Bushwalk Australia

Hi all,

I need a new bag and, as I'm a wuss (get cold at night easily ) I want max warmth for weight. I know this will be expensive so I dont want to shell out the hard-earned to find I've bought a dud. Does any-one use One-planet bags and what are they like? Considering this brand as they are Aussie made and will custom build for my extra length - opinions welcomed

Cheers

nakedape

There's been a lot of discussion on Sleeping Bags.

Wiki Article Sleeping Bag Selection

Forum Topic Sleeping Bags

That should give you a bit of reading matter Search is good to, as Sleeping Bags often come up in discussion of other topics...

how do you define aussie made?

I think One Planet bags qualify for the excellent, informative and useful statement of "made from Australian and Imported Ingredients".

wander wrote:I think One Planet bags qualify for the excellent, informative and useful statement of "made from Australian and Imported Ingredients".

crystal clear. are the sleeping shells sewn is Aus?
regardless...the bags are good quality, so you will get a good product I'm sure.

Hi

I have two One Planet sleeping bags. The Mummy now called I think Winter-lite and the semi rectangular Bush-lite. Both are in the condensation shedding Epic fabric. I also have two Western Mountaineering bags that I got in the 6'6" length as the One Planet max out at around a 6'2" person and I am 6'3.5". Quality wise and best estimate of temperature rating I would say both the WM and OP are on the money. On quality both brands make great bags with OP being heavy but feeling a bit more solid in construction but strangely packs up smaller Sizing is an important and often missing number from many brands specifications. OP bags are a lot wider than many USA designed sleeping bags so the magic weight saving quoted by a few can come at the cost of a very narrow bag. Even within the OP range the ultra-light bags are narrower than their more traditional bags. For example OP 90cm Bush-lite, OP 88cm Winter-lite. WM badger 85cm (the widest fitting WM make) and 80cm for the WM Versa-lite. Some brands are even narrower which is fine if you are a stick insect or like being a sung as a bug. If you are a mammal longing for the wide open spaces then even a 85cm bag is cramped with 88cm is just there and 90cm more what you might have been used to as a kid with room in a sleeping bag. The USA companies are rather stingy especially in the size of the foot box.

If you are under 6'2" then OP are a great bag and well worth the cost. OP customer service is second to none and yes their staff actually use their bags Bit like WM approach with the designers building what they want not a bag meeting some "marketing" specification. It was my length and chasing a lighter bag that swapped me over to WM but I still use my OP and lend them to friends and they love them. WM range is fantastic and worthwhile visiting their site as they only do down filled products but be-aware that the Aussie distributors import only a limited range and must be related to the Merchant of Venice. Direct imports of WM is becoming harder with some major USA mail order houses not shipping them to Australia. Hence, OP might be a better choice.

PS Blacksheep is Macpac and they also sell sleeping bags and with some luck you might find correct sizes on their specifications

Cheers Brett

yes, we (macpac) do sell a few sleeping bags...have done for 30+ years
600, 700 and 800 loft down, we invented the half bag, invented the radial baffle system, supply upper end bags with a seam taped roll top storage sac, are bags are sold in NZ, AU, UK, all across the EU, USA, Japan, HK and unlike some brands, we test all the bags the EN standards so our temp ratings are reliable. (if you buy before Sunday you'll get some great savings too)

I'd look into montbell's ultralight super stretch system of bags. You'll have to import one from the US, but oh boy are they enticing!

i do believe OP bags are sewn in china. the materials come from aus and the bags are filled in aus, but the shell is sewn OS

Macca81 wrote:i do believe OP bags are sewn in china. the materials come from aus and the bags are filled in aus, but the shell is sewn OS

the material come from AUS? no. no taffeta made in Aus.

Drifting wrote:I'd look into montbell's ultralight super stretch system of bags. You'll have to import one from the US, but oh boy are they enticing!

No, you could also buy them in from NZ - http://www.iclimb.co.nz/aussleepingbags.htm as I have recently done ! Very, very happy with my #2 spiral.

and, in edit, great service, positive vibes and an offer of return if needed (which wasn't).

