Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Wiggy's of Alaska Sucks

BW, looks like the maturity monitor is taking his ball and going home.....

I haven�t read 1/10 of this post so I'm simply interrupting.
I owned a Wiggy's bag on an "Outdoor Semester in the Rockies". (4+ months from desert to snow cave) The bag was great for about 5 weeks then I started having issues with the fill migrating. At that time I was on the Baja peninsula in Mexico so the insulation problem wasn�t a problem mostly because the pack became a pad due to the heat. Once back in the states I made a call to Wiggy's in Grand Junction, CO regarding my problem, the answer was 'bring the bag here and well look at it'. I'm 1 of 26 students and 4 faculty running a schedule and trying to get to places. Amazingly the powers that be said its cool we�ll go there and fix your bag. So instead of coming up through S Colorado into Alamosa we'll side door into Grand Junction. To me this is awesome, my bag will get fixed as we head back into altitude and it will all happen otw to our base in Leadville.
However it happened Wiggy knew we were coming, he got our entire bus out for a �tour� of his business. I use the term �tour� loosely. Wiggy turned the entire thing into a trade show about how all the other bags we owned weren�t in the same �ballpark� as his bags. He gave 30 people a dedicated tour of a facility and a product that no one cared about. No one appreciated the �education on filaments� and once all was said and done the detour cost us 12 hours driving and 2 hours in his stupid facility. It was a hell of deal I cant even tell you.
The damn thing is they DIDN�T EVEN FIX MY BAG. No changes, no adjustments, nothing. It was unbelievable and for obvious reasons I never mentioned the problems with my Wiggy�s bag again, I dealt with it.

I�d rather punch Wiggy than talk to him�.

Popcorn please! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I attended Arctic Survival School on Eielson AFB several weeks ago. The tempatures were forcasted to be in the negative 40's. When I was issued my bag I noticed it said Wiggy's on the tag. Our instructor told me they wouldn't use anything else. No tent, no heat, just me and my Wiggy's bag for several nights in a hole in the snow. Those who say these bags are no good...come on out in yours and let's put it to the same test. I don't know Marc but when we spoke on-line he invited me to his store and offered that discount he spoke of...I didn't ask. That's straight up to me. Just my two cents on my first visit to this site.

I attended Arctic Survival School on Eielson AFB several weeks ago. The tempatures were forcasted to be in the negative 40's. When I was issued my bag I noticed it said Wiggy's on the tag. Our instructor told me they wouldn't use anything else. No tent, no heat, just me and my Wiggy's bag for several nights in a hole in the snow. Those who say these bags are no good...come on out in yours and let's put it to the same test. I don't know Marc but when we spoke on-line he invited me to his store and offered that discount he spoke of...I didn't ask. That's straight up to me. Just my two cents on my first visit to this site.

I've been through Arctic Survival training there, through UAF, and spent one night in a snow shelter I dug on Murphy Dome when the temp was around 45 below, wind chill around -110, though that was on the old wind chill chart...it's changed somewhat now. I spent more nights out, but that one was the coldest. We were also allowed one candle in the shelter then.

Can't remember the two instructors names now, but I think one was Brent.

By the way, I wasn't in a Wiggy's bag.....and I still have a pulse....hate to break you the bad news.

That was the class that sparked an interest in winter camping for me, when I lived in Fairbanks. We played in some pretty cold stuff.

You might notice that few experienced people say "those bags are no good", as you put it. Instead, once they get past the hype, they realize that Wiggy's bags are among several brands which will work fine when your ass in on the line, despite Wigutlow's claims that nothing else even comes close. There do seem to be more quality control and customer relations issues with Wiggy's than some of the others, also.

Just because you took a little training class, don't get to feeling too special. You'll find folks on here that put their time in also. They don't bullshitt easy, but you're welcome to keep trying.

Dang Dave, what year(s) did you camp off Murphy Dome? I used to ride snowmachine past there quite often and several times saw the shelters that had been built for the use you spoke of. We were headed to Minto Flats, had an old duck shack that was dang near as drafty as sleeping outside.

It's a good thing I didn't know about Wiggy's bags until the last year or so, I could have froze to death during my cold weather camping trips. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />


IME&O Marc Taylor seems to be a good guy, Wiggy is a gasbag and a noxious one at that. I think his normal gear is probably pretty good, but when he said he could make light bags as well or better than anyone else he got left out in the cold (so to speak) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> No hard feelings the bag was inexpensive enough, and I've bought other gear on a hope and a promise, but when I go sheep hunting where weight to warmth ratio really matter Wiggy's get left at home in the boat where it now resides.

