Backcountry have you lost it? Skiing and mountain biking are already WAY too elitist (over $1000 for a bottom line backcountry ski set up and $2000 for a lower-end dual suspension all mountain bike)! Why cater to the people who think they need a $550 sleeping bag as that will soon become the norm? It's too late for some sports; lets try to keep backpacking one of the few outdoor activities that everyone can enjoy. I've got a $150 Switch 20. It's not as light, as new, water-resistant or down, but it works fine for me. Why does anyone need a 12 degree bag for $550?

Consider this, Austin: Economically speaking, the reason we have decent tents for $50 and decent sleeping bags for $100 today is because innovation in the outdoor industry (like any other industry) is driven by the continually evolving high-end brands and gear lines that, once accepted as valuable, become mass produced and their cost slowly inches down to a range accessible by mid-level consumers. Any mainstream technology product is an example of this: LCD screens, touch screens, laptops, etc. We can drop our jaws at the thought that somebody would pay $500 for an iPhone and write them off as "materialistic elitists" but Apple innovates because they want to grab the rents they get from selling new products to die hards for some time. That technology then seeps into the gear that you and me buy at less exorbitant prices. So, consider letting the die-hards and the rich outdoorsy folks pay $500 for this sleeping bag so perhaps in 4 years you and I can buy fancy polyester shell linings on our bags for $100. It's how innovation works in a modern-day economy! We all benefit! So while I disagree with the sentiment of your "Backcountry, have you lost it?" comment for the reasons stated in previous answers, as a teacher into mountaineering, I can sympathize with you, Austin, since I don't always have the financial wiggle room to deck the pack out with the top-of-the-line quality gear. The challenge in any sport culture is to stem the natural tide to becoming elitist in attitude. For instance, I did shell out good money for a mountaineering course last year and thought I had paid to be a third-rate participant in a name-brand outdoor clothing fashion show. Conversation incessantly drifted back to commenting on the various pieces of gear that the course members had bought, usually at top-notch prices. But the good news is that while some people do engage in outdoor activities partly for the sake of showing off $300 Arc'Teryx pants, their doing so doesn't mean I have to do so.

it's all about quality, weight and comfort, in that order. if you want a cheap ass bicycle or a cheap ass bag, so be it, but why boast about your finances in a comment box, a comment box that is here to assist in the adventurers quest for adventuring. i own a $1,500 bicycle because i needed the reassurance of quality while i was riding 30+ some odd miles every day. while a coworker of mine bought a mountain bicycle for $100-200 from your favorite store: wally world, that got him to moan and gripe non stop because he had to keep returning it because it was falling apart, he rode roughly 20 miles a day, well tried to; he mostly had to walk more than half the way. also, i'd love to see you trek in a 6 pound coleman sleeping bag, with your 17 pound colman tent, with your 10 pound coleman stove, along with your bulky blankets and accessories, further than a quarter mile in whatever bag you can't find to fit all of that stuff. WE pay more because our life is on the line while we are 20+ miles out of dodge and the gear we carry will either make us or break us.....

I would also add that Backcountry.com has no part in the MSRP setting process - that is all up to the Manufacturer, S2S in this case. If you really have a problem with the price of this bag, (which does seem to be a relatively low value when compared to comparable offerings from MontBell, Marmot, Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends) a letter to the manufacturer would do more than a question to the BC.com communnity.

You should be happy, in Australia our dollar is stronger than yours and this sleeping bag still costs US$730 (AU$680).

Business 101 - find what the consumer is looking for and supply it. There is still a demand for $39 sleeping bags and Gander Mountain and Walmart have many to choose from along with the $59 tents. Sites like this cater to the people that demand high-end equipment that performs in extreme conditions. If someone feels a Coleman sleeping bag will fit their needs I am sure Dicks Sporting Goods will be more than happy to sell them one.

Knaanier speaks like a true red-blooded American. Hell yeah

I sympathize with what you're saying, but if you really want to choke, have some kids that are interested in outdoor sports. Then really enjoy it when your 13 year old is as big as your are, better than you are at the sport itself, and understands, deserves, and demands high quality gear. The same boots you buy that will last you for years, he/she is grown out of in 6 months. But knanier is absolutely right, it doesn't have to be about gizmos and loads of fancy crap. But I will say this- if you spend a few freezing nights in a $500 bag vs a few in a $150 bag, you'll wonder why you didn't spend that extra money sooner. Hey, you only live once, why not reward yourself for the effort?

Who said you need a 2000 dollar mountain bike? Or a full suspension? Grab your used sleeping bag, wool blanket, and rucksack and go to China if you hate capitalism so; or just don't buy it.