Wiggy's Antarctic

Summary

No frill military grade bag — no frills — just a lot of material to keep you warm the ultimate intent.

This bag is no frills — it is simple and durable and can not be beat. In other words, it isn't a Cadillac — it's a 1 ton work truck. When you get the bag, take it to a seamstress and have them blind stitch velcro on the inside IOT keep the baffle down over the zipper and also install a durable fabric strip with snaps on the outside of the zipper IOT provide an extra margin of safety. After all this bag is intended to save your life. Wiggy's doesn't need to do the aforementioned because of the different styles out there and by them not doing them keeps the cost of the bag down.  

I bought from Wiggy's Alaska who is not affiliated with the actual Wiggy's (I know it's confusing, but they are not).  Marc Taylor at Wiggy's Alaska is very knowledgeable about the product and its uses. He will answer your questions to the best of his ability and won't BS you. It is a good idea to do your homework before you buy a bag and then shop around for the best price or best service. You aren't likely to get both at the same place.  

Initially, I was looking for a Valandre Thor and stopped by Wiggy's Alaska to see if they had them. I already knew the reputation of Wiggy's Antarctic and had seen it as the best synthetic option. Wiggy's Alaska didn't have the Thor, but Marc sold me on the Antarctic.  

I researched the Wiggy's bag after the fact and found the actual Wiggy's had them on sale for at 30% off.  It's my own fault — I should have checked and Marc told me he is not Wiggy's, but Wiggy's Alaska. I am not upset at Marc. He's great a guy to talk with and is real knowledgeable and when on the look for more high quality gear, I'll head on over to his place and see the best gear in the world. 

Marc knows his stuff and this bag will save your life.

This is an excellant bag system. I have tried a variety of systems in extreme conditions for sustained periods and this is the best bag to date. The bag packs well, dries quickely and is durable. The test conducted was for a three week period during a military exercise on the coast of Hudson's Bay in January/February 1997. The average daily tempreture was -35C with winds on occassion to match. The area is on the boundry between the Canadian Arctic Tundra and the Boreal forest. The tents used was a 10 x 12 canvass wall tent. The best under pad was the Wiggy pad augmented by Caribou hides (fur facing up, you smell like a wet dog but you are warm).

This is a two bag system that allows for mixing for a variety of temperature ranges and conditions the outer Patrol bag is very effective and the system has been thought out. After two weeks any bag system must be dried and "de iced" due to condensation build up. The Wiggy System performed very well and I look forward to continued good service. By way of note the night tempreture on occcassion dipped to a modest -47C in still wind conditions. We lived in a single wall tent with boughs on the floor, caribou hide rugs and a wood stove that went out 30 minutes after retiring for the night. This bag works

A detailed report is being prepared on this bag and other equipment used on this exercise. A copy is being forwarded to Wiggy's.

I have had this bag for over ten years now, and have used it regularly. I have done a couple of sub-zero overnighters with this bag, and using the outer cover with a wuss pad on about 20" of snow. This was under the stars. No tentage. This bag kept me warm with no cold spots at all. Downside -- it is on the heavy side but "travel light freeze at night" theory is in effect. The other thing was I did get a small tear in the bag when I washed it. My machine may have been too small to handle it.