Valandre Blog

Valandre Lafayette | DESNIVEL GOLD AWARD

DESNIVEL-AWARD

Finally – The La Fayette received the recognition from the Spanish specialized climbing magazine DESNIVEL. The La Fayette was the first differential cut bag from Valandre using pre-cut, but circular baffles. We used circular baffles to make it easy and basically test, if it was possible to develop and produce such a technology. Once knowing that it was possible, we developed the anatomical baffle system in a “full gas high tech style”, presented in the Shocking Blue.

The La Fayette was and is a bag intended to be used under extreme conditions: The colder the better, but in warm conditions not the right choice: It’s a super light non compromising design: Comfort – forget about it – this one kilo bag has to be as effective as possible.

So in reality, once it’s f…… cold, the cold also comes from the ground, so in order to protect the vital parts (heart and lungs), you have to sleep (read rest) laying on your side. So the La Fayette is a “center half size zipped bag”. The zipper length is calculated to allow to just enter the bag that is in connection with the “guillotine styled draft collar”. Once the collar closed it is very difficult to get a heat loss from the neck, so the heat stays in the bag.

To minimize the heat circulation, and to concentrate it to the vital upper breast part, a draw cord is placed at the waist.

And finally, as you get up on your side, and take protection in a fetus position, your knees put pressure on the front of the bag, with the risk of the down to shift away. To solve this 3 smaller side closed compartments are installed in the bag, eliminating the risk of down shift.

The La Fayette is a super sharp non compromising climbing and expedition bag. A kind of Lotus SUPER 7 without shock absorbers.

Actually the spirit of Valandre.

The new Chill Out sleeping bag series

Chill-Out-header

At the end of a hard day, all of us needs to chill out, get some rest, food, drink, and then get the necessary good night sleep, vital for next day’s performance.
Quality sleep is key, in high altitude climbing but also to any outdoor adventure. Our high-end expedition oriented sleeping bags: Shocking Blue, Odin and Thor, offers not only insulation but also a five star hotel comfort. This is due to the use of anatomical shaped and precut baffles connecting the inside liner bag and the outside shell fabric in a perfect differential cut.

Our famous duck down sleeping bags the SWING’s offers an excellent price/quality/insulation offer due to the use of a selected high-end duck down 90/10, and a technically simplified compartment system. In the SWING’s you get what you need, at a low price.

The complete backwards design principle.

In the beginning of 2016, we decided to mix the high tech anatomical baffle technology (Differential cut), with our high end duck down creating the first technical top of the line and state of the art duck down bag. The idea is to make high tech construction available to a broader part of the outdoor market, a kind of socializing high tech!

On the outdoor market, sleeping bags the majority of bags uses an outside color to appeal to the consumers, as if OUTDOOR and Climbers select their sleeping bag due to a “funky color”, and then use a black or gray inside color.
What is important in a Sleeping bag is the Down quality/Baffle system things that are on the inside, so why not reverse the color game and come out with a unified line with a 450g, 650g and an 850g filling.

In addition, simply use a “North Korean bunker gray” on the outside, and then use the color effect on the inside liner? 850g is Orange, 650 is Purple and the 450 is Sky blue.

A true design process is never ending, so we still have some minor technical modifications to make. The Chill Outs are expected to go into production in October, and be available in November.

First photos of the Chill out 850 in the prototype version 04, 850g of high-end duck down and total weight 1395g.

(Photos)

The Chill Outs 450, 650 and 850 will be presented at the OUTDOOR trade show in Friedrichshafen and at the OR in SLC in the P 04 version.

Outdoor magazin: Valandre Odin NEO The best products of the year

Odin NEO outdoor-magazin editors, The Editors’ Choice Award is the highest award outdoor hands out once a year. Those who receive it have certainly set standards in detailed tests done in the lab as well as in practice. ' choice

Odin NEO Outdoor-Magazin: Editors’ choice 2015

Valandré Odin NEO

Valandré has strengthened its already excellent reputation as high-end sleeping bag manufacturer by giving one of its bag a facelift. Despite being warmer, the Odin Neo is 160 grammes lighter than its predecessor. It weighs a mere 1,650 grammes. Sleeping bag expert Frank Wacker did not believe his eyes when he received the latest lab results: “A sleeping bag that keeps you warm in -30C in this weight category is unheard of!” Subsequent sleeping tests inside a cool house substantiate these results of –23/–31 °C (lower temperature limit). Valandré managed to come up with this masterpiece by building on its past experience of producing an even cover with enough space for the high-quality down to unfold. The hood also sets standards: the defined collar reminds of a guillotine and combines the best fit with top isolation. Furthermore, the outward-sloping foot part saves weight. “This is a masterpiece featuring top quality material and refined processing,” the sleeping bag expert concludes. Price: 789 Euro.

