Salomon Adventure Great All-Round Boots

Q. Previously, you commented about the Salomon Adventure 9 boots. There you said that you had a year’s experience with them, and didn’t know how they would last over the long term, compared to leather.

Now that you’ve had another year, how do you feel about them? Still have them, still holding up?

Don Hoellein

Gear Guy: Yup, still holding up. The Adventure 9s ($225) are a terrific all-around boot for hiking and moderate mountaineering. They’re light, comfortable and at home on trails, snow or rock. I still don’t think they’ll last as long as an all-leather boot, and their gee-whiz factor isn’t as great as when they first came out due to rad new designs like Asolo’s Globaline boot. But I figure they’re good for five or six years of reasonable abuse, and I like their fit a lot. They remain one of the first boots I pull out of the pile when heading on a trip.

Q. You’re the man, so I figured you’d have no problem answering my question. I’m looking for a three-season down bag that is rated to about 15-20 degrees. I’m going to be doing a lot of hiking in and around southern Germany next year (I’m spending the year in Tuebingen), and I need something that will keep me toasty during the fall and spring. I have looked at Mountain Hardwear’s bags and I like the Cheops a lot. I have also looked at Feathered Friends’ Swallow. Which would you recommend?

Henning Fischer

Gear Guy replies: Got that right, Henning. I am the man. And if the man had to buy one sleeping bag that covered as many conditions as possible, from summer outings to fall camping to even a foray on Mount Rainier (in not too-terrible weather), I would buy a Feathered Friends Swallow with a DryLoft shell ($335). I’ve had a Gore-Tex-shelled Swallow for years, and it’s a great bag. The Cheops is a fine bag, too. But it’s a little heavier, a little more costly, and little more oriented to cold weather.

Q. I notice that a major mail-order company is offering the Sierra Designs Men’s Sundance 20-degree down sleeping bag at an attractive price. I am considering purchasing the bag, but I know you have some reservations about 550-fill down bags. I also notice that the Sundance has a “ripstop polyester” shell. I’ve heard of ripstop nylon, but this seems unusual. What do you think of this bag? It seems light and compact, and I think I can zip it together with my girlfriend’s SD Calamity Jane bag.

Art Simon

Gear Guy: Zip it together with your girlfriend’s Calamity Jane and…? Art, you devil!

Nah, I don’t have any reservations about 550-fill down. In a 20-degree bag like the Sundance ($200), which I regard as a very nice bag, it causes a weight penalty of only an ounce or two compared with a 70-fill bag. And it may be a tad less durable than higher-fill down bags because the down clusters that comprise 550-fill aren’t as fully developed. But it should still give you years of service, with reasonable care and an occasional washing.

As for the polyester shell, that’s actually quite common in sleeping bags. Polyester absorbs much less moisture than nylon, so it dries faster and feels less clammy. Polyester isn’t as tough as nylon, but that isn’t really a factor in a sleeping bag.

So go for the Sundance, Art.