Dave used to hang in FBKS, I'll be danged! That explains the shortage of single women for so many years! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

LOL...went to college there for a year, around 96. Spent some cold nights off Murphy, though Sept bird hunting up there is what I remember best. There were some pretty impressive snow shelters built up there from time to time. Used to stop by an old shack on those flats on occasion, when riding that way. Probably saw you on the trail....heh.

Still have relatives there, and guess they've since built a cabin on the flats somewhere...

Never met Marc, though I have heard he's a good guy. I spent a couple nights in Air Force issue Wiggy's bags on base, in classes. They were pretty good. I think JW got in over his head on the kifaru special bags...

Don't blame me for the single chick shortages....I didn't take much of their time, just took my turn....<grin>

Murphy Dome?
Fading memories are hovering about, Seems I ended a kayaking trip down the Chatanika River at the end of a very long dirt road that passed over Murphy Dome. It would have been in the early fall, expansive scenic views from the open ridge top comes to mind..
So, as a result of this ever-twisting thread, I placed an order with Wiggy's of Alaska.
Got a couple of items of which one was a really nice polar fleece. I have a closet full of fleece shirts and jackets with many name brands as well as from many price ranges.
The one I was sent from Marc at Wiggy's is of better quality than any I have and was about in the middle when compared price wise. I received it here at my winter place in Florida rather quickly with out the request of expedited shipping. It appears he gets right on his mail orders.
I had no idea that there even was a Wiggy's in Alaska until this thread got started. I chased links through a Google search to find related web-sites that Marc has online.
Not much of a reference, but so far my dealings with him are 100% positive.

Well I think the best thing about this is all the free publicity, you can't buy this kind of advertising. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Jeff,

Don't know where you put in at, but most likely the Elliot bridge, if so you floated right past my cabin. The Chat is prone to really rise and fall with rain, it's got some narrow shallow spots. I get there with a 20 ft. boat with a 115 Rude and jet. Makes for a fun ride during low water.

BTW the dirt road you put out at the crosses M. Dome is the "Bennet Highway". Small world, heh. Looks like we've crossed trails all over this state. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

We had put in a a public boat ramp or campgrounds not to far above Fox. That road is quite the ride down to the river from the top..
The river was high and muddy but we still managed to snag a few fish.
There were some really nice cabins along the way.
Another memory has come to mind, it has sumtin' to do with the Howlin' Dog after that trip was over, but I'm not gonna go into that tale here.

Small world for those of common interests...

Here are a couple of crappy photos I took there. One is right where we took out and the other is a cow moose some where along that road over the top of the dome...

...and a dog box on the truck! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />Gotta love it!

When I was stationed at Ft Wainwright from '87-'91, nobody was issued a Wiggys, just a artic weight Army fart sack. Unreal that there weren't thousands of deaths every year. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Oh man, the Howling Dog... makes my head hurt even now. What about the Steese Lounge!

Dave,
Never said you would die...just turn into an [bleep]!! ;-)

"Well I think the best thing about this is all the free publicity, you can't buy this kind of advertising."

Aside from all of this, I think it is obvious Marc is showing a lot of class. Diabloverde is not posting and Marc is not gloating. The obvious cheap shot was delivered and Marc looks like he is standing by his claim he only wanted the lies to stop.
art

I was stationed at Ft Wainwright in 69 and 70. During February of 69 we participated in the Acid Test Army maneuvers. We slept in Artic Tents and had our US Army artic sleeping bags. These consisted of an inner and an outer bag with a filling of mixed feathers and down with more feathers than down. We also had Yukon stoves for heat. I came in off of guard duty one night when it was around -50F and pulled one of my tent mates off of the Yukon stove which was cherry red. He had burned all of the way thru his outer bag and half way thru his inner bag but he was pissed at me as he was finally getting warm. One morning I woke up to a tent with no heat, the Yukon stove had run out of fuel. I got up and removed the Jerry can and it was so cold the neoprene hose going to the stove snapped in too. As it was around 5:00 am and the supply tent was not open I got the only replacement hose I could find, the one supplying the latrine tent with heat. There was sure a lot of griping that morning around the crapper.
MJS

Reminds me of Robert Service's poem, "The Cremation of Sam McGee." <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

M

I was in an aviation unit. We took a LOT of fuel samples on the helos and mixed it with the diesel burned in the Yukon stoves. We had to watch it closely, as we'd get the stove and most the chimney glowing cherry red.

I remember one female leftenant who constantly gave us trouble over how hot our stove was, and we never shared our secret.

If only you could have put your hands on a fan to supercharge the stove, eh? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />