featheredfriends Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 After months of development and reworking the design, Feathered Friends is pleased to announce the latest addition to our nest: the Spoonbill. This bag is the first and only one of its kind, and is the first new design we have come out with since the Vireo. The Spoonbill is a two-person ultralight alpine bag for climbers/hikers who place a high importance on weight savings and efficiency. Colin Haley came to us with an idea for this bag that he wanted to take to Alaska and Pakistan, and together we came up with the design. The version that we made for Colin is rated to zero degrees and weighs 2lb 11oz, or 1oz less than our lightest zero-degree mummy bag. The production version will be rated to +20 for use in the lower 48 and the weight will be closer to 2lb 4oz, which is in the neighborhood of most +20 mummies. Features of the Spoonbill include - one piece fabric floor: you cut your foam pads to fit inside, which leads to further weight savings because you are only carrying 1.5 pads between 2 people. - two hoods permanently attached, with drawcords. - contoured 3D collar: full width coverage with a uvula that seals the space between the occupants' shoulders. This snaps to the floor to stay in place. - unique baffle construction: the Spoonbill uses a slant-box baffle construction with vertical side baffles. This creates a rectangular cross section resulting in more efficient insulation on the sides of the bag. - efficient fit: there is just enough room inside the bag for two medium build climbers to sleep side by side on their backs. - drawcord across top opening. Each occupant gets their own drawcord to adjust his/her side of the bag. Colin and Jed are taking the Spoonbill to Denali on June 1, so it will be going away then. If you want to stop by and check the bag out before then, hurry on down to see it in person. We will be taking orders in a batch to do a single production run on this bag. If you live far away and can't visit the shop to see the bag for yourself, I will be posting photos here in the next day or two. Check back. The question you have been waiting to ask: how much will it cost? We haven't determined an exact price yet, but the 20-degree production version will be less than the price of two lightweight mummies. Probably between $570 and $620. If you are interested in ordering one of these bags, please email retail@featheredfriends.com We are starting a list of customers so we can make a gaggle of Spoonbills in one production run. It is a fairly complex bag, as you will see, so we're not too keen on making it on a one-off custom basis. We will probably stock a few of these in the store, but we don't expect to sell a flock of them. Begin flurry of commentary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenderfour Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 I wouldn't call it a "Uvula" if two guys are sharing one bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snide Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Post deleted by Snide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbb Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 way to go guys. This is the kind of high quality innovation that comes from continued support of local/smaller businesses. The bag looks so sweet. cutting down foam pads is such a great idea and the hoods are exactly what you'd want. I think you guys should really consider building a single-person version. just chop the exact same design in half. while the double definitely saves weight for two people overall, a single version would still be significantly warmer and lighter than any "regular" bag for the weight. it may have wider market appeal too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpinfox Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 I wouldn't call it a "Uvula" if two guys are sharing one bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericb Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Is it similar to your other bags with different shell fabrics to choose from and different price for pertex - dryloft? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterboo Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 What if /Colin or Jed wakes up with a BEMHO? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
featheredfriends Posted May 23, 2007 Author Share Posted May 23, 2007 I wouldn't call it a "Uvula" if two guys are sharing one bag. Okay, point taken, but anatomically it is a more accurate analogy than the tonsil. I guess we could use that other technical term, the thingamajig. Ideas for new descriptions of the "uvula" collar are welcome! Dave, thanks for the recommendation for the one-person version. I'll run it by the folks at the factory. My first thought is that for one person a Vireo still gives you the most efficiency. We have offered a one-person floorless bag in the past (called the Great Auk, a more fitting name was never given), but it was designed more as an overbag and weighed about two pounds. A slimmed-down Great Auk style bag a la Spoonbill For One could be significantly lighter. Keep the great feedback coming, folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
featheredfriends Posted May 23, 2007 Author Share Posted May 23, 2007 Is it similar to your other bags with different shell fabrics to choose from and different price for pertex - dryloft? Eric, the fabric on this bag is made by Schoeller, and is a NanoSphere 1.0oz/yd ripstop nylon with better water resistance than Epic. Because of the weight savings and performance of this fabric we are going to make it the standard issue on the Spoonbill. Right now we are not planning on offering this bag in the full variety of fabrics we use, mainly because everything else is heavier and we are standardizing the product line a bit. Some of the staff here have been using the Nano fabric for about a year, and it does really well for water protection. We don't list it on the website yet, but if you walk into the store you can buy a +20 or +30 bag made with this fabric. When our new website is launched (within the next few weeks) this fabric will be offered as standard on many of our lighter bags. Right now the Nano only comes in a light green color, so this bag looks a bit like a steamrolled Kermit the Frog, but we will be getting some dark blue in a couple months. I don't have my camera USB cable in the office today, so photos will have to wait for a day or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
featheredfriends Posted May 25, 2007 Author Share Posted May 25, 2007 Three photos of the new Spoonbill. A little explanation. The first picture shows the bag with Colin and my homey Brent inside. Aren't they a cute couple? This photo offers a great view of the vertical side baffles I mentioned. You can see how the bag keeps a rectangular cross section even with two people inside. The second picture shows the top of the bag with a view of the much talked about collar. The third picture shows the bottom of the bag with two foam pads cut to fit inside. One pad is set at an angle, the other is cut to fit the rest of the space. Note that there are a total of about 1.5 pads that are needed for both people. Maybe a little less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 Seems like an excellent platform for the much vaunted "homo-cuddle" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericb Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 Seems like an excellent platform for the much vaunted "homo-cuddle" Along those lines, have you considered rotating the hood openings at a 90 degree orientation to the sleeping pads for just such an application? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EWolfe Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 Mikey, we gotta get one of these for our next aline bivvy! baa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spotly Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 Planned spooning....I just can't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TREETOAD Posted May 30, 2007 Share Posted May 30, 2007 How about one that goes head to toes, would be narrower, lighter, would allow warming foot rubs, and prevent unwanted advances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScaredSilly Posted May 30, 2007 Share Posted May 30, 2007 I agree with the head to toe version. Shoulder to shoulder sucks in a small tent like a Bibler I tent - at that point you totally lose the advantage of having two doors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codhands Posted May 30, 2007 Share Posted May 30, 2007 Head to toe to facilitate those with a toe sucking fetish yummmmmm! Wait GROSSS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
featheredfriends Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 How about one that goes head to toes, would be narrower, lighter, would allow warming foot rubs, and prevent unwanted advances. We definitely considered this design approach, but concluded it would limit the versatility of the bag. In a situation where you have to bivy on a ledge too narrow for the bag, two people can still sit up inside the bag in the head-to-head configuration. Going head-to-toe would be impossible if you had to hang your feet off a ledge. As it is, the Spoonbill fits very neatly inside a Bibler I-Tent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hydroman Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Is there any way to get a partial zipper on one or both sides of this bag or does the design make it impossible? I’d like to order one but am concerned about the ventilation issue. I like the shared heat principle but I’ve had issues sharing bags with serious overheating when there is no way to get some ventilation in the bag. The ounce or so that a couple quarter zips adds seems well worth it. Not to mention making it easier to enter and exit without totally upsetting your partner. Any thoughts on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 How about one that goes head to toes, would be narrower, lighter, would allow ...... Would this not be the much discussed, employed and enjoyed 69 model? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TREETOAD Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 It could be called the YingYang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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