eddie baur bags

[misterfloyd]

Hello to all.

Sorry for so many questions.

I was not aware that Eddie Bauer made sleeping bags, or outdoor equipment at all. For the fun of it I went to thier website at found http://www.eddiebauer.com/product/ka...ear&dcolor=300

I called and tried to talk to a service rep whom I couldn't understand. They could not find an EN rating. From what I have heard this company has a good rep with outdoor equipment. I looked for other info on the web and found a few things.

Has anyone had any experience with thier bags?

Any help would be appreciated
Floyd

[Feral Bill]

Long long ago they made superb down gear. Now, who knows?

[tarditi]

As Feral Bill stated - they had a good reputation for some gear, back when the market was less crowded.
Now they seem to focus on fashion aimed at the "look like you go outdoors" crowd.

[CalebJ]

I was hopeful when they created the First Ascent line that they were going to get back to offering some high end pieces, but that doesn't seem to have been very successful. You're better off elsewhere.

[Gambit McCrae]

I was hopeful when they created the First Ascent line that they were going to get back to offering some high end pieces, but that doesn't seem to have been very successful. You're better off elsewhere.

Guys I have to say i am going on 2 years of heavy, everyday use with my first ascent down jacket and I am VERY happy with it. It compresses well yet lofts quickly, its light, and keeps me warm down to about 20 deg or so. less then 20 degrees I go to my outdoor research mega down with hood and down beanie. But yes I am a fan of the one product I have tried of theirs.

[10-K]

Guys I have to say i am going on 2 years of heavy, everyday use with my first ascent down jacket and I am VERY happy with it. It compresses well yet lofts quickly, its light, and keeps me warm down to about 20 deg or so. less then 20 degrees I go to my outdoor research mega down with hood and down beanie. But yes I am a fan of the one product I have tried of theirs.

I have a First Ascent down sweater and really like it as well.

[Tuckahoe]

So does anyone actually have real experience with the referenced product, or are we just spouting internet opinion in which it's the cool thing to poopoo the evil big companies because they're not the flavor of the week?

If I listened to the internet mantra I wouldn't buy Eddie Bauer. If I listened to real experience, I would by my Eddie Bauer Rippac rain jacket again and again.

[Venchka]

In the beginning...
Eddie Bauer earned their reputation for serious outdoor clothing and gear. They supplied most of the high altitude clothing and bags for the 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition.
Then they made a wrong turn somewhere.

http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm...m&file_id=1671

Years ago (in the 80's as I recall) Mrs. Wayne and I bought a pair of Eddie Bauer Gore-Tex classic hooded mountain parkas at an Eddie Bauer store at a mall in New Orleans. They are still performing like new today. I have no idea what their products are like today.

Wayne

[Venchka]

Tuckahoe64,

We have 4 happy customers so far.

Wayne

[Venchka]

One nice thing about Big Box chains-they discount heavily on a seasonal basis. Right now all of the leftover gear from the spring is deeply discounted.
The bags are clearly EN rated. Look at the photos. Alas, like far too many companies today, the marketing speak omits actual facts. Fill weight, loft and girth dimensions are missing. Too bad for the consumer.

More info from Google...

http://backcountryskiingcanada.com/i...ing-Bag-Review

Synthetic bag:

http://www.backpacker.com/fall-winte...bag/gear/16900

More on down:

http://expeditionportal.com/gear-sco...-karakoram-20/

http://www.climbing.com/gear/sound-sleepers/

Wayne

[Gambit McCrae]

So does anyone actually have real experience with the referenced product, or are we just spouting internet opinion in which it's the cool thing to poopoo the evil big companies because they're not the flavor of the week?

If I listened to the internet mantra I wouldn't buy Eddie Bauer. If I listened to real experience, I would by my Eddie Bauer Rippac rain jacket again and again.

Not really sure where this comment is coming from, I as well as 10-K are explaining our real world use and applications of the product however, doing a quit lookup of the airbender sleeping bag on their website i found:

Cosmetics: I like the way it looks
Weight: 3 pounds 1 oz 3 pounds 5 oz for the long
Compactability:looks huge
Down fill: 850, not the best not the worst
Price: Pricey after reflecting my above observations

For me personally The sleeping bag that I chose to lookup would be a no go for me just due to the lack of compactability. it looks like the size of compressed bag you would get at walmart and wouldnt even fit into my pack.

