Feathered Friends Snowbunting

Review Date
March 23, 2002

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: jbunger20(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Price Paid:  $510.00 at ff

Summary:
I bought this bag long with 800 fill down. This bag was to be used during a late december trip to mt. marcy in adirondack park. Unfortunately am not too sure of the overnight temperatures, but I am guessing that they were somewhere in the singles. I was warm, but unfortunately I cannot say that I was cozy. It is diffiicult to be cozy, however, when you are wet. I chose the Epic fabric and was extremely pleased with my decision. My bag reained dry throughout the entire trip, Although any condensation that formed inside the tent was turned to ice. I found the bag to be fairly roomy... no queen bed, but nontheless, cut well for my body (6 ft, 175lbs.) One of the greatest things about this bag is that it compresses into almost nothing. If you are concerned about space, this is the bag to get. This is definitely the best bag I have ever owned. I highly recommend both this bag and this company. Do follow the suggested temperature ratings. I am not sure how comfortable I would have been had the temperatures been too much colder. I will update this review with more uses. Comes with a stuff sack and a storage sack. r

Customer Service:
Excellent service. You really feel that each bag is custom made. You have the choice of color, fabric, bag length, down fill rating, extra fill stuff, zipper side, zipper lenght... like building a c

Similar Products Used:
Campmor down bag, North face cat's meow, Marmot down bagN

Review Date
July 12, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: Lita(Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer , from Denver Co USA

Summary:
I just got back from a 5 day backpack in Alaska with this bag, which I got with the EPIC shell. It lived up to expectations and then some. It the last 3 nights, the tent leaked a bit, but this shell did it's job, the water rolled off without any leftover dampness. I was the only one out of three tentmates who had a dry bag at the end of the trip, which I think says a lot. I also love how light and compressable this bag is, a major purchasing issue with me. Although this is not the cheapest bag around, it's not the most expensive either, and gives you a great bag for the money. Personally, if I bought another bag, I would get the EPIC shell again.

Similar Products Used:
None

Review Date
January 7, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: Caleb Johnson(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Roanoke, VA

Price Paid:  $486.00 at FF

Summary:
I got a PTFE long bag about 6 weeks ago after nearly freezing in 30 degree weather with my TNF Climber bag. It was definitely an investment, but definitely the best constructed bag I've ever seen. Lofts up extremely well, stuffs tightly, well designed collar and hood. After calling the factory on a Wednesday evening, they found a bag for me that evening in one of their stores and I was able to order it and have it arrive by Friday morning on the other end of the coast. Great people to work with, and an awesome product. It's only been used down to +15 so far, but I've been very comfortable to that level. Their PTFE shell is a wonderful fabric, appears to be more durable than Dryloft, and I've had no breathability problems with it whatsoever.

Customer Service:
If you can find any way to justify the cost, Feathered Friends makes the best bag you can buy.

Similar Products Used:
TNF Climber 3D (not dryloft) - A little over rated temperature wise, but a good synthetic bag that stuffs very well.

Review Date
December 8, 2000

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Reviewed by: andrew mitchell(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from albany, ny

Summary:
I also have a 1990 goretex Snowbunting which I used in winter hiking as low as 5 with my clothes on but I was too hot in over 40. It is also a little too snug for me to roll around.

Similar Products Used:
None

Review Date
February 10, 2000

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: Brent P.(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Oklahoma City , OK 73107

Summary:
I purchased a Feathered Friends Snowbunting ten years ago. It was stuffed with 700 fill down (the best available at the time) and features a Gore-Tex (NOT DryLoft) shell. It has been a trusted friend on many trips including a NOLS Instructors course in 1993, a hundred mile trip on the Continental Divide trail and about 8 years of leading backpacking trips for a college outdoor program. It is as lofty as it was 10 years ago and I will have to say that although the Gore-tex shell makes stuffing the bag a bit harder, I have NEVER had a complaint about any lack of breathability. The new versions feature better integrated designs (for instance, the removable draft collar is easier to adjust and looks better)and their new PTFE Lite shells appear to be a better choice than DryLoft. It is a rather slim cut bag and might be uncomtortable for some people, but Feathered Friends makes a wide cut version of this bag (though not as light or efficient as the Snowbunting). I would still purchase this brand and model of bag again.

Customer Service:
I thought that service was superb but this certainly may have changed over ten years.

Similar Products Used:
Western Mountainering Ultralite (1999)