Top warmth-to-weight ratio: excellent isolation, elaborate construction, top material, meticulously manufactured.

Valandré Odin NEO

Le fabricant de sacs de couchage Valandré a confirmé sa réputation d’excellence en faisant un lifting de sa gamme expédition. En dépit de devenir plus chaud, l’Odin Neo s’allège de 160g par rapport à la version précédente. Il ne pèse que 1650g. L’expert en sacs de couchage Frank Wacker n’en croyait pas ses yeux quand il a reçu les derniers résultats du test en laboratoire : « un sac de couchage qui vous tient au chaud par -30°C dans cette catégorie de poids c’est du jamais vu ! ». Son test en chambre froide confirme les résultats du laboratoire de -21 / -31°C (température extrême). Valandré a réussi ce chef d’œuvre en reprenant ses classiques du préformé ; cela crée un volume uniforme permettant un gonflant optimal du duvet sur l’ensemble du sac. La capuche reprend les standards, elle est associée à une collerette garnie en forme de guillotine ; l’ensemble assure une isolation parfaite. De plus, la footbox inclinée permet gain de poids. « Nous avons ici un chef d’œuvre qui allie matériaux de qualité et construction raffinée » ; conclut l’expert. Prix 789€.

Meilleur ratio Chaleur/Poids ; excellente isolation thermique, construction élaborée, matériaux de premier choix, fabrication et qualité soignées.

Valandré Odin NEO

Durch das aktuelle Facelift festigt Valandré seinen Ruf als High-End-Daunenschlafsackprofi: Trotz gesteigerter Wärmeleistung ist der Odin Neo im Vergleich zum Vorgänger noch einmal 160 Gramm leichter. Er wiegt nun 1650 Gramm. Schlafsackexperte Frank Wacker traut kaum seinen Augen, als er die Messergebnisse aus dem Labor bekommt: »Ein Schlafsack dieser Gewichtsklasse, der bis minus 30 Grad warm hält … unglaublich!« Testschlafreihen im Kühlhaus untermauern das Laborergebnis von –23/–31 °C (untere Temperaturgrenze). Das Kunststück gelingt Valandré durch vorgeformte Stege: Sie schaffen eine gleichmäßige Hülle mit genügend Volumen, sodass sich die hochwertige Daune entfalten kann. Auch die Kapuze setzt Maßstäbe, der aufwendige Wärmekragen gleicht einer Guillotine und verbindet top Passform mit hoher Isolation. Außerdem spart das nach außen geneigte Fußteil Gewicht. »Ein Meisterwerk in bester Material- und Verarbeitungsqualität«, ergänzt der Schlafsack-Experte. Preis: 789 Euro.
top Wärme-Gewichts-Verhältnis hervorragende Isolation aufwendige Konstruktion top Materialien, penibel verarbeitet

Super-size it.. don’t criticize it..!

valandre chamonix mountain festival

In the line of technical goose down sleeping bags, the Shocking Blue stands out in its own category. Nick named “Saint hot as hell” in the USA, this bag has always surprised its users, as it offers a performance that a bag in its category normally would not offer. Field test confirm that the bag can resist –25C (limit of comfort) with 781g of down and 1380g total weight.

So just for fun we just “SUPER SIZED”a Shocking Blue with a 30% increase in baffle height, from 7,5cm to 10cm, and hence the down load from 781g to 1041g. The total weight passes from 1380g to 1680g And, that is a BIG Bag!

Valandre ODIN NEO expedition sleeping bags

Enough is not enough, so we rolled another one and “MAXIMIZED” a Shocking Blue with 60%. Baffle height from7,5cm to 12cm, and down load from 781g to 1249g and hence a total weight of 1951g.

The two bags will be presented at the OUTDOOR trade show in Friedrichshafen and later at the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City, and are due to replace the expedition bags Odin and Thor.

So to be well-prepared for the shows, Valandré will conduct a field test at the Mountain Festival with tent maker SlingFin from USA, putting 3 Odin NEO and 3 Thor NEO into field test on the massif and in altitude. 3 two men tents from SlingFin will be available for the test.

The object of the test is to get confirmation that the bags can resist –30C (Odin NEO) and –40C (Thor NEO). Naturally we do not expect these kind of temperatures in June in Chamonix, but testers will get a pretty good idea about the performance that they are expected to report back to us.