And for the price of the 20 deg bag i could get any Montbell bag I wanted

[CalebJ]

My experience is with the Rippac compressible pack. Between my wife and I we've owned three of them and two fell apart within a few months of use. As to the newer First Ascent products, they didn't impress me as being particularly competitive with the top end products already on the market. If you can get them at a reduced price they're probably a great value, but not at the list prices.

[Tuckahoe]

Not really sure where this comment is coming from, I as well as 10-K are explaining our real world use and applications of the product however, doing a quit lookup of the airbender sleeping bag on their website i found:

Cosmetics: I like the way it looks
Weight: 3 pounds 1 oz 3 pounds 5 oz for the long
Compactability:looks huge
Down fill: 850, not the best not the worst
Price: Pricey after reflecting my above observations

For me personally The sleeping bag that I chose to lookup would be a no go for me just due to the lack of compactability. it looks like the size of compressed bag you would get at walmart and wouldnt even fit into my pack.

And for the price of the 20 deg bag i could get any Montbell bag I wanted

Gambit, it's pretty simple really in that misterfloyd posted an inquiry about a specific product seeking any actual user experience. However, the responces to the question were not about actual experiences with the specific sleeping bag (exampled by first couple posts) but general opinions about EB.

Of course I also had to go and pollute the thread as well with my opinion and not answer the question...

[Gambit McCrae]

Gambit, it's pretty simple really in that misterfloyd posted an inquiry about a specific product seeking any actual user experience. However, the responces to the question were not about actual experiences with the specific sleeping bag (exampled by first couple posts) but general opinions about EB.

Of course I also had to go and pollute the thread as well with my opinion a d not answer the question...

I believe in most cases, one product quality can reflect the quality or experience anticipated with another product, therefore My response was with the experience I did have with the company, not the product. I would also like to add that their customer support in my past non camping related items was not so great.

[misterfloyd]

Hey guys thanks for the replies.

I'm aware of the companies rep as a supplier in the original Mt. Everest ascent.

I'm also aware that the company was founded as an outfitter for adventure.

I'm also aware of the company going to the crapper, as an outfitter, in the 80's and 90s's.

I have looked for specific information regarding their equipment, and have heard positive things regarding their down jackets and adventure clothing. I will call that to not confuse it with their mall muck that they sell.

Looking at the bag it has all the materials of what you would want for a good winter down bag. As I mentioned, I did call their customer service and tried to speak to a rep, who was not to helpful. Asked the En rating and their is none. Blew up the pic on the website and still did not have a clear view. I did learn the fill is 22oz. Did learn their return policy is pretty straight forward: you don't like it after using it, send it back as long as you have a receipt.

I hear people say you can do better. I have looked at Marmot, Western mountaineering, Mountain hardwear, F.F. Friends, quilts, REI. I must be missing something but I have looked at all the usual suspects, and cannot do better price wise, if that is what you mean by "doing Better". Do you mean quality wise?

I get quality does not come cheap, and I'm looking to make a purchase that will last years. I take very good care of equipment, but I do use it often as possible.

Fall is coming, I'm still saving money, I'm going hiking, for me it is the best time to go. Time is running out. What I have at the moment is a cosmic 0 bag, and a marmot aspen 40 bag. I bought my son a NF cats meow for boy scouts (he has to earn better) I may use this as I solo and man up, when I go with the Boy scouts with the kelty.

Just a thought, what would you think if the name was different with the same specs?

Again I appreciate all of the help. I have been asking a lot of questions lately.

Best,
Floyd

[10-K]

Buy it and if you don't like it, send it back.

I made a comment yesterday to someone agonizing over a piece of gear that is applicable here - at some point you're going to be comparing gear that is more or less functionally equivalent. At that point whatever manufacturer you decide to buy from isn't going to make or break your hike.

Mont Bell 30* bag
Western Mountaineering 30* bag
Mountain Hardware 30* bag
Feathered Friends 30* bag

Regardless of which one of those you pick when you're out on the trail you won't end your hike early because you bought the wrong bag.

[rickb]

Eddie Baur is growing on me. I have a high-end rain jacket from the, them that weighs about 10 ounces, that seems as good as it gets-- but what I really like are their high-tech cotton T shirts.

