ABOUT LAMILITE INSULATION AND WIGGY BRAND SLEEPING BAGS.

By Jerry Wigutow



Lamilite insulation is what sets Wiggy brand sleeping bags apart from all other brands.

What is Lamilite and why does it perform better than all other forms of insulation; natural (down, wool, etc.) or synthetic?

Lamilite is synthetic, polyester fiber. When polyester fiber was developed it was produced in various thicknesses referred to as denier. Fiber denier varies from a thin ¼ denier and thicker, such as 15 to 20 denier used for making carpet. The ideal denier developed for insulation became a 5.5 denier. Lamilite is made from a 5.5 denier continuous filament fiber which has been coated with a silicone finish vs. chopped staple fiber. The difference being how the fiber is utilized in the manufacturing process employed to make sleeping bags or any insulated product for that matter. Chopped staple fiber must be sectioned off with quilt stitching or it will break apart when laundered. The problem worsens if the fiber has a silicone finish; it will move more quickly during the laundering process since it has a slickened surface developing un-insulated areas (cold spots) during the laundering process.

     None of the above is possible when continuous filament is used. Lamilite continuous filament fiber is first adhered to the shell or lining material to stabilize it for manufacturing. It is then cut in large sections for each layer of the sleeping bag. The next step is to perimeter sew each section to further stabilize the fiber. There are no quilt stitches involved in this manufacturing procedure; quilting will cause the fiber to fatigue and ultimately collapse there by reducing it insulating ability. The next step in the manufacturing procedure is to attach each component at the perimeter of so as not to diminish any area of the bag compromising the insulation. This manufacturing method allows for lighter weight sleeping bags for all temperature ratings. Lamilite bags are not adversely affected by moisture the way all other bags are; i.e. absorb moisture and collapse losing 100 percent of their insulation capability. As a point of fact Lamilite has shown that if a man who is completely soaked is placed in a Wiggy’s bag in a matter of a few minutes he will notice that he is warming. After a few hours not only is he dry but his clothing if worn or simply placed in the bag with him will show definite signs of drying. Many people refer to the movement of moisture in situations of this nature as wicking of the moisture. That description or definition is in accurate. Wicking is when moisture moves with in a material; such as oil moving up a cotton wick in an oil lantern. If all the materials are synthetic wicking cannot occur, therefore what we see is evaporation generated by the heat produced by the man in the sleeping bag. This form of drying has never been shown to happen in any other sleeping bag using any other form of synthetic insulation, and of course is impossible to happen when down is the insulation.

     Lamilite gives Wiggy brand sleeping bags another advantage; its launder-ability. Historically manufacturers of sleeping bags have dissuaded their customers from laundering the bags they sell because they the manufactures know that laundering the bags is detrimental to their construction; refer to paragraph two. That is simply not the case with Wiggy’s brand sleeping bags. Wiggy’s brand sleeping bags can be laundered countless times. They can be laundered in any washing machine; home or commercial without damage. Actually it is in the best interest of the user of a Wiggy’s brand bag to wash it when ever convenient. The reason to launder a Wiggy’s brand bag is plural. One the bag gets clean; two the fibers stay lofty and three some of the may fibers do not get separated during the manufacture of the Lamilite and the tumbling action of the drier will cause more of the fiber to separate therefore causing an increase in the loft of the bag.

     Last but by no means least Wiggy brand sleeping bags are the only bags purchased by the U.S. military; all branches; that are vacuum packed under approximately 23 tons of pressure and blister packaged for survival kits. The Air Force uses them in their fighters and transports. The Navy uses them on all 4 and 12 man survival rafts. The Army has them on aircraft and helicopters and the Marines on transports. Wiggy’s brand sleeping bags or rather Lamilite insulated sleeping bags are the only sleeping bags made in the world that can fully recover their loft; i.e. insulation property once broken out of the blister packaging.

     The Ultima Thule model is rated by the U.S. military for temperatures as low as -35/40 degrees F. This rating was established by the U.S. Navy. This bag carries the following designation –WIG20UL and NSN 8465-01-395-4094.

     Wiggy’s Inc. at present is the single largest supplier of sleeping bags to the armed forces of the U.S.A., and has received recognition for service and quality of our products from the U.S. Navy. We were awarded “Blue Ribbon” status.