Katmandu Sleeping Bags

[Brett Eastwood]

Anyone had good/bad experiences with Katmandu sleeping bags?

I'm thinking of getting one since they are substantially cheaper (with
25% discount) than Macpac Mont etc., for the same materials (higher loft
in some cases).

Any idea what the quality of construction is like?

Thanks,

Brett

--
Brett Eastwood
Sync Technologies

sy...@vic.bigpond.net.au
bre...@cse.rmit.edu.au
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/sync/Brett.htm

[David Springthorpe]

Brett Eastwood wrote in message
<361AD9E7...@vic.bigpond.net.au>...

>Anyone had good/bad experiences with Katmandu sleeping bags?
>
>I'm thinking of getting one since they are substantially cheaper
(with
>25% discount) than Macpac Mont etc., for the same materials (higher
loft
>in some cases).
>
>Any idea what the quality of construction is like?
>

I'm in the market for a new bag after not having bought one for
many years.....I'd also be interested in peoples' opinions of various
brands.....does the Dryloft outer work satisfactorily and is it
worth the extra expense.....?

Thanks,
David.

[John Atkinson]

Brett Eastwood wrote:
>
> Anyone had good/bad experiences with Katmandu sleeping bags?
>

> Any idea what the quality of construction is like?

Seems excellent. I've had no problems with it.

John.

[Dylan Sutton]

Brett Eastwood wrote:
>
> Anyone had good/bad experiences with Katmandu sleeping bags?
>

> I'm thinking of getting one since they are substantially cheaper (with
> 25% discount) than Macpac Mont etc., for the same materials (higher loft
> in some cases).
>

> Any idea what the quality of construction is like?

And David Springfield wrote:

> I'm in the market for a new bag after not having bought one for
> many years.....I'd also be interested in peoples' opinions of various
> brands.....does the Dryloft outer work satisfactorily and is it
> worth the extra expense.....?
>

-snip-

I've had a Kathmandu Rumdoodle for five years now and have had no
problems at all with it. It is a slightly bulky bag for its warmth, but
I think this may have been fixed with the new model. Construction
quality is excellent, very little leakage of down, and the bag has been
fine for ski touring and tassie trips. Loft ratings etc are highly
debatable between different brands. A Wild mag review a couple of years
ago used the thickness of the bag after lofting to gauge its warmth,
this may be a better measure. You can either find the review issue, or
pull the bag down in the shop and check it out.
I would definately spend the extra money for a dryloft bag (mine
isn't:(), especially for ski touring where the tent (or snowcave?)
frequently gets wet, and it also comes in handy if sleeping under the stars.
My summer sleeping bag is a paddy pallin (I don't know the model, some
poor bugger lost it on the train and never tried to claim it), and the
quality is likewise great. Others rave about J&H (now one planet).
The only brand I have seen 'fatal' problems on is Salewa, a friend had
to have hers replaced when the stitching failed, both on the baffles and
along the zip. When the second bag also failed she gave up and sewed it
up herself (at Haven Lake, W. Arthurs, if I remember corectly). The two
bags were from different batches, and were slightly different models, so
I wouldn't recommend them. It also took about three months to get the
replacement in.
If you're after a cheap bag, Kathmandu are great, if perhaps a little
bulky and not so nicely finished. If you don't mind paying a couple of
hundred extra for the some extra frills, buy something else.

Dylan Sutton
PhD Student
Storr Liver Unit
Westmead Hospital
University of Sydney