One Planet make great bags - I've always used them. Their new(ish) light weight range is worth looking at (the Zephyr and Cocoon).

However, you mentioned customisation for your extra length? I'm pretty sure that they do not actually do this. I think the only customisation they actually do is to add more down fill if you request it. I'd love to be proven wrong though!

Son of a Beach wrote:One Planet make great bags - I've always used them. Their new(ish) light weight range is worth looking at (the Zephyr and Cocoon).

However, you mentioned customisation for your extra length? I'm pretty sure that they do not actually do this. I think the only customisation they actually do is to add more down fill if you request it. I'd love to be proven wrong though!

Can confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt OP do not produce custom length (hence heading for WM bags) but there is an option to get a zip in girth extender for some bags.

Cheers Brett

Hi all,

Cheers for the input. It does seem odd that when looking at a OP bag in the Scout Outdoor shop (in adelaide) the store guy was adamant that OP could make a longer bag for me - may have to contact OP directly.

PS - cant bring myself to buy macpac anything regardless of quality, simply cause they laid off their NZ manufacturing staff in favour of quick profits

nakedape

nakedape wrote:Hi all,

Cheers for the input. It does seem odd that when looking at a OP bag in the Scout Outdoor shop (in adelaide) the store guy was adamant that OP could make a longer bag for me - may have to contact OP directly.

nakedape

I can confirm that One Planet is very receptive to customer enquiries. When I was researching the down ratings, I made contact with them and they were only too happy to reply to me in detail. I think they even logged onto the forum and answered some questions on the sleeping bag thread here directly.

Michael

nakedape wrote:Hi all,

Cheers for the input. It does seem odd that when looking at a OP bag in the Scout Outdoor shop (in adelaide) the store guy was adamant that OP could make a longer bag for me - may have to contact OP directly.

PS - cant bring myself to buy macpac anything regardless of quality, simply cause they laid off their NZ manufacturing staff in favour of quick profits

nakedape

At 6'3.5" I launched a mini one man campaign with OP for a longer bag but in true OP style I was informed that there was insufficient market mass for my mass However, if enough people asked them they would revisit the issue. So please send them an email as some where down the line a longer bag might appear, especially in the Cocoon series which is a world class light weight bag else check out Western Mountaineering as I did.

As for Macpac I personally agree with your philosophy but the proviso must be a willingness to pay for the higher cost of local manufacturing, something I am prepare to do but if insufficient people are willing to do likewise then manufacturers are forced to become marketers sourcing from China to stay in business. I have long experienced a drop in quality when products move off shore but one thing for certain is the marketers of the brand name do not accept this and nothing I can say nor write will change their mind. Could not help but notice many years ago Macpac packs in shops suddenly got a price premium if a pack was labelled as last of NZ made stock so at least in that market the shop owners saw merit in NZ manufacture over Chinese production. I brought a Chinese made pack from Macpac but that is another story Another good example is the Leatherman and other tools. Brand names swear blind that everything is the same but on Ebay models identified as USA made go for significantly higher prices so maybe there is something that people using them see as been better. With Sidchrome most mechanics I know now buy Repco spanners as they believe they are made in the same off shore factory and are cheaper or haunt Ebay for the Australian made spanners or buy USA made brands. At Agfest had an interesting talk with the Sidchrome factory representative when I placed three brands of shifter in front of him and asked if they were made in the same factory I took pity on him when he pointed out I was the tenth person to do that to him that day and it was not a good idea by the local retailer to have their complete range of brands in the same tent he was working. He at least bettered the price of the lowest cost shifter I was after

Cheers Brett

nakedape wrote:Hi all,

Cheers for the input. It does seem odd that when looking at a OP bag in the Scout Outdoor shop (in adelaide) the store guy was adamant that OP could make a longer bag for me - may have to contact OP directly.

