Fairydown KOSCIUSKO Model 22

[sampson]

Hi everyone,

I've recently purchased a Fairydown KOSCIUSKO Model 22 Arthur Ellis Bag in very good hardly used condition. This bag is slightly tapered and has a hood. I can't seem to find any info on the net about this model at all and was wondering what the ratings and fills etc on this bag were and what conditions weather wise this bag would handle. I know the fairydown bags come with good reputations.
Can anyone shed any light onto this model for me.

Cheers in advance

Michael

[blacksheep]

I'll take a look through some catalogues later this week for you Michael.

[sampson]

Thanks heaps for that. Would you have a catalogue for a bag of it's age though?

Cheers Michael

[kanangra]

Gee that may well be an old classic bag you have there. They were making those in the 70's. I still have my old Everest by Arthur Ellis of NZ. Best bag I ever owned. Just a bit on the heavy side now.

K.

[blacksheep]

Is the bag violet with teal trim/ draft tube? I think that may have been Kosciusko 22. If it is this colour way then it is 1990-93
If that is correct, then it contains 900gms of "hi Loft " down (no loft rating given , but in later years Fairydown applied this term to 750 fillpower) The bags has not ever had an EU test rating, but was positioned as Mid/High Altitude/ 4 seasons.
This bag was 2nd in the range, under the Everest, unless it is an ealier than this version where the 20 below bag also sat above it.
a photo will help confirm which season...

[beachcruiser]

is this it?



just spotted on Wild magazine's Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/wildmagazine

[sampson]

Sorry for the late Reply I've been away the last few days. Thanks for the responses so far!
Here are some pics, It is a greeen bag with hood.

Cheers Michael

[rucksack]

That Kosciusko model was available in the mid-late 1970’s and was regarded as a premium bag at the time, rating very well in gear surveys. I had one - bought it in 1977. I don’t know its down weight, but it was marketed as 90% down and 10% feather. As far as I remember, it was only available in the shiny green, rip-stop nylon both inside and out as per Michael’s photo above. As also mentioned above, there were two models ‘above’ the Kosciusko in the Arthur Ellis range: the 20 Below and the Everest. I still have a Fairydown Everest bag (red outer and mid-blue inner), which I purchased in 1985. I think the 20 Below was the same colours reversed: red inner and blue outer. The Everest has 900g of 90% down 10% feather. It’s a great bag for very cold weather. By the early 1980’s the shiny green ripstop nylon was gone, replaced by a matt green ripstop nylon outer and a fawn Taslan nylon inner, but it was still a tapered rectangular bag. One of my walking partners still has one - and he still uses it. The 20 Below and the Everest were mummy bags and my Everest gets at least one outing every winter and is in original condition even after 100s of nights of use. Unfashionably on the heavy side these days, (my Everest weighs in at 1,766g), but seriously well-made in New Zealand with quality fill, it’s a nice bag. Arthur Ellis made the bag that Hillary used on Mount Everest in 1953. From memory, I think that bag was sans hood, but like the Kosciusko, the later named Everest bag certainly has one.

rucksack

[sampson]

Great reply, thanks rucksack!

So do you think this would be a good bag for use up in the victorian high country?
If not or if so what conditions do you think this bag could handle?

Cheers Michael

[Moondog55]

I have vague recollections of this bag and the PaddyMade "Hotham" being equivalent bags and; when new; meant for the namesake environment and in winter. Being fully openable bags they were often used as quilts in the private lodges during the ski season.
If it's clean give it a low heat tumble in a commercial dryer and see what the loft is like, if it has at least 70mm single layer when cool it should do.
Blacksheep will be better able to comment than myself but those bags have a reputation for longevity

[sampson]

Thanks Moondog,

Hopefully blacksheep can shed some more light, that was also going to be my next question, is there anything specific i need to do to the bag when i get it i.e like you said a tumbledry etc.

Cheers Michael

[blacksheep]

Moondog is on the money, as is Rucksack.
For most Vic high country use (assuming good shelter and good sleeping mat), a "five inch bag" will do the job for most (ie: the thickness of the bag at center of core is 5 inches thick. In simple terms the thicker the bag, the more it slows heat loss and therefore more suitable for cold temperatures. The correlation to thickness (loft of the bag, measured at the chest) and comfort temperature range is roughly as below-
-10 degrees - 6 inches
-5 degrees - 5 inches
0 degrees - 4 inches
5 degrees - 3 inches
So, as Moondog says, 70mm single layer (140mm double/5.5 inches) should suffice for Vic highcountry use.

All the ways the thickness of insluation is achieved (fill power of down/ species of down etc) don't really influence warmth, but rather weight/packable size (and price!) of the bag. The height of the insulation is the measure of warmth.

Loft can be rejuvianted with washing/drying if required, but take care, as the baffles are easily damaged if a moving a wet bag.

I have cut/pasted this info directly from our website, under sleeping bag care...


Cleaning Your Down Sleeping Bag

We recommend hand washing your sleeping bag, but it must be done carefully. Rough handling can tear the interior baffles. A washing machine should not be used.

