any experience with these? My first impression, never having handled/used one is that, considering they're not down, their small packed size and light weight are too good to be true. That said, I've been proved wrong before, and Kifaru had their jacket made by the same company with the same insulation (?), and Kute raves about his. Dose a good coat translate into great bags, I dunno, but would be interested in opinions. Regards, Jim
If you want to read a biased opinion of Snugpack products but that I think is pretty accurate go over to www.wiggys.com and cruise through his archived newsletters from a few years ago. At the SHOT Show this year I asked one of the salesmen at Snugpack about laundering their products...bottom line was you will ruin any of their insulation if it is not professionally dry cleaned. I have a Wiggy's Desert Bag that is rated to 40* but have slept down to 28* in an unheated tent. Stuffed down it is about the size of a large loaf of bread. It has been washed no less than 10 times since purchased in 1995 and is still like new. The Wiggy's sweather and vest I have were purchased in 1997 and have been laundered 3-4 times a year..still good to -10 with no wind. I bought my brother a sweater for Christmas two years ago and it is all he ever wears now.
As to the original question about Surviving a Cold Wet Night... What I carry depends on where I am hunting/hiking. One thing I always have is a lightweight single ply GorTex rain jacket and pants. Over normal clothing it almost acts as a sleeping bag keeping in warmth.
The survival kit size varries depending how far I'll be from the nearest road when out... Some places it fits in a BDU pocket and other times it will be a large Mountaismith lumbar pack. Another thing always carried in addition to any food/snacks for the day is 2-3 energy bars that are never eaten except in case of emergency.
For those that don't think the body adjusts to the cold I suggst reading "The Long Walk" about escaping a Russian prison train...a great and inspiring read.
Bob
If you can not deal with reality, reality will deal with you....
