[pct-l] Kelty Cosmic Down

Mon Feb 21 22:10:35 CST 2011

one nice thing about TNF, is you can find them on sale like half price ...  
making them cheaper than kelty.

TNF has a box line, and a performance line.  their 'summit series' products are 
comparable to arcteryx and mountain hardwear for rugged clothing with 
mountaineering minded design.  obviously their name gets tainted by "north face" 
cotton T shirt for sale for 24 dollars...  (personally i almost exlucively wear 
arc teryx,  just cause it's 'cooler' ... kind of shallow)

...that said, their performance products i would say have been every bit as good 
as mountain hardwear (the ones i've used).  and a lot of their box line stuff is 
still impeccable quality.  i have a goretex coat of theirs,  a cats meow 
sleeping bag (that i got for 90 bucks at REI !) and countless clothing,  Denali 
fleeces,  some baselayer stuff, etc.  and have never had a problem with them.

i have sent back half a dozen MHW products.  their quality control is the one 
element i don't like about them,  i've gotten items with holes in the seams 
straight in the mail from REI.  (just their clothing, their gear has always done 
well, except my first Phantom bag had a hole, which they replaced).

do either compare to marmot?  of course not...   or feather friends / nunatuk / 
etc.  clearly not, but they're not in the price range.

north face is, imho,  often mountain hardwear quality at Kelty prices.  so long 
as you stay away from their 'fashion' line and buy their purpose built 
products.  

anyway for a 100$ bag,  looking at a cat's meow might be a great choice for 
him.  they are like 140 retail and can be had right about 100 in sale quite 
often.

obviously 2lbs 5 oz if a lot for anything ... but i've used that bag in the 
teens several times (in a tent) and been roasty toasty.

to step up to a PG Delta product is going to be in a whole new price range ... 
and forget about 800 fill down in the 100$ area.  an ultralamina (which i owned 
but sold) is not going to perform any better than a cats meow... saves if i 
remember 4 ounces... i'd have to check.   it's certainly going to cost more.

if you can find an 800 or better fill down bag, with a good baffle design (just 
as important !) etc. for 100$, obviously that's the best of all worlds...  but 
that'll be a hard sale to come by.

unless you want to buy my gently use MHW Phantom 32 for 140$ ... only been used 
like 6 nights  ;  )  (shameless plug)

anyway have a good night and good luck with your decision !

________________________________
From: Kevin Cook <hikelite at gmail.com>
To: Paul Robison <paulrobisonhome at yahoo.com>
Cc: PCT Listserve <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Mon, February 21, 2011 10:48:28 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Kelty Cosmic Down

I'm not sure if this is his "first" bag. He used to backapck. I know he camps 
still, but is hacing to replace car camping weight gear with something more 
suitable for backpacking. I'm going to loan him a lot of gear for the week he 
will be out with me, but he wants to outfit himself so he can go by himself.

He lives in the Reno area (hence meeting me near Tahoe). We're mostly 
communicating via email since he works graveyards. I asked what his budget was 
based on the items he was considering. He was looking at a $150 pack and $100 
synthetic bag, both North Face. I try to be objective, but I've never bought 
anything from TNF. Their stuff seems to be overpriced to me.

I was just curious if anyone had used one of these. I'll go look for something 
800FP ish and make a recommendation.

On Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 6:39 PM, Paul Robison <paulrobisonhome at yahoo.com> wrote:

Kelty products are durable and have a great niche in the mid range / affordable 
market.
>
>
>Where does he live?  If this is a first 'real' quality bag for him synthetic may 
>be a good choice depending on his home area.  Especially if your going for 550 
>fill power down synthetic will be just as light.  If he lives in the south east 
>or he northwest synthetic is probably a good idea if it's his only bag.
>
>
>My opinion is if you could only own one sleeping bag synthetic is a reasonable 
>choice...
>... If your going to bother getting down you should jump in and get top 
>quality... 800 fill or better.
>
>
>Cheap down bags have the weaknesses of down without any of the advantages...
>
>
>What's his ideal budget?  Dies he plan to use it for much else?  Does he own a 
>ba already?
>
>
>... Btw, I think 850 fill and 900 fill are close enough I'd never spend the 
>extra premium again in future bags.
>800+ fill is often less than half the price of 900+
>
>
>~Outpost
>
>Sent from my iPod
>
>On 2011-02-21, at 8:19 PM, Kevin Cook <hikelite at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>Maybe I should have added... this isn't for myself on my thru hike. I have a 
>friend looking into a new bag. He is going to join me for a section near Tahoe. 
>He was looking at synthetics, and I want him to get down. I thought this bag was 
>probably a good value. I just noticed Campmor lists it as 7 oz heavier than REI.
>>
>>I'm planning to make a DIY down quilt. I'm not sure I'll use 900 FP, but 850 is 
>>easy to find. If I can't fine the time to make it before my hike, I have my old 
>>Marmot 20 degree bag that I'll take.
>>
>>
>>On Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 4:48 PM, Paul Robison <paulrobisonhome at yahoo.com> 
>wrote:
>>
>>I guess it's subjective... But that weight is significant IMHO...
>>>
>>>My wife and I share a double sized bag that is good to 20f and weighs 2 ounces 
>>>less than that which is for just one person...
>>>
>>>... If you are going to use 550 fill down you would probably be better off going 
>>>for a synthetic like the north face cats meow... Within a few ounces.  Or a PG 
>>>Delta product...
>>>
>>>Our bag is 900+ fill down from featherred friends... 20 ounces of the stuff... 
>>>Not cheap but damn good quality.
>>>
>>>Sewing your own bag is probably the best way to save huge weight, btw... A cave 
>>>man can do it and you can have an equivalent product for 22 ounces or less... 
>>>Perhaps 18 oz if you went all out and disregarded price.
>>>
>>>That said kelty products have all held up and performed well form me... Just too 
>>>heavy for a thru imho...
>>>
>>>~Outpost
>>>
>>>Sent from my iPod
>>>
>>>
>>>On 2011-02-21, at 6:10 PM, Kevin Cook <hikelite at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I did a search and didn't find anyone discuss this bag. It looks like an
>>>> amazing bargain!
>>>> http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___41952
>>>> Even REI it's only ~$100
>>>> I've had some Kelty stuff over the years, and I always thought it was built
>>>> well, just a bit heavy. This bag is still only 2lb 3oz. That's pretty good
>>>> for a 20F, no? It's only 550 down, but that just makes it bulkier and less
>>>> expensive :)
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>>