Sorry - Wiggy's insulation is a standard, long-staple high-void polyester fiber. No magical difference from any other high-quality long-staple high-void polyester fiber. Wiggy's makes very good synthetic bags, but they have no unique qualities.
Assuming one doesn't carry a vacuum-bagging machine on expeditions, good down will compress better than any other insulation. It's not harmed by compression as long as it's stored uncompressed - just like polyester insulation. But polyester insulation does degrade over a relatively short period of time compared to down. That's why all synthetic insulation manufacturers still use down as the comparison.
I was under the impression that his bags ability to store (very much) compressed made them somewhat unique.
And I am not qualified to make distinctions between "long-staple high-void polyester fiber" and Wiggys "continuous filament fiber". Seems like alot of mumbo-jumbo to me, so maybe its all the same.
My point is that he claims to be different (and better), and while he certainly has a stake in the business, I havent seen anyone convincingly refute his claims. The Worst comments I've heard (from fellow end users, not a scientific test) was that his bags are As Good as other high-end bags. From there they range up to high-praise. Personally, I'd like to see them compared rather than ignored in fair tests.
Some cut and paste from his website, my source for technical references;
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The Lamilite is an unbounded, silicone-coated continuous filament fiber. This is inside and cannot be seen. The silicone coating gives the fiber two very desirable properties. The first is “antistatic” which allows the fibers to perpetually repel each other regardless of how tightly the fibers are packed against each other (such as compacting in a stuff sack). The loft always returns after removing our sleeping bag from the stuff sack. As an example, one of our Ultima Thule sleeping bags was compacted under 20 tons of pressure. It was blister packed in two poly bags the size of 14 1/2” x 9 1/2” x 2 3/4”. After four days it was opened and in one hour, without assistance, 90% of its loft returned. A Lamilite insulated sleeping bag is the only synthetic bag ever put through this test that returned to its original loft. Not even a down bag will return to almost original, actually the down bags deteriorate when vacuum packed. It is for this reason that I guarantee my sleeping bags will never lose their loft. The Alaska National Guard, as part of their survival gear, uses the Ultima Thule. The bags are left in the vacuum package until needed.
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Refer to the Steger Expedition to the North Pole in July 1986. They used 15 pound chopped staple fiberfill insulated bags that accumulated 35 pounds of ice. The fiberfill used in those bags was Quallofil, a fiber produced by DuPont Co. Even though the fiber is silicone treated, the fact that it was so densely packed in by the quilting prevented any flow of moisture while in a vapor state.
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Lamilite is synthetic, polyester fiber. When polyester fiber was developed it was produced in various thicknesses referred to as denier. Fiber denier varies from a thin ¼ denier and thicker, such as 15 to 20 denier used for making carpet. The ideal denier developed for insulation became a 5.5 denier. Lamilite is made from a 5.5 denier continuous filament fiber which has been coated with a silicone finish vs. chopped staple fiber. The difference being how the fiber is utilized in the manufacturing process employed to make sleeping bags or any insulated product for that matter. Chopped staple fiber must be sectioned off with quilt stitching or it will break apart when laundered. The problem worsens if the fiber has a silicone finish; it will move more quickly during the laundering process since it has a slickened surface developing un-insulated areas (cold spots) during the laundering process.
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None of the above is possible when continuous filament is used. Lamilite continuous filament fiber is first adhered to the shell or lining material to stabilize it for manufacturing. It is then cut in large sections for each layer of the sleeping bag. The next step is to perimeter sew each section to further stabilize the fiber. There are no quilt stitches involved in this manufacturing procedure; quilting will cause the fiber to fatigue and ultimately collapse there by reducing it insulating ability. The next step in the manufacturing procedure is to attach each component at the perimeter of so as not to diminish any area of the bag compromising the insulation.
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Last but by no means least Wiggy brand sleeping bags are the only bags purchased by the U.S. military; all branches; that are vacuum packed under approximately 23 tons of pressure and blister packaged for survival kits. The Air Force uses them in their fighters and transports. The Navy uses them on all 4 and 12 man survival rafts. The Army has them on aircraft and helicopters and the Marines on transports. Wiggy’s brand sleeping bags or rather Lamilite insulated sleeping bags are the only sleeping bags made in the world that can fully recover their loft; i.e. insulation property once broken out of the blister packaging.
