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January /
February
2003
".....anyone who fights for the
future,
lives in it today."
---Ayn Rand, The Romantic Manifesto
LETTERS
I have been
known to write letters to my representatives (elected types) to let them
know what I think about various subjects that affect me. Following is a
copy of a letter that I have sent to President
Bush.
The subject of the letter is sleeping
bags. As many of you know I have exposed the Snugpak bag for what it is, a
piece of trash. Unfortunately, some of our military have purchased them
because they have limited knowledge, if any of what it takes to make a
sleeping bag. I even lost a bid to a company representing the Snugpak
product. Even though I was $6500.00 lower, my product was rejected because
my bag was two ounces heavier. Our tax dollars were wasted because the
Snugpak bags will need replacement in two months.
I am pleased to state unequivocally that this
is a rare situation, me losing an order, but it happens. I hope that my
letter will have a positive affect, where by it will never happen again.
As I have said before, to buy any other brand
of sleeping bag is a waste of money, and buying Snugpak is even
worse.
January 20,
2003
President of the United States
George W.
Bush
Washington, D.C. 20002
Subject: Sleeping
bags
Dear President
Bush,
The purpose of this letter is
to inform you that a sleeping bag manufactured in England is currently
being offered too and in some cases is even purchased by our military. The
British company known as Brett Harris manufactures the bag in question.
The brand of bag is trade named Snugpak. These bags are dangerous and
should be if possible banned for sale in the United States, let alone
allowed to be sold to our military.
My
company has been the largest sleeping bag supplier for many years to our
military and competition does not bother me, however, when the military of
the country of origin chooses not to use a product made on their own soil,
it tells you something of the product.
Now I
stated that the Snugpak product is dangerous, let me elaborate. The most
important component of a sleeping bag is the insulation. We, in this
country are at the forefront of creating and producing synthetic fiber for
insulation purposes. The use of polyester fiberfill started about 1959.
The fiberfill used for outerwear was eventually tried for sleeping bags, a
chopped staple polyester fiber. It didn’t perform in the finished product
(sleeping bags) very well so it was relegated for use in very inexpensive
bags. In the late 60’s continuous filament polyester fiber was developed
and it has proven to be not only useable in sleeping bags, but if used
properly in sleeping bags, as well as other insulated products it will out
perform all known forms of insulation. The Snugpak product uses the
chopped staple polyester fiberfill that we rejected years ago. If it
didn’t perform then why should it perform now? It didn’t then and it
doesn’t now, except that unscrupulous people trying to make a sale at any
cost will say that their product performs in this temperature range or
that, etc. even though they know differently. In essence the ownership,
and all those involved in marketing the Snugpak brand of sleeping bags
have and continue to lie about their product.
It is important to keep in mind that a soldier needs fail safe equipment
in order to best carry out any mission. If a soldier does not get adequate
sleep the soldier's ability to carry out the mission is immediately
compromised.
I have in the past reported to
the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Products Safety office the
dangers associated with sleeping bags that are grossly misrepresented, and
I am told an investigation is on going. That is as much information as I
can get. The fact of the matter is simple, if one is told that a sleeping
bag has a temperature rating that will allow the user to sleep comfortably
in temperatures as low as 0 degrees F, one would expect that they would be
comfortable in the bag on a ground pad in a tent when the ambient
temperature is +25 degrees F. However, the Snugpak bags regardless of what
they note in their advertising, as a temperature rating will not perform
below 30 degrees F.
Another aspect of the
Snugpak bag that must be addressed is the durability of the bag. The
company claims they can be laundered, that in the simplest of terms is a
joke. When the bags are laundered in any standard washing machining the
fiberfill starts to break apart leaving large cold spots, areas without
insulation that is truly an unacceptable situation. And finally they just
fall apart. The Australian military which now uses only Wiggy’s bags,
specifying Lamilite (my insulation) as the only bag they will
purchase.
The Australians were sold about 100 of the Snugpak bags and
they found out in short order how quickly they deteriorated. They had for
about 15 years bought my bags in limited quantities. The tell tale for
them was being in Afghanistan helping us. They ordered about 600 of our
Super Light model (0 degree rated) and found out they actually performed.
When 600 people say some thing works, it does. Their NSN is
8465/661490175.
I have been working with the
British version of our Natick Laboratories. They purchased several bags
for –20 degrees F from me a year ago, and because of how well they have
performed one of the testers requested that I make a bag that he felt
would best serve some aspect of their needs. It is in testing at this
time. I inquired about Snugpak, and he said that they had been that route.
It seems where ever the product is tried it fails.
All branches of the U.S. military on the
other hand use Wiggy’s. Wiggy’s bags have national stock numbers:
8465013954094 and 6532014989681, as well as a GSA contract #GS-07F-0162M.
In addition to providing sleeping bags to our forces for immediate use I
also provide the military with vacuum-packed survival bags. They can be in
the ejection seats, on rafts or in helicopters. I have proudly sold my
products to our military knowing that I was giving them the absolute best
product they could purchase at any price from anywhere.
I strongly believe allowing the Snugpak
product to be purchased by our military will place the users (soldiers) in
a dangerous and compromising position, and therefore, as I stated early on
should be banned from sale to our military.
Enclosed is a copy of but one of many hundreds of letters that I
receive each week. Also, a copy of my catalog and GSA
contract.
Thanking you in advance
for your consideration of my request and you have my
support.
Sincerely,
Jerry “Wiggy”
Wigutow
President
Enclosures: catalog,
letter.
January 13,
2003
Re: Super Light Sleeping Bag
Dear
Wiggy
This brief note is written both to express my gratitude to you
and to affirm what you already know: you make a truly superior
bag.
As an ex-Marine, enthusiastic all-season hiker and “car
camper,” I have some expertise in sleeping bags, though that expertise is
largely limited as to how to put them in the trash without taking up the
whole can. After speaking with you on the phone and reading about your
work with the Marines (you know once a Marine…) I decided to buy a Super
Light, thought at the time I wasn’t as candid about my use of it as I
might have been. I knew that I was about to begin a series of operations
to repair extensive damage that had resulted from massive trauma. From
past experience, I know that after such surgeries something seems to go
haywire with my body’s own internal “thermostat,” and I tend to get hot
and then cold then hot and that I have to provide externally what my body
seems unable to do during that time. As I now live alone, it is no longer
possible for me to call out to ask for extra blankets or bags of ice or
whatever, and, as this is a very serious circumstance for me, of course I
tried your bag in advance of the surgeries and it did, indeed, perform as
you had said that it would. It also allowed me to maintain a reasonably
stable body temperature during post-op periods, as needed, aided in no
small part by the flawless zipper and well-fitting hood and what is
without question the best “foot box” ever put on a sleeping bag. My
recuperation is now far enough along that I have dragged the bag outside
and used it in the car on nights when it has been in single digit
temperatures. I have washed it in a regular washing machine and in every
respect the bag is superior to any bag I have ever before used, far
surpassing you rather understated reports about it. Truly, I am grateful
to you both for the bag and for reminding me that American products can be
the best. You may be sure that I will be in touch looking for other
products, but, in the meantime, if this note would be of any value to your
customers in deciding about your bags, feel free to use it in any way. I
realize that my tale is not as dramatic as many you have received, but you
have changed my outlook about sleeping bags entirely as I know now that
there is a bag that I can count on to work in difficult and
disparate conditions and, frankly, it is something I had pretty much given
up on finding.
Thank you again. Keep up the good
work!
Your newly devoted customer,
James
Colbert
Jim to my friends ---and to
you!
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