Stupid Sleeping Bag Ruined the Trip

“Okay, so I drive 130 miles to get to the trailhead in the Catskills for a trip some of the NE clan had planned. I was the only one there tonight, as the rest are due to arrive later Saturday morning. I wanted to get in another bag night and catch some of the super cold below zero temps..

So, I set up camp and crawl into my REI Down Time bag, and zip it up and the zipper gets caught really bad. I'm trying to get it loose for more than half an hour and the zipper breaks and becomes undone.

Bag ruined, trip ruined.

I know REI will fix it or replace it, but it really sucked to have to drive all the way back tonight and cancel the trip.

It's a good thing my car was nearby, if I had been miles into the trail, that could potentially have been life threatening given the temperatures.”

“Dude that sux. i would have benn pissed off.”

“So....what do you think of REI products? was the bag okay otherwise?”

“Ya, you have to be careful with those zippers. If it just hints of getting snagged you need to stop and try to correct it.

Usually bags have a zipper at both ends. Did yours?

Could you have duct taped the draft tube most of the way and been able to squeeze in the end? And maybe that in conjunction with an emergency blanket, been able to continue......Just thinking out loud.

I'm sorry it ruined your weekend.”

“Man, that sucks. Sorry to hear it ruined your trip.”

“Man, that does suck!”

“Atleast your not telling us a story about "frank n' beans" getting caught in your sleeping bag zipper....

Look on the bright side...
It could of been much worse!!!”

“sorry you had to bail!

glad you made the right decision”

“Bummer. Sorry.”

“Thanks all. Sorry, I just needed to vent.

Jello - REI has an outstanding reputation, but I have to admit, from the get-go I had some reservations about that bag. It's reeeeeeeeally easy for the zipper to get caught, more than any other sleeping bag I've owned. However, this is my first down-filled bag, so I'm not sure if all down bags are that way, since they're so poofy. It seems like it wouldn't be that hard to manufacture it so that the down is sewed down near the zipper, but then I'd imagine you could have a draft near the zipper. Still, it just always seemed way to easy to get the zipper caught very badly, and that's what ended up happening.

ltwtbkpkr - I was thinking of that during the long drive home. I did have duct tape with me, so I was thinking in an emergency I could have taped the bag together.

Man, this sucks! I HATE being home the weekends!!!!! Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!!!”

“But what did the zipper get caught on???”

“The inside of the bag.”

“"However, this is my first down-filled bag, so I'm not sure if all down bags are that way, since they're so poofy."

Some snag more than others! Western Mountaineering has the best zipper systems ...I've ever seen.
I've never snagged mine... so far.”

“That $ucks Artex.
Note to self: Be gentle with my REI sub-kilo bag zipper.
One of the things I like about my WM bags is the zipper guard strip.”

“Duct tape could have saved the trip. Of course, getting up in the middle of the night to pee would have been much more of a pain :)”

“Ditto that, Wind Walker... You pay good money for them bags (never seen them on sale), but I have nothing but warm things to say about my Hooded Aspen... I'd buy another - and I plan to - in a heartbeat.”

“Bummer.

Many bags have stifener strips alongside the zipper to prevent snagging. My Marmot snags sometimes, my WM never does. Both have self repairing zippers if they come off track. I'd ask for a refund.”

“My Sierra Designs bags' zippers snag all the time, but they haven't broken yet. Yikes!”

“anything I own with flaps over zippers snags at one time or another. Only one has ever broken, and it is just stuck shut. It's a pocket on a jacket with many pockets, so not a big deal. Now if a sleeping bag got stuck shut.....”

“The zipper on my REI bag snags like a mofo. It's the worst thing about that bag, other than it's REALLY HUGE (synthetic fill). My Campmor down 0F bag, on the other hand, has a anti-snag strip on the inside of the draft tube, so it rarely snags. Biggest problem I have with it is getting it to zip up all the way, because it's a little snug.

Sorry to hear your trip was ruined, Artex.


Oh....and I thought for sure this was going to be mapleleaf's thread...”

“Sorry about your ruined trip Artex!

I have a synthetic sleeping bag that is really susceptible to zipper snags. Other than that I love the thing. So, I became very practiced at zipping it carefully. I've had the bag for 5 or 6 years now and I can zip/unzip it in the dark without even thinking about it without snags. As a matter of fact, I don't remember the last time I had a problem with it.

If you don't have that kind of patience, you'd probably better take it back and get one that's more snag-proof.”

“I have the ) degree downtime as well and I kow of what you speak. I have learned to take my time, zipping up or down and I have had good success. Take the bag back and see if there might be something else that might work fer ya. The bag performs very well and I would suggest it to anyone looking for a bag in that area, however, I have noticed on the REI.com webiste, they no longer carry it. Might want to check that out, they may have stopped selling them.....”

“Yeah, I'm confident REI will work something out with me. I've tried to be mindful about the zipper snags, since I had a few minor incidents before. It's not like I zipped the thing up recklessly at 100mph though, and it's pretty disapointing this had to happen. I'm sure I can work something out with REI to remedy the situation. I noticed they don't carry my bag anymore also, which is a bit worrisome should it need to be replaced entirely. The zipper really is hardcore f---ed.”

“You should contact our REI Mole, Big Wave Dave, and see what he thinks....”

“Sorry to hear your trip got botched, Artx. Here is a prescription to make you feel better;

2 parts Patron Silver tequilla.
4 parts Orange-Tangerine Juicey-juice.
Ice and wedge of lemon.
- Crank-up Yes, "Drama".
1 slice Double Death Chocolate Cake.
-
Repeat dosage as needed until mood gets brightens.

