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Re: [at-l] A bag question

DaRedhead wrote:
> 
> My question, I guess, is . . . is
> there a particular fill that is favored by backpackers?  Is hollofil okay, or
> should I look for something else?  

Hollofill is one of the oldest synthetic fills for a sleeping bag.
Advantage: Like most synthetics, it still insulates well when wet.
Disadvantages: (1) After you have compressed it a lot, it loses 
its loft and thus its insulating and padding performance.  
(2) It has one of the lousiest warmth-to-weight ratios of 
any filling.  (All the above, including wet functionality, 
are based on first-hand knowledge.)

Last Fall I bought a Sierra Designs Wild Bill (No relation to
Mr. Hawkins, as far as I know), which is filled with Polarguard
3D.  At 15 degree "rating" and 3 pounds, it beats the snot out of
my old Wal-Mart Hollowfill Rectangular.  :-)  I tend to suffer from
chronic "popsickle toes", but even on a night that descended into 
the 20's I ended up with only a Polartek 200 jacket around my feet
inside the Wild Bill bag; the rest of me stayed nice and warm, 
despite lousy overnight metabolism.  

So, yeah, Polarguard 3D is quite nice, and seems to be "almost
as stuffable" as down.  Excellent warmth to weight.  It works 
great when soggy (more first-hand knowledge), and hangs well 
outside of e-frame packs. :-)  I recommend it, based on my 
whole 18 or 20 days' backpacking experience. :-)

PS, my latest Campmor catalog has the Wild Bill for something
like $160, and they throw in a 4 foot Thermarest (which is 
considered, somehow, to be 3/4 of 6 feet.  Go figure.)

PPS The Wild Bill model is optimized for male shape; the 
feminine equivalent model is the "Rosa."

					-Tom Williams
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