Hi folks,

a little site-specific search didn't turn up much here about Valandré. Has anyone used their down kit - sleeping bags or clothing? If so, how does it compare with other brands? They make bold claims (who doesn't in this area!), but first glance in my local outdoor shop in France looked very promising, and some of their gear is in the sales.  In fact, they are based about an hours' drive from home.

More generally, what are your feelings on Pyrenean down as opposed to Polish as used by so many other brands? My first foray into down sleeping bags was a bargain 90:10 350g-down 650fp down bag made by Pyrenex (under license for Hi Gear) and cost me about £30. This also uses Pyrenean down, and seems pretty good so far. 

Hi,

 Do you know the price of the items sold at the Valandre factory?

In the past, they used to make mail factory sales, but (unfortunately) this is no longer the case.

One option worth considering is the sale at rei.com

I use a Lafayette and it is fabulous. I however want to buy a mirage for summer use.
These bags are as good as Western Mountaineering ones, which means top.

Depending what you are looking for, I have also a preference for the TNF hightail, which is maybe even better than the lafayette and 100g lighter...

François,

I intend to call in to the Valandré factory the next time I head to Tarascon for some climbing. But that could be a while yet, as I have a lot of work travel obligations coming up. You could always phone or email.

I also have my eyes on the Mirage. It looks fantastic. But the prices I have seen at au vieux campeur are pretty high compared to similar spec'ed bags from PHD (in their sale).

Are TNF really that good? I had perhaps written them off as a 'fashion brand' these days (even though I am sure they continue to make good kit).

John

The TNF hightail is a 900 down fill power bag, loftier than the Lafayette.

I could not believe it when I saw it...

It is part of their flight series, so really weight conscious.

Total weight is incredible for that quality and confort range.

I saw one at 570 CHF - 30% rebate.

They are quite difficult to find (was the first time I saw one).

François,

I believe that the TNF bag filled to 900 is using the US measurement of loft, whereas the 850 Valandré claim is a European measure. In other words, they are very similar in fillpower...??? But fillpower isn't the only measure of a down's quality. In the end it is down to performance as perceived by the user.

I'd love to have the time and money to play with lots of these top spec bags and decide which is the best - unfortunately that just isn't going to happen.

What I was really hoping for is some OM user feedback on Valandré bags - or jackets for that matter. I have been trying to benefit from living in France in terms of my gear purchases as well as food, weather, healthcare etc!

Warren,

The La Fayette is 1kg and claims an (extreme) rating of -15... is this not what you are looking for? I don't think the Shocking Blue is exactly heavy for a -25C bag either... (1.4kg)

In the same league, I'd take a look at offerings from

www.phdesigns.co.uk

www.nunatakusa.com

I own both a La Fayette and a Mirage. They're my only experience with down bags so I can't really compare with other down bags but these bags are perfectly made. They cost a lot but I can really recommend them. Of course, better try before you buy just to be sure.

You have to take into account that the temperature indication of Valandre is an extreme rating, not a comfort rating. I rate my Mirage more like a 0°C bag comfort and the La Fayette more like a -10 °C bag.  Their cut is a bit specific, (really) narrow at the legs but broader at the chest area so you can wear your down jacket inside without compressing everything all the time. They also have a nice neck collar to keep the warmth inside. As far as the La Fayette goes, the chest zip can be a little strange if you're not used to it as are the toggles and velcro, but personnaly, I don't think it's a problem.

Both my bags have the pertex shells while current bags use fabrics from Asahi Kasei so I can't comment on these.

Tom,

your post reminds me of one of the key problems of choosing outdoor kit. Most people only know one or two brands and models from personal experience. And if they are pleased, they'll probably stick to it. There aren't many who have the time and money to test a wide range. Is there anyone out there who has tried Nunatak, Valandré, Mountain Hardwear, PHD, Rab, Cumulus, TNF, Marmot.... etc etc... ?

Even here in France (I'm only a bit more than an hour from the Valandré factory) I can't find many folk who could tell me much about them. And if they can, chances are that they haven't tested the competition!

John,

there are things which you can try in a store and things you can't. Certain features like zips, toggles, fit of the hood, collar, fit ... can be tested in store. You like or you don't.

