NANGA MOUNTAIN LABORATORY is proud to present
LEVEL 8, the top-of-the-line sleeping bag model

NANGA MOUNTAIN LABORATORY

LEVEL8
IS BORN FROM NML

We’ve taken the technology we have cultivated since our founding
and reexamined it from its fundamental roots at NML.

“We are assessing our performance to verify whether the actions we have been taking on the basis that they are correct were in fact correct.”
NANGA MOUNTAIN LABORATORY (NML), is an in-house research institution that was founded on that very concept. We have circled back to our roots to reexamine the material compositions and review the potential of the structural capabilities.
The current NANGA products offer a lineup of casual apparel designed for townwear; however, in circling back to our roots, the first mission for NML was to begin the research of sleeping bags. Many of the sleeping bags, including our own, utilize temperature ratings based on the results of the European Standards (or EN for European Norms) testing performed by a laboratory in Switzerland. EN has now become a global standard.
On the other hand, core body temperatures differ by race, so it’s natural to assume that European Standards don’t always apply to the Japanese demographic. That is why NML teamed up with developmental research professionals to utilize domestic testing sites and seek advice from well-experienced adventurers to further conduct our own research. We theorized our hypotheses and conducted experiments to collect data. Some of the experiments included setting the usage environment to the North or South Pole and seeing the phenomena that occur in the polar regions as well as verifying whether the results that ensued were as expected. It was a repetitive process of checking whether we had arrived at the correct answers together with a series of research on the materials, structures, and the combination of the two in addition to a thorough examination of everything and anything to the smallest detail.
Down is a material derived from a living being. We have compiled all our technologies to bring out the full benefits of this material to create the LEVEL 8 model, the first product ever to be released by NML as our top-tier sleeping bag. This is our most premium sleeping bag ever to be created thus far.
Succeeded in arriving at a definitive answer to the question, “Have we been doing our manufacturing correctly?” and we are certain of our technical mastery. We will continue to conduct the most up-to-date research into our insulation technology.

LEVEL 8 was engineered through
the compilation of our technologies

The US military uses a standard called the MIL-SPEC, which ranges from Level I to Level VII, and it is applied to a layering system for items worn on the body. At NANGA, we have coined the term, “LEVEL 8”, to our sleeping bags to represent the outermost layer that goes over the Level VII garment.
A typical structure of a sleeping bag can be easily described using a hamburger as an example––the hamburger patty sits in between the two buns. The buns represent each side of a sleeping bag, and the burger patty is the person in it. However, with LEVEL 8, the person is not only sandwiched in between the buns. One of the major features is that there is a wall filled with just the right amount of down installed between the buns, so the hamburger can stand upright on its own. The sleeping bag interior features warmers and tubes that act as partitions to block out the cold draft. The backside utilizes baffles that allow the down some mobility to become more fitted to the body. We have redesigned the placement of the zipper away from the cold air on the ground, and these changes have set our bags apart from the conventional bag construction. Sleeping bags can make a difference between life and death, and in a good way, the performance of the LEVEL 8 bags has proven to be overly warm.

TECHNOLOGY OF
LEVEL 8

Zipper

The zipper of the conventional sleeping bag is located on the side, but for the LEVEL 8 products, the zipper is placed above chest level to reduce the infiltration of cold air from the ground.

Footbox

The footbox is larger than that of the regular model and filled with more down. It is also designed to keep the down from flattening caused by the positioning of the legs when lying down, thereby improving the insulation around the foot area.

Double Draft Tubes

The zipper area is a weak point for cold drafts to enter. The double draft tubes placed behind the zipper will shut out the cold air, resulting in improved heat retention.

Shoulder Warmer & Waist Tube

The sleeping bag features a shoulder warmer in the collar area and a waist tube to fit on the curve of the lower back. These were installed to create walls to block the cold air traveling inside the sleeping bag, resulting in improved heat retention.

