Swallow Is Great Bag For Hiking The Trail

Q: I am planning on a 1999 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.I need to buy a sleeping bag, and I really like the Feathered Friends’ Swallow. My question is this: Should I shell out (no pun intended) the extra dough for DryLoft, or should I go with the nylon version and apply a DWR finish? I await your answer, all-knowing one!

Brian Dodez

Gear Guy: The Swallow is a great bag. I’ve had one since 1988 or so, and it’s just about the only bag I need from summer cycling trips to even nights high on Mount Rainier. Mine’s Gore-Tex. Since then, as you note, DryLoft has become a popular material as its water-resistance and high breathability makes more sense than heavier Gore-Tex. Sleeping bags really can never be waterproof because of all the seams. So, what to do? The regular Swallow is $235, the DryLoft model $335. Serious price escalation. Worth it? I don’t think so. Feathered Friends treats even their nylon shells with a DWR finish, so incidental water that you might drag into the tent when it’s raining will bead up and run off. Plus, the bag will actually perform better and retain less body moisture than its DryLoft equivalent.There are other choices, too. I’m a big fan of Western Mountaineering bags,and they use a DWR-treated polyester microfiber that’s really a plush fabric.Their Apache, for instance ($295) is a beautifully made 20-degree bag that performs wonderfully and weighs in at just over two pounds. Or, look into Marmot’s new Arroyo ($245), a 32-degree bag that’s a true featherweight at 1 pound, 12 ounces. It has a NikWax finish that is highly water-resistant. I just got an Arroyo for myself, and I think it will be my all-purpose two-season bag well into the next century.

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