”

“Hey! I wouldn't send you a prescription unless I checked it out first for safety. Z~]”

“If you can't operate a zipper maybe camping is not a good recreation for you.

I agree with phaedrus. This could have been solved by an appropriate application of duct tape.

Or sleeping on the zipper.”

“Thanks bacpac, by the way, your mom says hi.”

“LOL! Artex”

“Artex - that chocolate cake sounds like a great idea. I think I shall!”

“Serious bummer!

Bright side...at least you get two unexpected days to go out and run!”

“Thanks bacpac, by the way, your mom says hi.
Artex
01:01:19 PM
01/25/03


Grow up.”

“Awwww, poor wittle bacpac get his feelings hurt?

Fritz, that's what I'm fixing to do now! :-)”

“The Down Time 0 has been discontinued due in part to a poor zipper design. I'm so sorry to hear that your trip was ruined. I'm certain that your local store will take care of you.

The replacement for the Down time 0 is our new 700 Down EL -5.

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?productId=47600037&storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&langId=-1

We just received our first shipmemt in last week and I was very impressed. It uses REI Elements fabric, a waterproof/breathable laminate like Gore. It DOES have a better zipper system.

Again, sorry to hear of your botched trip, let me know how things turn out.”

“Awwww, poor wittle bacpac get his feelings hurt?


Artex
01:10:06 PM
01/25/03

Wow. Thank goodness you didn't break your zipper on the second day of the trip.”

“A real backpacker would have used two bi-sexual females as an improvisation.

WTF Artex?!”

“Thanks for the info Big Wave Dave, I'm sure it'll be taken care of.

Buddha Bear, I would have, but bacpac's sisters were booked.”

“Sorry Artex, but I agree with bacpac. I now wonder how much ingenuity you would have in a real emergency. (Actually, I think you would do just fine. You showed plenty of ingenuity on the quiz programs.) I suspect you just used this as an excuse to bug out on the trip.

I, too, had a broken zipper in sub-freezing weather. I slept on the pad, using the open sleeping bag as a blanket. I donned an extra pair of wool socks and wrapped my feet in my jacket. I weighed down the edges of the sleeping bag with my backpack and rocks. Slept real good for several nights like that.

Can't you and some of the others let bygones be bygones? Bacpac has been pretty good lately. I welcome his comments and suggestions. He has been given more abuse than the trolls. In face, the trolls are having a field day here with a large number of TT'ers feeding them.”

“Nowslimmer - my car was right there, so the best option was to bug out of the trip rather than continue on with faulty gear. Had I been miles into the woods, I would have simply ductaped up the bag enough for better insulation. I mentioned this before, please read more carefully. Trust me, it was no excuse to bug out of the trip. I chose to get there a night early strictly to experience the really really cold temperatures before they left. However, I would not do so with faulty gear. Don't jump to conclusions.

As for bacpac, if he can't take the heat, he should stay out of the kitchen. I sincerely doubt his intentions are to help out anyone, he only looks to rile people up and/or put them down, so I make no apologies for my rebuttles.”

“Also nowslimmer, sub-freezing temperatures are one thing.. sub-zero temperatures are another. Good for you for improvising, but the temperatures I was going to camp out at that night were -5 to -10.”

“ductape is a great emergency option, but when when a trip STARTS with ductape, I, like you, would probably call it a day.......especially when it's a new product.........I like REI, and have a Clipper Tent by them, but I am always hedging on their products, going only by looks and inspection. Are you gonna get REI to repair or replace.....I do not accept repairing of something new, I really feel cheated.
Oh well, maybe next time.....keep us informed of REI's action on this.....later JF”

“Thanks Jello Fog, I'll keep you posted. I'm very confident REI will make right of the situation, given their reputation.”

“Well, OK, I accept your decision. Guess I was somewhat relating it to my experience. I had no car with me. I got off the bus after a long trip at I-40's Waterville exit at GSMNP. I hiked to Big Creek CG (early spring) and days later to Walnut Bottom, where I experienced the broken zipper. I spent several days there, went up to Cosby Knob Shelter, and eventually exited at Cosby. From there I got a ride to and from Newport,TN, where I replaced the bag, before continuing the backpacking. I had plenty of clothing and could have withstood just about any weather.

Please let us know what happens with your sleeping bag.”

“Artex without question you made the right decision I don’t think anyone could or should question such a decision in a situation like that. In cold weather I also carry one of those emergency survival bags they weigh nothing and take up no room in the pack. I always did it just to have if I wanted to gain a few more degrees with my bag if needed, but you had a situation where it would have been useful if getting out was not an option.”

“OK, Who besides me is laughing hysterically at the thought of Artex wriggling around, sniveling and tuging at the zipper?

What a puss.

Zippers are not rocket science.”

“And you’re no rocket scientist.”

“BTW, I slept in a sleeping bag in sub-freezing temperatures last night. It went to 28° or lower here in Melbourne, Florida. (It went down to 29° the previous night.) I sleep in what I call a Florida Room attached to my trailer. The windows leak lots of air, the door does not shut, and there is no insulation or heat. It is a concrete slab with an aluminum roof. So the night temperatures are about the same inside as outside. In a way, it is like being in a shelter along the AT.”

“Nope, he's just a dumb redneck. If bacpac needs to take cheap shots over the internet, let him. It's obvious by his picture on Phil's page that he's one ugly SOB who probably hasn't been laid in a very long while. I'll let him have his fun.”

“Nowslimmer, did you see snow? I thought I saw a report on Accuweather.com that NASA was reporting snow flurries.”

“A real man only needs a loin cloth and a knife, even at 16 below zero. I am very dissappointed in Artex right now.”