[at-l] oh the frustration - the choices

["Kenneth R. Knight" <krk@home.msen.com>]

Oh boy this is going on forever....

I've been slowly considering a new sleeping bag. Among the leading 
contenders are the Western Mountaineering Ultralite and Apache, the 
Marmot Arroyo, and the WM Iraquois.

My problem: I'm replacing an old, I'm not sure what the model is since I 
can't find a name on the bag, Marmot gortex (maybe '89) bag that has 
perhaps 3 inches of down loft and weighs in at about 2 pounds 13 ounces. 
I've been warm in that bag down to around freezing (haven't used it in 
colder weather, if I have I don't recall how I felt).

The WM Ultralite is quite light and would probably keep me toasty way 
below its 25 degree rating. The Apache is a bit cheaper, a couple ounces 
heavier, and probably even warmer since it has a bit more loft and is cut 
the same. The Arroyo is probably not as toasty as the Ultralite though 
it's probably about as good as what I want to replace. The Iraquois seems 
to have comparable loft to what I have (if I place them side-by-side they 
seem to loft to about the same height), but its sewn-through seams worry 
me since they could be the source of potential cold spots.

I seem to have an embarrassment of riches. The WM bags seem like the best 
option, but I'm not quite sure what the differences between the Apache 
and the Ultralite are except the temperature rating. Can someone fill me 
in?

  ** Ken **

**  Kenneth Knight    Web Design, IT Consultant, Software Engineer  **
**        krk@home.msen.com           http://home.msen.com/~krk     **


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