Imported Sleeping Bags

Quite often these days we hear people say they want to buy products made in America. There are many websites that advertise made in America products exclusively. Retailers are seeing people look at the labels and if the item has a made in China tag they put it back. One retailer told me he had a customer ask to be shown in his store what was not made in China. He couldn't, so the customer left. Some of the large companies like Adidas, New Balance, etc. claim to be coming back to America with some of their production. I'll believe it when I see it.

Recently I spoke with a buyer of sleeping bags for a 200+ store chain. They are interested in an American made sleeping bag. In the conversation I was told that they are currently selling a 0 degree bag for $79.00. My response was "you are selling a sleeping bag for $79.00 but it is not a 0 degree bag; and it is of no interest to me who the company is — the representative has lied to you." Actually, all of the companies do, and have, lied about their bags' performance for years. I gave the buyer my pricing in the event they want to carry a bag that is factually rated for whatever temperature they want. My suspicion is that they will not become a customer because they cannot make the profit margins that come when buying a domestic made product; my prices are probably too high for them.

I just read an article in the Outdoor Retailer magazine, a trade publication. The subject was all about companies that are now, or have, started to produce some of their products in America. Not one mention of sleeping bags. Why? This is my opinion: not one company that currently markets sleeping bags, they do not make them in America makes money selling them to retailers. I have believed this for many years, ever since I tried selling those that did make bags in America starting in the late 1960's. It seemed to me to always be a loss leader item for them. That, I believe, is the reason that any company that started with bags very quickly started making clothing. Every person buying a sleeping bag also buys clothing; however every person buying clothing does not buy a sleeping bag. But companies like The North Face, Sierra Designs, and Mountain Hardwear must keep up appearances so sleeping bags have stayed as a part of their product mix. How many of you have looked at the Sierra Trading Post web site and seen the vast collection of sleeping bags they carry. They buy at bargain prices what the companies can't sell to retailers. What I have also learned in recent months is that the bags that are made in China are of a horrible quality. See my January 2013 newsletter. Aside from the poor quality workmanship the bags do not perform as stated on their information tags. The return factor is quite high so this gives me reason to believe that the retailers do not care if bags come back. Generally they give the customer a store credit if they do not want a replacement bag. I further believe that the retail store owners do not care if the bags they sell are correctly temperature rated. It is my understanding that REI will only sell bags that come with the European EN rating on the tag. The fact that the rating is as invalid as the CLO rating we use here is of no concern. The retailer in my opinion does not care, and further in my opinion this means the retailer does not care about the customer. Since all of the low priced bags seen in the big box retailers are made in China and the fiberfill used is chopped staple you can be assured that the bags will not perform at the temperature ratings applied to them and if you happen to wash them you can be equally assured that the fiberfill will start separating and clumping effectively further reducing the temperature capability. Then of course they all use the coil zipper which you can count on to fail too.

As you can see on our website, I have started a quilted bag category. The quilting allows me to make bags that are less expensive than the laminated construction. Because they are quilted they are only suitable for warm weather use. I know there are companies that offer quilted sleeping bags for colder temperatures, but I also know that they are lying. Quilting compromises the ability of the chopped staple fiberfill to perform as it would Lamilite. However, you can be assured that the limited number of quilted bags that I make when washed will not deteriorate and since I use the Lamilite continuous filament fiber and YKK number 10 molded tooth zippers that will not break. There are very distinct differences between what I am now making and what is available at the big box stores; the major one being a quality sleeping bag. I have cost a quilted bag for 25 degrees and found the cost to be so close to the cost of the laminated bag; i.e. the Ultra-Light for 20 degrees it is not worthwhile making. I am referring to the Ultra-Light and Super –Light bags made with the camo or foliage green materials. It should be remembered that when you go into a big box store and look at a sleeping bag with a cost of $79.00 and a temperature rating of 0 degrees, what you see is bogus. You will have gotten what you paid for, a product that does not work nor will it last very long.

When you buy a Wiggy’s brand sleeping bag you have purchased the best that is made, and it is made in America!