travelpak

Some of the best sleeping bags out there aren't the best known. Snugpak's an example of that -- this English
company is one of the last manufacturers of sleeping bags in Europe, where as in the U.S. production is inexorably
shifting to cheaper labor markets. Snugpak makes bags for the military market (official and unofficial) as well as the
recreational traveler, using modern materials other companies haven't even thought of yet. OutinStyle markets the full
line and sells through Amazon. Still, you may not have heard of Snugpak or it's products.

Take the Snugpak Travelpak Lite -- a bag which weighs an ounce less than the Mountain Hardware Ultralamina sold
at REI, rated for the same temperature ranges and using the same class of synthetic insulation. The Ultralamina usually
sells for $190.00; the Travelpak Lite prices out at about $90. Let's compare the two and see what you get:

Ultralamina and Travelpak offer the same basic features -- same insulation type, same weight, same temperature range.
Travelpak doesn't stop at that. With Snugpak's Travelpak Lite you get a breathable inner lining which wicks away body
moisture and doesn't have that sticky nylon feeling. Travelpak's lining of Paratex even has antibacterial properties which
prevent the build-up of body odors and keep the bag smelling fresh. That reduces laundering needs, and if you cut down
on the number of times you wash the bag you've eliminated much of the wear and tear -- the bag lasts longer.

Both bags fit the same people -- large ones -- and compress well. Ultralamina reduces to a stuff sack size of 6 1/2 inches
by 12 inches. That's not bad. Travelpak beats it by about 50 percent, compressing to 5 inches by 6 inches. Actually
Snugpak says it packs a little smaller than that but I'm leaving out the fractions. That's a huge difference when it comes to
packing gear.

Warm weather camping often means the opportunity to sleep in the open -- and that means bugs. With the UltraLamina
you'll need something extra, like a tent or a mosquito net. With the Travelpak the mosquito net is built-in.

So what's the catch? There isn't any catch. Snugpak makes great sleeping bags and they're reasonably priced. You can
find the Travelpak Lite at Amazon and at OutinStyle.

More on sleeping bags at my Sleeping Gear section and The Marked Tree.

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