Western Mountaineering Bags

“Western Mountaineering Ultralite
What other bags compete with this model?
I need a good 25 degree ultralight down bag for an end of July Rocky Mt. trip.”

“I'm sure Feathered Friends has a similar bag too.”

“Western Mountaineering is hard to beat.”

“WM gets my vote too..but if you don't like it tight..watch out..might wanna get a wide”

“I have a Feathered Friends Petral in short (up to 5'3") with the Epic fabric and 800 overfill. It's a 10 degree womens bag and I'm really happy with it. In short it weighs less than 3 lbs.

They do have lighter bags and ones made for layering.

http://www.featheredfriends.com/sleeping_bags/index.htm”

“you wanna make sure they're in stock Stove, I'm still waiting for my WM highlite ordered about threee weeks ago.”

“oh, and stove, look at moosejaw for the order, I got some 20% discount codes you can put in too.”

“ynami - who did you order from?

I can drive a couple of hours to New Orleans and buy one from a shop there if I have to (Full list price plus sales tax). I bought my 40* Mitylite in N.O.
I bought my 5* Antelope Super MF in Knoxville.
I need a bag for between these temps for a July Rocky Mt. trip.”

“I ordered from moosejaw, who I think don't hold any stock and the thing is due to be shipped straight from WM. I guess your bag may be in stock as it's summer though.”

“Haven't really looked at Moosejaw before.
They only have the long Ultralite on their page. I want the regular.
I've been thinking of maybe getting the 16 oz 40* Highlite and useing it inside my 26 oz 40* Mitylite semirectangular bag. This combo would be about a pound heaver than a Ultralite but would be almost as warm and I wouldn't be too hot at the lower elev the first couple of nights. Just thinking outloud....
How do the discound codes work?”

“you have mail stove”

“you get that e-mail stove?”

“Yes, thank you very much!”

“Good, apart from the delay on this bag they've been ok to deal with.”

“tents and trails outta NY has them on sale usually and in stock..might be last years models and colors though..”

“Other bags to compare...

The other WM lite bags
Marmot Hydrogen (1lb 5 oz 30 degree) and Helium (1 13, 15 degree)

and maybe: Mounsmith Wisp - 30 degree (1 6)”

“The ultralight is what we own--very versatile bag--spans the seasons.”

“http://www.fontanasports.com/index.php?cPath=28_46&sort=4a&filter_id=52

Nice price on the WM Ultralite!”

“OMG that's a great buy!!!
Too bad I have one and love it!”

“dam thats a nice price”

“anybody have the short version of the ultralite?

my wife's like 5'1" and i'm thinking the ultralite short version might be perfect for her for the JMT this summer...”

“Let's see..I have 30 deg WM bag and a 15 deg Marmot Helium that I just ordered. (Where oh where is that big brown truck anyway!) But I don't have a 20 deg bag and this is a sweet deal. Oh gawd, I am a gear ho.”

“I think so too, sacco.
I'm a super cold sleeper and I used my old WM Ultralite (before Super came out) at temps below 24 with a strong wind blowing thru my TarpTent this past weekend. My back got a little cool sometime during the morning, but I went right back to sleep after pulling the hood tighter.

The Ultralite is a tight bag.
last edited: 3/06/07 1:34:41 PM”

“Has anyone done any business with this company? I’m seriously thinking about this.”

“I like my WM bag very much.
I'd say buy.”

“Oh I didn't mean WM, I was wondering about Fontana Sports. I've never heard of them before.”

“Fontana Sports Specialties is a two-store operation located in Madison, Wisconsin. Located at 251 State Street in downtown Madison and at 7948 Tree Lane Drive on Madison's west side.

Fontana was opened in 1972 by John B. Hutchinson. The store rapidly expanded over its first 2 years from 2400 sq. ft to 12,000 sq. ft, with the store's downtown location now having 4 floors of retail space.

In June of 2004, Fontana opened its second location at 7948 Tree Lane on Madison's west side.

Fontana Sports carries a wide variety of gear including backpacking, SCUBA, tennis, in-line skating, camping, fly fishing, down-hill skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, rock climbing, and mountaineering gear.