The main problem with a sleeping bag is the temperature rating which you can only test outside which more or less means you already bought the bag.  My personal experience, experience from fellow hikers with Valndré bags  and the few reviews I've read seem to indicate that the temperature ratings you can find on the Au-Vieux-Campeur website are pretty good. 

Are they the best you can get? I honestly don't know and actually don't really care. They do what they have to do for a price, weight and volume which I find OK. That's all I need to know. 

Good point Tom... though I am not really sure that an objective 'best' could ever be defined. It's just that I'd like to know if, say, Nunatak was significantly better than Valandre (or vice versa). Valandre is on the doorstep and I hope to swing by their factory eventually to see if they have sales-samples or seconds for sale (anyone know if this is possible?). But right now I'm not really in the market - I just enjoy watching the developments and keeping an eye out for a bargain!

Au Vieux Campeur is an excellent outdoor shop with fair (though not bargain) prices. I tend to use them for routine kit replacemen/upgrade... but for an expensive item like a sleeping bag I might be motivated to go elsewhere. For anyone looking to pick up kit whilst in France, I can certainly recommend them.

John

Well, from what I've heard from the US, Valandre is on par with the top brands overthere e.g. Western Mountaineering, Feathered Friends,... Nunatak is a bit special because they mainly make quilts which makes a direct comparison difficult. I think brands like TNF, MHW, Marmot are considered to be a bit below the top level but of course sometimes they have one specific model which is way above average so comparing brands isn't perhaps the best way.    And then there are those brands which aren't even mentioned yet, are not that well known, but produce high quality stuff e.g. Montbell, Warmth Unlimited, ....

There is just way too much choice out there. 

Hi John

How right you are in saying that sadly we mostly have experience of a few brands, and having found one we trust, we return to it.

I have a Nunatak Skaha Plus down smock, and love its quality, lightness and packability.

I bodged my first down quilt from an Alpkit Pipedream down bag, and when I was happy the concept worked, bought a Nunatak Ghost down quilt, which is warmer and lighter and more packable than my ex-Alpkit quilt - though that is because I left the Alpkit overstuffed.

Fwiw, I reckon the Alpkit down lofts well, and is terrific value, but the Nunatak stuff is slightly higher quality.

Dont suppose that helps much really

Judy 

It does help, Judy! Sounds like you have given the quilt idea some serious testing!

My interest in Nunatak is mainly for clothing and my interest in Valandré is mainly for their sleeping bags (especially the Mirage). The Valandré clothing looks great too, but is probably over-warm for most of my needs - their entry-level Kiruna jacket has 250g of 800+ down in it (about 100g more than the Skaha Plus)!

The top-end TNF bags are supposedly very good, but the brand as a whole is not one I'd have total confidence in anymore. I'd rather get a bag from someone that focussed on down.

Though I am looking forward to seeing if Crux manage to bring their eVent sleeping bags to market anytime soon!

John

@lil john

for Warmth Unlimited it's a bit complicated. They have a website but currently there's little information published on that site: 

http://www.warmthunlimited.com/ 

But, they're a Polisch brand and in Poland they're known as Yeti:

http://yeti.home.pl/sklep/_en/index.php

This site has some info about temperature indications. 

Unfortunately, they've chosen to give the same sleeping bag models a different name in Poland and on the international market.

e.g. their GTII series is called Fenrir in Poland. So a bit of flipflopping between the two sites will be necessary to get an idea of the temperatures

@John

if your interested in the Mirage, there's also a Mirage with a longer zip. It's a bit heavier but also more versatile. There have been times that my Mirage was just too warm and that a longer zip would have been nice so that I could use the bag more like a quilt.

Also, a lighter jacket, the Split-S, should be available any time soon. About 400 grams but no hood. 

Ooh... Split-S... nice inside info Tom. Where did you hear this news?

I am not too concerned if it doens't have a hood as I have a wide variety of cosy hats! And the detachable hood on my ancient Rab spent most of its life detached!

As for the longer zip on the Mirage, I am sure it makes good sense. I often sleep with the feet of my sleeping bag unzipped so would probably suffer in a short-zip bag.

Tom,

do you know how much the Split-S is supposed to be selling for?

Some details have appeared on the US version of the site

http://valandreusa.com/products/clothing/split_s/

It seems that is supposed to weigh in around 500g making it a very interesting contender for the light-weight market...