western mountaineering - email addy?

[pixpusher]

does anybody know if "wm" has an email address? i've checked the site, all i see is long distance telephone numbers. i'd like to see if i can buy one of their cotton storage sacks (like the one that came w/my caribou sleeping bag). call me el-cheapo... but they do have a website, so i would hope they would have email.

i don't have long-distance! lol.

inquiring minds: i just bought myself a wm meltdown jacket (size large, this is what i want the storage sack for)

i also purchased a mountainsmith ghost lt '04 backpack. man, i can't wait to use this! it fits me like a glove. it looks like it will store alot of gear too.

while i'm thinking about it. when those of you are compressing your goose-down sleeping bags, or your down jackets or vests, how small is too small? when should one worry about "over-doing-it" with the compression?

also... how long can you keep down products compressed? i know they shouldn't be stored that way, but otherwise... i'm just curious...

[gravityman]

There is no over-compression issue, even over a long period of time, for down. You can get it as small as you can without splitting the seams or tearing something. You can even leave it that way. That's the wonder of down. It will loft back up. This is not true for synthetics (synthetics will lose the "kinks" in the material that give it the loft to insulate if left compressed for too long. The kinks will also straighten out over time, so most synthetic bags have a lifetime of about 5 years. Down has no lifetime issues).
You do want to store it uncompressed so that it can air out, and the condensation from your body sweat can evaporate.

[RedneckRye]

I work at a shop that carries Western bags. I checked the dealer info sheets and there was no email listed. I am also quite sure they do not sell direct, so you will probably have to go through a dealer to get a replacement storage bag. The list price for it is $16. Check for a dealer in your neck of the woods and you might be able to avoid paying shipping costs, depending on that dealers special order policies. Also, why not just store the jacket on a wooden hanger in your closet?

[bluesplayr]

Why would anyone spend 300-400 dollars for a WM bag, when they have NO email address? They have a web site, but no email address? You can't go to the manufacturer for support? It's amazing.

Then they don't get my business, unfortuntately, no matter how great the bag....also, dealers are hard to find in my area, and online dealers very very few for WM.



I work at a shop that carries Western bags. I checked the dealer info sheets and there was no email listed. I am also quite sure they do not sell direct, so you will probably have to go through a dealer to get a replacement storage bag. The list price for it is $16. Check for a dealer in your neck of the woods and you might be able to avoid paying shipping costs, depending on that dealers special order policies. Also, why not just store the jacket on a wooden hanger in your closet?

[steve hiker]

Why would anyone spend 300-400 dollars for a WM bag, when they have NO email address? They have a web site, but no email address? You can't go to the manufacturer for support? It's amazing.
You can call them. And speak to a live human being. Or fax them.

Western Mountaineering
1025 South 5th St.
San Jose, CA, 95112
PH: 408•287•8944 - FAX: 408•287•8946

[bluesplayr]

at 300 dollars a bag, maybe they could invest in an 800 number.

I think the cost of the bag entitles me to be able to contact them without paying a long distance charge.

[gravityman]

Yes, that is annoying. But its a great bag, and you won't be sad you have it. If you ever have a problem, I don't think a few cents on a phone call is a big deal though.

But get another bag if this bothers you so much. Marmot is probably a good bet.

Gravity Man

[Happy]

Avoiding WM bags are like laying down during the Olympics...you win nothing!!!

[A-Train]

They actually have excellent customer service. Call them and guarantee they'll answer questions/help you out. They will do just about anything for you. Their product is worth the money.
My bag lasted me my whole thru-hike (a wet one) and is still alive and kicking well. I sleep in it many nights at home. I'll have this bag forever. Light as hell and great quality. Worth eveyr penny to me

[Happy]

Your sleeping bag is the most important piece of gear you have, and the place you should spend the most money...you will spend more time in it and it will provide you the most protection! A WM bag is the best in my eyes.

You can shop in all other areas for low cost gear that will be OK as far as being durable and functional on the trail!

[thyroid]

Merchants who sell WM bags would most likely interface with WM for you if there was a problem with your bag..




at 300 dollars a bag, maybe they could invest in an 800 number.

I think the cost of the bag entitles me to be able to contact them without paying a long distance charge.

[MedicineMan]

1. they dont need e-mail addy since they make a product so good it wont have any issues
2. I rarely use their bags anymore (and I've got four of their bags) with the exception of the Ponderosa which has gotten new life breathed into it as a pod for winter hammocking...their Flight jacket is in my pack at all times whether dayhiking or section hiking
3. I too wanted an e-mail addy to write and ask why no quilts for hammockers,since no e-mail addy I took that business to Nunatak gear which
has an email addy and awesome products as well....just recieved a pair of Nunatak down pants which weighed in at 14oz., did a test bivy last week at the cabin, threw a walmart blue pad down on the ground, put on the down pants, a WM Flight, a Nunatak down balaclava, and then a Hilleberg BivAnorak (these are all items carried on winter hikes wheter day hiking or section)...it was 11.8F with 20mpd wind with 2inches of snow on ground and snow blowing....before entering this sleep/bivy system I had Smartwool Aero tights and zip-t on....layed around an hour and never felt cold excepting the walmart blue pad which could have been thicker....all in all a great system to have on hand because of its extreme lightweight/cold temp ration....with the BivAnorak anything else handy could also add insulation, truly a brilliant piece of gear.

[enLightened One]

If all you need is a cotton storage sack....you can pick up a great replacement at the local Dollar Store. I just found one sold as a cotton laundry bag. Dimensions are 36"x24" which when measured against my REI bag is slighty bigger and has a cord lock and hanging loop; best of all they are only 2 dollars. I picked one up for my tent and may get a couple more for my other gear. If you can't locate any for yourself let me know and I will send some your way.

[StoveStomper]

WM will sell direct in a few cases.

I live in a state that does not have a WM dealer. I called WM to see about getting a bag that would zip to one of my existing bags. Because I do not have a 'local' dealer in MS,
they offered to make me one but the lead time was too far off to get to me before my trip.

Good company! I own four of their bags.

[DebW]

I just got a WM Versalite and am discovering that the excellent quality and exceptional construction of their bags may actually make me COLDER! The problem is that the bag is too wide for me in the shoulders and chest, but it is STIFF and doesn't drape around the body like other down bags I've owned. It's stiff because the baffles are stuffed so tightly with down that they hold the bag to it's full girth. Just a warning to others that fit in a WM bag is more critical than in most down bags. And I do wish they had an email addy so I could discuss this with them.

[Jumpstart]

Just my two cents: I can't say enough good things about Western Mountaineering as a bag or a company. My husband and I used the WM ultralights at the beginning of our hike, and the WM hilites at the end. I am an extremely cold sleeper and they still kept me toasty warm, stood up to numerous washings and beatings, and we still use them today. We ordered the hilites while we were on the trail, and when we were getting ready to switch over to them, WM was nice enough to ship them together in one box and forward them up ahead and mark the box "hold for AT hikers" for us, so they were waiting in Pearisburg when we arrived. As far as your entitlement for being able to contact them is concerned, I would assume that they have no email address because it is the kind of thing that they want to make sure they have "just right" for you before you drop 300-400 dollars on a bag and then start to complain about it not being "exactly what you wanted". With a real live person on the phone, all questions are cleared up before you place the order. We never had any problem dealing with them directly, but they are also considerate enough to post the name and phone numbers of all of their dealers on their website as well, and the ones we have dealt with (in NH at least) have been top notch. I'd reccommend a WM bag to anyone, long distance hiker or not.