by Alicia MacLeay
The Kids Selk'Bag, with the down and Primaloft bags draped behind.
Lippi Outdoor, the Chilean company that created the Selk’bag, has introduced two updated versions of its wearable sleeping bag and a new kids bag. Essentially, a sleeping bag with arms, legs, and a hood, a Selk’bag allows you to move your legs and arms freely to stand, walk, cross them, or sleep, all while wearing the bag for warmth.
The original Selk’bags, filled with polyester hollow fiber fill, have been updated for fall 2009 with a Primaloft version and an 800 fill down version. Both feature Cordura on the foot bottoms, with extra grip strips, an iPod pocket, zipper vents, improved draft collars, and integrated mittens.
Lippi’s reps told me their original Selk'bag users—found on five continents—have been varied. In addition to hunters and summer campers, they include college students and housewives (and maybe househusbands?) who want a cozy wearable blanket, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, and even video gamers.
I tried the new Down Selk'bag on for size.
The updated down and Primaloft bags are expected to appeal to outdoor enthusiasts who want mobility with warmth. They also will be comfortable in colder temperatures (though they won't be as warm as a comparable regular mummy bag would be). The new bags are expected to undergo independent lab testing for temperature ratings next week.
The Primaloft Selk’bag will retail for around $295.
The Down Selk’bag will retail for around $400.
Both bags will be available for fall 2009 in three adult sizes.
A kids' version of the original Selk’bag, in two sizes, will be available in late April. It will retail for $99.