Vertical Box Baffles on Backside

The backsides of the conventional models feature horizontal baffles; however, those of the LEVEL 8 models have been innovated with vertical baffles to prevent the down from shifting and bunching when rolling over during sleep. The bag is designed to fit closer to the body, resulting in improved heat retention.

LEVEL 8
-23 AURORA LIGHT

The top-of-the-line model featuring AURORA LIGHT,
intended for the extreme cold.

Features AURORA LIGHT, a lightweight, waterproof, and breathable material. The construction of the sleeping bag itself has also been developed and designed through research. The LEVEL8 series will be released for the first time this season, and this is its waterproof and lightweight model compatible with -23℃ temperatures.

UDD DX (770FP)
¥94,600 in tax

Comfort temperature: -13℃
Lower limit temperature: -23℃

*LEVEL 8 is only available in the Regular size. Maximum length 220 x Maximum width 90 cm (Height up to 180 cm)

Down: UDD DX, 90-10% Spanish duck down (770FP) with super water-repellent finish
Interior construction: Differential box baffle
Fabric/Outer shell: 15D AURORA LIGHT
Lining: 10D recycled nylon with cire water repellent finish
Additional features: Shoulder warmers, double draft tubes, waist tube, sputtered titanium material
Down weight: 1,000 g
Total weight: Approx. 1,670 g
Packable size: φ21×41cm

DIFFERENTIAL BOX QUILT | TITANIUM SPUTTERING

LEVEL 8
-20 UDD BAG

A high-performance model
developed to reduce weight and withstand -20℃ temperatures

We have quantified the technologies we have accumulated and succeeded in digitizing the effects of materials on sleep quality. We were able to validate subjectivity with objectivity. We also discovered the true value of UDD DX, a super water-repellent processed down. The LEVEL8 series was created with much attention to detail, and this is its lightweight model compatible with -20℃ temperatures.

UDD DX (770FP)
¥92,400 in tax

Comfort temperature: -11℃
Lower limit temperature: -20℃

*LEVEL8 is only available in the Regular size. Maximum length 220 x Maximum width 90 cm (Height up to 180 cm)

Down: UDD DX, 90-10% Spanish duck down (770FP) with super water-repellent finish
Interior construction: Differential box baffle
Fabric: 10D recycled nylon with cire water repellent finish
Additional features: Shoulder warmer, double draft tubes, waist tube, sputtered titanium material
Down weight: 950 g
Total weight: Approx. 1,540 g
Packable size: φ21×41cm

DIFFERENTIAL BOX QUILT | TITANIUM SPUTTERING
UDD down

UDD is a high-quality, high-performance down with super water-repellent treatment applied to DX down and boasts a fill power of 770FP.
The down is treated with water-repellent resin at the molecular level to form a wall of fine particles that prevent water permeation. The result is a down that passes moisture but does not absorb water.

Differential box baffle structure

At NML, we collect data on the insulation performance based not only on the quality and amount of down but also on the construction of the sleeping bags. As a result, we have discovered that by constructing the trapezoidal baffles using differential cuts, we can achieve an efficient loft to the down. This is the box baffle structure that NANGA has newly adopted.

NANGA MOUNTAIN LABORATORY

NML

NANGA’s new challenge.
We have established a research institute, the NANGA MOUNTAIN LABORATORY.

For the past 25 years, NANGA has been accumulating a wealth of technical expertise––the mastery of knowing how to combine the structures and down qualities in addition to determining the amount of down to be used in order to make a good product. However, these are only subjective concepts based on experience. We believe that it was essential to collect data based on theory if we wanted to become a global, comprehensive outdoor brand in the future. That is why we established the research institute, NANGA MOUNTAIN LABORATORY. We analyze our own products using the most advanced technology currently available and quantify the insulation effects as well as comfort levels. We then devise severe application conditions to develop new products and pursue our high-level research and development of materials, structures, quality, and quantity.

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