We have a state of the art repair and tune-up ski facility for both down-hill and cross country skis. As well as a complete SCUBA repair facility and a complete tennis and In-line skate repair shop. We pride ourselves on our ability to provide service in a timely manner.
Hours at both locations:

Regular Hours:

Monday - Friday 10:00am - 8:00pm
Saturday 10:00am - 6:00pm
Sunday 11:00am - 5:00pm

Holiday Hours at Both Locations:

Monday - Friday 10:00am - 9:00pm
Saturday 10:00am - 6:00pm
Sunday 11:00am - 6:00pm


To speak with one of our experts or order by phone:

By Email
Sales: Sales@fontanasports.com
Info: fontana@fontanasports.com
Webmaster: webmaster@fontanasports.com

By Phone
1-800-257-7666
Downtown Madison: 608-257-5043
West Madison: 608-833-9191

By Fax
608-287-1166



******************************************
Looks safe to me.”

“Hell, they are in Wisconsin. Got to be trustworthy.”

“Being they are a two store op, they may only have a couple of those bags to sell.
I would call right now if I wanted one.”

“SS nailed it!

i just called and bought one. i figure at that price, you can't go wrong.
i asked how many were still left, he said just 1 more!

edit: the short one, don't know and didn't ask about the taller size.
last edited: 3/06/07 2:38:18 PM”

“Looks like they're all out. They changed the online price while I was on the phone with them.”

“Big Agnes 0° for $225 on Amazon.com”

“Hey LZ what WM bag are ya lookin for?

I know someone that has a WM Apache Super DL 6'
for sale....I think it's a 15 degree bag and I'm guessing he'll give ya a pretty decent deal on it.”

“Good find, Creek Dancer, but I see I'm too late, plus it didn't say which side had the zipper.

I need to replace my REI Sub-Kilo before the JMT this summer. Too many people have had their Sub-Kilos fail after a few years, and mine is older than some of those.”

“Anyone have the WM Highlite? I'm so close to pulling the trigger on this, but I need something to put me over the edge!”

“It's my fav bag for temps from above 32 to about 55. I'm a very 'cold' sleeper and with another layer like a vest or jacket I have stayed warm when the pond beside the camp froze over. The temp range and weigh is spot on.

This was in a Henry Shires TarpTent which is very 'airy'.

The only thing I have any wishes about is the short zipper takes some getting used to.
last edited: 6/27/07 10:22:15 PM”

“I used to have a Highlite and it was always a good bag. I am a very cold sleeper and it kept me warm to just above freezing.

It was well made and light as a feather. My only two complaints were: 1.) The lack of a draft tube and 2.) The short zipper.

I ended up trading the bag for a Western Mountaineering Summerlite. I decided that the 3 extra ounces were worth the draft tube for cooler nights and the full length zipper for quilt use in the summer.

I also have a 20* Western Mountaineering Ultralite and can't say enough about the quality of their bags. There is something gratifying about buying a product that is crafted in the USA instead of the Chinese made competition.”

“I have the Megalite and it's just plain yummy. I love this bag.”

“I have the highlite and the megalite, and personally if I were going to get the one bag, I'd go for the megalite.
It's just more versatile. Much more room in the bag. A full zip alows you to use it as a blanket over yourself when it's really warm out, and I think it is quite a few degrees warmer. If you can stretch to it then I think you'll find the megalite useful in a wider range of conditions.”

“Back...where you looking to get it from?”

“I have the Ultralite and LOVE it. WM bags are worth it”

“Buy it! You'll love it!

And then I can steal it from you when you get drunk and passout at the ferst.”

“It's a done deal...Thanks for the advice!
NG OK, but I get your -15* next winter ;-)

Y2, I thought about the megalite with the full zip, but I usually sleep on top of the bag on warm night instead of quilting it.

XL- I got it from BackCountry .com, should be here in about a week...

Now I need to start saving for a Henry Shires!!!!”

“I've heard nothging but great things about WM bags - can't speak to any particular model, but in general they are highly rated. My climbing guide from a few weeks ago has them as one of his gear sponsors and he said in about 15 years of using them he's not had to replace one yet - (alaska, canada, colorado.....) that alone was good enough for me.

By all means get a Henry Shires tarptent - you'll never use a conventional tent again.”

“LOL..I got my Henry Shires by making a suggestion one evening....we were getting ready to do a big hike and i wanted the shelter ability.

You have to plan for when they are willing to do the "JUST GET WHAT YOU NEED"...line”