PS - cant bring myself to buy macpac anything regardless of quality, simply cause they laid off their NZ manufacturing staff in favour of quick profits

nakedape

we employ a lot more staff than one planet, thats for sure- probably 20 times more employed with us. That being said, Bruce moved production off shore 6 years ago for more reasons than profit alone- capacity and capability are clear benefits of using the factories he selected also.

nakedape wrote:Hi all,

Cheers for the input. It does seem odd that when looking at a OP bag in the Scout Outdoor shop (in adelaide) the store guy was adamant that OP could make a longer bag for me - may have to contact OP directly.

PS - cant bring myself to buy macpac anything regardless of quality, simply cause they laid off their NZ manufacturing staff in favour of quick profits

nakedape

Welcome to a global economy where 90% of outdoor good are made in Asia. STS, MD's, WE, MP and heaps more.
Not sure if you have realized that OP bags are stitched up in China but then filled with down in Aust. Food for thought?

I spoke with a One Planet retailer last weekend. One Planet do not do a custom longer bag but do make a long version of the bag that is generally order in as opposed to on the shelf. You can customise other stuff like what and how much down.

So there is a longer One Planet sleep bag option available.

wander wrote:I spoke with a One Planet retailer last weekend. One Planet do not do a custom longer bag but do make a long version of the bag that is generally order in as opposed to on the shelf. You can customise other stuff like what and how much down.

So there is a longer One Planet sleep bag option available.

Unless things have changed it is short and less short in the Semi rectangle style plus I think now in the mummy style. I have what I believe is the long mummy along with a long semi rectangle and if you are past 6'2" suggest you might need a long one. One Planet do do custom fill levels plus happy to replenish down. My semi rectangle I think is 188 long while the standard is 177cm but may will be wrong. I would be more than happy to be wrong as well.

Cheers Brett

nakedape wrote:Hi all,

I need a new bag and, as I'm a wuss (get cold at night easily ) I want max warmth for weight. I know this will be expensive so I dont want to shell out the hard-earned to find I've bought a dud. Does any-one use One-planet bags and what are they like? Considering this brand as they are Aussie made and will custom build for my extra length - opinions welcomed

Cheers

nakedape

I bought a One Planet Cocoon 500 a few years back - and have been very happy with it. It is a light weight bag (about 830 gms) and very compact when packed - but toasty warm with really good down. I think it compares quite well to my friend's Western Mountaineering bags. I like the radial top baffles of the Cocoon. I bought it to replace an ageing Macpac Chrysalis - which was a good bag in its day - which also has radial baffles. But the Cocoon is much lighter and possibly warmer (with less but better down)

Dave

Hello.
In no particular order, I believe I have covered most of the points. I hope it helps.
Our down Sleeping bags are made in Australia from imported and local component. To claim a product is made in Australia we require a minimum of 50% Australian content. Up until about 12 months ago all our catalogued down bags were over 50%. Depending upon what the USD is doing and the amount of fill in the model we are just over or just under 50% Australian content. Therefore our claim of Made in Australia from imported and local content is the correct labeling.
The shells are sewn in China we Fill, finish and QC in Australia. We would like to complete the whole process in Australia; however with sleeping bags there are no methods to mechanize the sewing process. Not like pack production.
I will clarify in more detail on web and catalogue with the next updates.

Temp Ratings.
We rate our sleeping bags in accordance with EN 13537.
We have had a cross section of our range tested and reasonably draw conclusions to fill the gaps.
We do not believe we can make the claim we have tested to EN 13537 as we have not tested every model and size and fill. When Black Sheep claim "we test all the bags the EN standards so our temp ratings are reliable", does this mean all models, or all models, sizes and fill . eg Latitude 700 comes in a Women's, Regular and Large in both taffeta and WP/Breathable fabric, this equates to 6 different shells and 3 different fills weights, are they all tested or just 1?

Pls refer to the following link: http://www.europeanoutdoorgroup.com/dow ... n%2005.pdf
On page 4 there is a relevant paragraph:
If the label says – “temperature tested to EN 13537”, this means that the manufacturer has had the thermal manikin tests done on this sleeping bag to EN 13537 but may not have completed all of the fabric tests according to the European test system. They may, however, have tested the fabrics and insulation to other standards – e.g. ISO or ASTM.

