Q. I'm trying to decide which combo to buy. How airtight are the MOB's when used as
a stand alone bag? This is the toughest gear choice ever.
A. I initially thought I would notice some degree of "leak" at the joints between
the MOB Sections. But that hasn't turned out to be the case. Basically, I can't
feel the difference between the MOB's and the Base Bags. It must be because
we've put a baffle over the zippered joints. The baffle is also the location for
the drawstring used to snug the piece up for windproofness when wearing it as a
garment. Which means you can ever-so-slightly snug the baffle over the joint
when you're using the MOB in sleeping bag mode. But, again, I don't seem to
notice any leakage even when I don't take that extra step...which is now most of
the time. We have a pretty effective seal in the basic design.
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Q. Patrick, I almost hate to ask, but what is the girth going to
be on the standard bag? I'm asking since you said production of a wider version
was going to be delayed, and unfortunately, I'm a little wide myself and was
looking forward to a wide bag. :rolleyes:
Mike
A. the present bags are 66 1/2" girth. Standard mountaineering bags are 59". We've
had some very big guys do well in them.
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Q. Patrick.
How does one determine the temp rating of a bag from a manufacturing standpoint?
Is it based on the
stats of the insulation, Bag construction or combo of the two?
A. In our case, it's determined by my sleeping in the bag.
Down to the point I get chilled, then back up to where I don't. This
involves many, many nights chasing the temperatures I need to determine the
rating(s). It's one reason for the lengthy time put into this project. Dan
Garcia in AK is confirming the lowest ratings on the lowest pieces of the the
system. By the time Dan signed on I had enough experience with the
elements--design, materials, etc.--that I knew my predictions on those units
were very close. Dan's tests thus far are right in line with those predictions;
if anything, I was conservative in the predictions. More from him is still
coming in, and we'll do some final adjustments based on that input. Or not. We
may find that we'll sit tight with my original ratings estimates.
I'm the Chief guinea pig, in other words. It's an accurate method. Perhaps you'll
recall that Ed T. and I were testing new sleeping bags from many
manufacturers...this was about two and a half years ago...before I decided to
build my own. I tested a bag that declared itself to be a 35*F bag; and found it
was actually a 45* bag. Another that said 32*, and by golly it was exactly that.
Along about that time Backpacker Magazine came out with an issue on sleeping
bags. Their testers positioned those two bags precisely where I had just
personally rated them--45* for the bogus rated bag, and exactly 32* for the
truthfully rated bag. Ergo, my findings jibe with a cross-section of Backpacker
Magazine testers. I suppose we can say that I'm a pretty good guinea pig. The
ratings I put on our bags can be trusted, within the range of variances between
"cold" and "warm" sleepers, because I've actually used them successfully down to
the temperatures cited.
Bottom line: the ratings on these bags, and
Sections of bags, are derived from field testing, not theory. I don't know how
other manufacturers derive their ratings.
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Q. I'm trying to decide which combo to buy. How airtight are the MOB's when used as
a stand alone bag? This is the toughest gear choice ever.
A. I initially thought I would notice some degree of "leak" at the joints between
the MOB Sections. But that hasn't turned out to be the case. Basically, I can't
feel the difference between the MOB's and the Base Bags. It must be because
we've put a baffle over the zippered joints. The baffle is also the location for
the drawstring used to snug the piece up for windproofness when wearing it as a
garment. Which means you can ever-so-slightly snug the baffle over the joint
when you're using the MOB in sleeping bag mode. But, again, I don't seem to
notice any leakage even when I don't take that extra step...which is now most of
the time. We have a pretty effective seal in the basic design.
______________________________________________________________
Q. How does Climashield stack up against Polarguard?
A. Perhaps i should make clear that Climashield Combat is a very big step-up
from Polarguard in many important ways. Drapier (extemely important to warmth),
more compressable, lighter per warmth, etc., etc. The reason I sometimes
cite Polarguard is in reference to outstanding DURABILITY, which
Combat shares with the older insulation. And which is a very good thing too.
Climashield is so tough it doesn't have to be quilted, glued,
whatever, to stay put...making it even MORE desireable than
the older stuff in terms of warmth-to-weight!
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