After wearing the same (literally) duo fold shirts for 20 plus years, I now feel like I am as well dressed as Tom Brady.

As for sleeping bags, I have often wondered how many of the better brands are actually sewn in the same factories.

[Tuckahoe]

Not really sure where this comment is coming from, I as well as 10-K are explaining our real world use and applications of the product however, doing a quit lookup of the airbender sleeping bag on their website i found:

Cosmetics: I like the way it looks
Weight: 3 pounds 1 oz 3 pounds 5 oz for the long
Compactability:looks huge
Down fill: 850, not the best not the worst
Price: Pricey after reflecting my above observations

For me personally The sleeping bag that I chose to lookup would be a no go for me just due to the lack of compactability. it looks like the size of compressed bag you would get at walmart and wouldnt even fit into my pack.

And for the price of the 20 deg bag i could get any Montbell bag I wanted

First off, 850 fill goose down is not the best? How much better can you really get especially considering that 550 to 750 is pretty standard on commercial bags. There so few that go beyond 850 fill, and remain affordable for most folks.

As for EB's Airbender, Wow! Did you really read what kinda bag that was for those 49oz?

850 hydrophobic down (which before treatment, I bet was 900 fill power)
Bottom insulation of Climashield HL synthetic
Integrated inflatable sleeping pad.

Not bad really... But, it is way too much of a bag for me.

The original link posted by misterfloyd was for the Karakoram -- http://www.eddiebauer.com/product/ka...ear&dcolor=300

I wish that EB provided a bit more information so that customers could make a better informed decision. But after reading and comparing bags, my personal opinion is that the Karakoram probably would preform similarly to a bag like the Marmot Plasma 15 - http://www.rei.com/product/864086/ma...5-sleeping-bag

The Plasma 15 is 31 ounces to the Karakoram's 36 ounces. The Plasma has 18oz of 875 fill while the Karakoram has 22oz of 850 down. The Plasma regular is 72 in long and a shoulder girth of 60, while the Karakoram regular is 84"x33" (It would appear to me that the fill weight difference comes from the extra length and width of the Karakoram). The Plasma is $539 and the Karakoram is currently $239.

It sould seem to me that the Karakoram would be a fairly decent bag. Of course that is just my opinion without having actually used the bag.

[misterfloyd]

I ordered the EB 0 degree bag, and just received it yesterday I like to sleep warm, and I would like to be at 20 degree or 0 if there is a cold snap.

My criteria in getting a new bag is as follows
0-20 degrees
good construction
prefer a higher down loft
light weight
good compression
If I'm going to drop the dollars, I want this to be a good 10 year investment. I take care of my equipment.

Here is the tale of the tape between the EB 0 degree Karakorum and my Kelty cosmic 0 bag.

EB bag with compression sack: 3 pounds a little more weight than what was advertised
Kelty w/ sea to summit compression bag: 3lbs, 15oz

Compressability: Both down to the same length and circumference in a compression sack.

Loft: close to the same. Did not take out the tape measure but used the old eyeball.

Construction: The EB bag's construction is very good. No loose threads, all the seams seem to be sewn very well. I did notice a few down feathers about.

Other observations regarding the EB bag: The outer zipper is finicky, I wish I could find a zipper that is smooth. The hood is wonderful. The draw chords are finicky as well, or maybe I just need to get used to them. In a zero bag I like to sinch the hood and chest baffle down to a small hole, enough for my nose is good I wish the inside chest baffle was bigger to seal out the air. Plenty of room across the chest and the toe box is able to have toes up without any restrictions. It doesn't take very long for it to warm up. Well I keep in mind it is in the air conditioned house.

All of the observations are fine but it needs to be taken outside and brought down to some cold temps. I will see where the rubber meets the road. Maybe I'm being too hard on this but, the only advantage I really see at the moment is a one pound difference between a 850 fill bag, and a budget 550 fill Cosmic 0. mmmmmmm.....

I live in NC so it will take a while until we get cold weather. It still is in the 90's on a regular basis.
I will take it with me when I do a planned section near Roan MTN to Erwin in Oct. I don't know what the weather is up there this time of year so that is the plan. I assume cold. May find attributes that are not apparent at the moment.

EB has a life long return policy. I will see how it works

If anyone has any helpful comments please fire away. This is truly a learning experience
Best,
Floyd