Use a non-detergent soap. Specialised down soaps are available from good outdoor stores. Fill your bath with enough lukewarm water to cover the bag. Work the suds in gently. Do not twist or wring your bag.

Rinse until all the suds stay white, two or three times at most. Rinse thoroughly the last time to remove all traces of soap. Press firmly but gently to remove as much water as possible.

When carrying your wet bag ensure you support it entirely to prevent any internal damage caused by the wet and heavy down.

It is best to dry your bag naturally over a period of time. Initially lay it flat on the floor. Once partially dry it can be hung outside. Warm windy days provide the best drying conditions.

Finally your bag can be tumble dried on a gentle cycle. You must use a large commercial drier. Do not use a household dryer.

The down may clump together in the drying process. These clumps should be broken apart gently by hand, or if a drier is used, place a tennis ball in with the bag to prevent clumping.

Do not dry clean your sleeping bag. Some dry cleaners may offer a washing and drying service for down filled items, check with them first.

NOTE: By using a sleeping bag liner you can keep your bag cleaner for longer, minimising the need to wash it.

[Moondog55]

In other words if you are going to wash it do not wait until the day before your high country trip, do it now in summer on the hottest days
I remember having a conversation the one of the guys at Outdoor Survival ( Nikwax ) about a feller that called up 3 days before his winter trip in August saying he had just treated the bag with downproof and it was still wet after week LOL

[rucksack]

Michael, I also meant to say, I don't think that Fairydown's Kosciusko bag was ever known as a Model 22. If you look at the label, it says: ae Model: KOSCIUSKO. Are you reading the ae as 22? And yes, these bags can enjoy a long life. I also have a 1990 Fairydown Scorpion with the Entrant outer shell. It was a 700g down mummy bag, but I bumped mine up to 800g a couple of years back. It's a great winter bag too. The general feeling when these bags were being sold, (and bags such as Paddy Palin's Hotham too, and Moondog, I also recollect that the Kosciusko and the Hotham were regarded as very similar bags), was that if they were looked after, they would be good for at least 25 years. I am assuming that this anecdotal figure came from the longevity of the older PP and Fairydown bags. As I say, I have a 1985 Fairydown Everest and a 1990 Fairydown Scorpion and both are in fine shape, and I know of a 1977 and a 1984 Kosciusko and both are still out on the trail. They are very well-made bags.

rucksack

[kanangra]

Looking at the picture of the bag I would say that it is c.1970's vintage for sure. My Everest is the same green nylon inside and out and I recognise the draw cord closure in the photo being the same as mine. I bought mine in 1977. Still in great condition except for the hole I burnt in it on a trip to the Budawangs years ago.

I can even remember their old advertising. It was a double page of all the bags spread out on the ground from the warmest, the Everest down to their lightest. I think my bag weighs in over 2kgs. But then we were young then and weight didn't seem to be an issue. I remember starting a 16 day trip in the South West with 90lbs in an old Mt Mule bag with leather straps without padding. Used to cut the circulation off in your arms so the fingers went numb with pins and needles. Ah the good old days?

K.

[Jack o]

Yep 70’s for sure. Fairydown bags of that era were bullet proof. I bought my Kosciusko new in 1974 and over the years it’s done a truck load of high country camping. It’s still in excellent condition and still regularly used.

[north-north-west]

Yer. I had a late 70s Everest mummy, but the combination of no washing & UV from too long in the Top End stuffed it - the fabric became so fragile it would tore if you just looked at it.
Pity, it was a brilliant bag.

[tas-man]

Yep 70’s for sure. Fairydown bags of that era were bullet proof. I bought my Kosciusko new in 1974 and over the years it’s done a truck load of high country camping. It’s still in excellent condition and still regularly used.

I am still using mine as well, and was surprised to find while having a purge of old files, my original receipt for my Everest bag (purchased from Graeme Lacy's outdoor shop at 460 Queen Street, Brisbane) as well as a Fairy Down Sleeping Bags export catalogue from 1968-69. I have scanned the full range of down sleeping bags and specs to preserve this little bit of history.

[tas-man]

[tas-man]

[icefest]

Wow, the everest bag seems to have been designed like a zip up quilt. Detachable hood and everything.

[tas-man]

[tas-man]

[tas-man]

[tas-man]

[tas-man]

There are more items in the catalogue such as synthetic sleeping bags, polar down jackets, polar down slippers, and polar inner and outer down sleeping bags. If any of this is of interest let me know and I can scan them and add to this thread.

[icefest]

Is that chintz print on the Caravana. I wonder I'll look at our current bad like this in 40 years...

[phsculpture]

Good to hear some positive comments about the Paddy Hotham. It's the only bag I've ever had, bought in 1986 and still going strong. I don't know what the ratings are, but I do need to supplement with extra clothing, ski hat, etc when the temp drops below zero. At home I use it as a quilt (in winter), seems as good a way to store it as any.

[wayno]

i've got a fairydown everest from 1986, still a perfectly good bag, entrant waterproof, seldom used now 900gm of down its a hot bag...

[badoody]

Do you know what rating the Fairydown Everest would be -15 or -20?