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Does anybody have one of these?
http://wiggys.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=197
Living in Texas, I'm looking for a cheap(er) alternative to big $ underquilts. Looking at PULQ's and was wondering if the zipper on this would make it work as a field expedient UQ same same as a mummy bag with a zippered foot box.
You could probably make it work as a pod along with some other insulation to take you into colder temps, alone they work very well in milder temp's! Not sure how warm it alone will work in the cold, but at that price it would be worth the try as it could always be used as a car emergency blanket or something else if it does not work!?!?
The temps down here on the Gulf Coast generally don't get all that cold. I have a Hennesy Deep Jungle with a pad, which should do me for most of what I'd be looking at, just looking for something to let me hang in late Feb/early March. The issue, I'm guessing, would be if the zipper is one way ot two way so that I can open the footbox. The other open is a DIY with a surplus liner, which will run about $35 less, but I've read here that the Wiggy's is a bit warmer and may have more dueal functionality without cutting nup or tooo much other work on a surplys liner.
Yeah, the zipper is going to be the big deal either way on this one. If it has a two-way zipper, using it as a pea pod would seem to be (haven't done this, so it's from hearsay) very easy.Quote:
Originally Posted by sargevining
If you want to go the PLUQ route, an issue liner should be good down to about 40 or 45 for most folks (I find that it'll get me down to into the high 30s, but I'm a very warm sleeper). The Wiggys version should be good for another 5 to 10 F below that, by all reports.
However, if you decide to use one of the issue liners as a top quilt, you may wish to supplement it with your "around camp" clothes around the torso and shoulder area when temps are expected to be below 40 F. I find that this helps eliminate drafts and keeps my core warmer. Even a lightweight fleece zip hoodie works (this combo--along with mid-weight fleece and nylon base layers, a good hat, and loose socks--has gotten me down to 37 F comfortably; I hope to test it down into the twenties tomorrow night).
I hope that things work out well for you!
I turned my regular Wiggy's PL (no zipper) into an UQ following some of the no-sew plans here on the forum. It's kind of bodged it together with various string and some big shock-cord I had laying around.
I haven't really had a chance to try it in anything below the upper 50s yet but it seemed OK at those temps. The biggest problem I think will be with cold spots. The wiggys liner is much stiffer but thicker than a regular mil-surplus liner. Since I didn't really get a good differential shape to this when I doubled the fabric over I think the top will bunch up somewhat. I think this may give me some hit-or-miss cold spots. I hope this will be good enough for my 7yr old to get through some spring trips here in FL (almost a full length for him). I'm planning to stuff an additional PL between the layers for additional insulation.
Unless you're getting some extra discount you'll be into this wiggys liner for $100 after adding the zipper. You'll get a lot more bang for the buck with a dedicated UQ from one of the various vendors here for just a few more bucks. Adding a suspension will be another maybe $10 or so in clips and cord. You can easily find some gently used 3-season down or synthetic UQs here for that price range. I got my PL from Wiggys on a good sale but at the end of the day I needed an UQ for my kid a lot more than a PL. That's the only reason I bothered with this project.
I too like to bring multi-purpose gear as much as possible to save weight in my pack. At the end of the day though I'd rather have two pieces of gear that work well to do two tasks than one piece that does both jobs poorly.
it didn't give a price so I pushed order. with ties.
it came to $42.
could very well be a viable option for right now.
Why not just get the one without the zipper and use it as a pod? I believe they are 60X84 inches. Just tie it over you and don't worry about the zippers. I still don;t know how warm it will be. The Wiggy's is much warmer than the standard poncho liners, but I would be surprised to see it get below 40 F.
Yah;
I was looking at the Wiggy's B/C of the posts I've seen here and elsewhere for DIY sew and no-sew PLUQ's. My interest in the zipper model is that I'm a big fan of dual use stuff. The zipper makes it (IMO) a better field expedient sleeping bag that might do well as a TQ on Texas nights where the bubble pad on the Deep Jungle is enough for underneath, and it might make a good "loaner" or emergency sleeping bag in a pinch. The side tie sleeping bag mode for the issue woobie is less than optimum.
Just checked myself with zipper and coyote brown, it comes to $77.00. If it zips right, I'll pull the trigger, if not, the side ties does everything I want, just not as well in sleeping bag mode.Quote:
it didn't give a price so I pushed order. with ties.
it came to $42.
could very well be a viable option for right now.
If you're warm underneath with the bubble pad, have you tried using a standard tie-out model liner as a top quilt? With the thing longways and the outside foot ties tied together, with the middle foot tie tied to them, and the mid-point ties tied together, all to shape a footbox, it works pretty well. It doesn't get you much below 40-ish with an issue one without supplementation from clothing and such, but it's really comfy above that.Quote:
Originally Posted by sargevining
If you want, I can post a set of photos to make the above a little clearer...
The tie out version might have more uses than the zipper version. You can also tie the end shut in the foot box for a smaller area. The zipper won't give you that option without another piece of string. The zipper model also won't afford a "pod mode" that the tie out version will. Not to mention that the zippers will conduct heat away from you that a piece of string will not.Quote:
Originally Posted by sargevining
That would be very much appreciated.Quote:
Originally Posted by FLRider
I haven't seen the zipper he's using on the PL but I'm assuming it's the same one he uses on the bags and everything else and it's HUGE. I've gone through 3 of his bags (currently a zero bag) and a jacket. They all use the same giant zipper. For use in a hammock a quilt works better than a bag anyway. I don't think you'll really want the zipper.
Well--
Huge don't do it for me. I kind of had a vision of a YKK like on my waistpack. Teeth on that are bout 1/8"-----are we talking bigger than that?
Here're some photos of what I'm talking about. My apologies for the blurriness; my phone is my camera.
From left to right:
1.) A dorsal view of the liner, taken from the head end, of the poncho liner with the ties tied up.
2.) A ventral view of the liner, taken from the head end.
3.) A ventral view of the liner, taken from the foot end.
4.) A detail photo of the foot "box" ties, with a couch cushion inside to give more relief to it.
Please let me know if you have any questions. It's not hard; I just used shoelace knots to hold them together. They're not weight-bearing, so I'm not too worried about one coming undone (hasn't happened in about fifteen nights sleeping with it like this).
The insulation under you doesn't matter much; it's going to be compressed and not do much that your underquilt or pad isn't already doing for you.
Here's some of the propaganda from the website:
The last, but by no means the least, important feature of our sleeping bag is the zipper. We use a #10 YKK molded tooth zipper. If your zipper fails to work when you are out in the field, it is irrelevant how good the rest of your sleeping bag is. I have been using the YKK #10 tooth zipper for 20 years, and I have yet to have a bag returned due to zipper failure. We also manufacture snowsuits and parkas used throughout the state of Alaska. The only zipper I will use for these garments is the #10 because it proved to work at -100 degrees F.
Well;
It looks like ties instead of zippers.
Thanks, guys