If the label says – “temperature rating in accordance with EN 13537”, or similar, this means that the manufacturer has calculated the temperature values for this sleeping bag. Many manufacturers have tested a small number of sleeping bags and calculated the results for other products in their collections.

Staff
We have 35 people employed in our Melbourne Factory and we are very fortunate to have approximately 85 (Australian and New Zealand) independent retailers supporting us who also employ many staff. (20 times this is an awful lot of staff!)

Bag size:
All our down sleeping bags (except the Robinhoodless) come in a large size and this should fit a person up to 194cm, Regular 186cm. The Winterlite is a little longer and will fit 199cm
I will clarify this a little better in our next catalogue and web updates.
I would be happy to run through the options with Nakedape , and if not completely happy with the outcome, I would be happy to adjust the fill or just credit the bag
We have just received a small quantity of 860 loft goose down, this in a Cocoon or a Zephyr would be a nice bag.

Regards
Andrew King

My 2 layer Gortex shell Dandelion was one of the first bags made by One Planet when the company changed their name from J&H. This was before the days of Gore Dry-loft etc and after getting wet in a polyester outer down bag I was basically looking for a survival rated bag. I payed as much for that bag as you would nowadays for one with a lighter water repellent outer. Still, One Planet delivered; it is an incredible piece of workmanship and I do not regret paying that bit extra.

More recently I have purchased a couple of One Planet backpacks and the workmanship has again been A-grade. Likewise, after nearly 20 years of near faultless service, I only just replaced my old J&H Cane Toad Gortex jacket last year .

In any case, no matter what company you decide to buy a bag from, make sure you get the particular bag with the features and rating you personally require.

I have a OP Cocoon 500 which I am reasonably happy with. It is lightweight & compact. I have on the odd occasions experienced it lacking in both extremes but to be fair when it was very cold, so was I getting in. When it was very hot & there was condensation on top, it dried very quickly in the open as it was only superficial.
I think the OP Zephyr has a zip opening at the foot which makes it a much more versatile bag & strongly worth considering over the Cocoon.
lyndoor

As for buying local- I support it in concept, but the reality is that we live in a global marketplace. You buy an American orange here when it's not the Aussie season, and an Aussie orange there when it's not the season up there. The way of the World. Buy the best product.

Drifting wrote:As for buying local- I support it in concept, but the reality is that we live in a global marketplace. You buy an American orange here when it's not the Aussie season, and an Aussie orange there when it's not the season up there. The way of the World. Buy the best product.

Fully agree so I have both OP and Western Mountaineering bags and both have superb quality but do be aware that USA bags tend to be narrower, especially in the foot box. I also agree wholeheartedly with Lyndoor re foot ventilation. Unless you can afford different bags for different seasons a foot zip or the ability to use a bag as a Donna makes great sense, trouble is the lighter, warmer, bags in the mummy style generally do not have this feature so you are forced into a rectangular or semi rectangular bag. This is a dysfunctional effect of chasing the lowest weight, you can lose versatility.

Cheers Brett

Cheers all for the input , especially OP contribution. As it happens I spoke to Keith in Snowgum, Hobart who made inquiries direct to OP on my behalf the result being that I am almost 100% sure what i need (or is that want?). Cheers again

I'm a Marmot fan but one of the best bags iv'e seen was from Sierra Designs... Polyester shell (no feathers escape) generous cut, separate footbox zip and great value! If only Aussie gear was better value. I understand that the market is nowhere near as big but another way to look at it is that local 'manufacturers' are just some of the smallest fish in a huge bowl. I would suggest that this is how they need to look at things also (especially with sleeping bags and things that dont really need to be specialised for Oz conditions).

I like OP designs, used their bags for several years. In the end just couldn't justify paying 2/3 X as much as sometyhing delivered to the door... sad reality for them?, sooo convenient for most!