DetachedFlake Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 This is an older Feathered Friends bag I purchased but does not suit my needs. I contacted FF about the bag, and they do not have older serial number records and could not tell me more about the bag. It is in perfect condition, and the previous owner claimed it had never been used. The model is not legible, but the rating is -20, with a two ounce overfill, left zip. It does not have a draft collar. It feels like a gore-tex fabric, but I forgot to ask FF what the P-BHAL is. P suggests pertex to me, maybe with a coating? I'll try to find out. Made with 750 fill down and the weight is 4.4 lbs. Nice bag, just not what I want. Comes with stuff sack and storage bag. Asking $400. I'm in Bellingham, and will ship at actual shipping cost, or you can pick it up. I'm on ebay as lbrwhat if you want to check my seller rating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
featheredfriends Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Here's some info on your bag. P-BHAL translates as "PTFE made by BHA, Light." BHA is the name of the textile manufacturer, this is their lightweight PTFE (i.e. teflon) laminate fabric that is functionally similar to Gore-Tex. FF used this fabric for a period of time after we moved away from Gore DryLoft and before eVent became available. From your close-up photo the fabric looks like it is in great shape. Given the information visible on the tag and our history of using this fabric, I would estimate the date of manufacture to be around 1999. From the evidence (no collar, weight, and shape of the cut in the photo) I can say with certainty that this model is the Puffin -20. It is a wide bag that unzips flat and can be connected to a fabric groundsheet to use as a 2-person sleep system. Whether or not you would want to do this in subzero temps is a different question. FF doesn't usually offer this model bag at this temperature rating, so this was almost definitely a custom order. The overfill supports this hypothesis. Here is a link to the current specs on the Puffin so you can see the dimensions: http://featheredfriends.com/Picasso/Bags/Product/SemiRectangularHood.html This bag would have sold for about $600 retail. If the close-up photo is any indication of its overall condition then it should be in great shape. Thanks for bringing your bag to the Feathered Friends Roadshow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetachedFlake Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 Awesome! Thanks very much for the info. A great help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PigBodine Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Wow, that's awesome featheredfriends. I too have a (sort of) mystery bag and wonder if you could help me sort it out. I was told that it was around the same gen as the bag above and was an Eider overstuffed to -25. I'm in Alaska and I haven't had a chance to test it out but it seems a little to "unlofty" to be a -25 to me. Here's the tag: Model: Eider Serial:70493 Collar: REM Goose Down Fill: 700+ Zip: RZ Length: Reg Shell Material: DL 828 (I assume DryLoft?) Thanks for your help and a bump for DetachedFlakes's quality FF bag! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
featheredfriends Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Please note - this account is answered by a couple of different folks...I sent this question over to Nick (who, despite no longer working for FF, still gets dragged back over to the dark side for questions such as this) and this is his reply. No question this is the older version of the Eider, which was a bit of an unusual bag. It was a -25 expedition bag designed for wide temperature ranges. It had no side block baffle but it did have the removable collar and trapezoidal baffles. The idea was to make a bag you could use on trips where the approach would be low and hot but the climb would be high and cold. Peter and I discussed this design a lot and agreed to retire it because these features added weight and complexity, and my argument was that if you are going somewhere that requires a -25 bag you need something designed for those conditions no matter what the approach is like. Plus the dimensions of this version of the Eider were slightly narrower than those of today's Ptarmigan, so the bag wasn't a great fit for big dudes or layering with clothes. That serial number is ancient. 1996? The fabric is definitely Gore DryLoft, the 828 version of it was some of the best they made and didn't delam as much as earlier versions. Peter says over time the DL laminate cracks and flakes off, so it probably won't offer the level of moisture protection it once did. Given the age of the bag I wouldn't be surprised if it had lost a good portion of its loft. Plus it's 700 fill. No bioengineered geese back then. My suggestion to the owner would be to keep using it as a winter bag. It is impossible to put a revised temp rating on the thing without seeing it, but it could be the equivalent of a zero. The cost to replace the down and restore the bag to a true -25 rating would be high enough that the dude should just get a new bag if he wants one that warm. Being aware of the absence of a side block baffle is important, as some down might have shifted over time. A wash might help. At auction this bag would probably go for $150-$200 and I would insure it for $250. (cue goofy chime sound) Cheers, Eddie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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