Have used both and they both work. There's a big difference between real goose down and a duck feather down mixture. Both in price and performance. In Canada in the east a sleeping bag is pretty unnecessary during the summer anyway.
When cycling solo or doing expedition climbing - the approach is different. Fleece layers and an outer jacket shell combined with a 'shorty' bag (optional in summer) instead of a full sleeping bag. The rationale is that you can sleep in extra clothing, but its hard to cycle or climb in a sleeping bag.
Travelling in a group lets you carry more gear because more is shared.
Took apart a couple down bags that were years old at one point and they had been washed regularly using a sport wash specifically designed for down. Removing the natural oils off the feathers otherwise ruins the down. Thought I could rescue and maybe reuse the feathers for a pillow if nothing else.
The amount of dirt and other contaminats was surprising and I just tossed the whole thing. I guess its easy to believe this stuff lasts for decades if you never look too closely. At this point I'd give the life expectancy of any sleeping bag that gets used regularly five years at most.
As much as I like some things about down, mold, mildew and dust mites are a much bigger problem with feathers than with synthetics that are treated to resist these. Thats true both at home and on the road.
Last edited by Burton; 03-02-13 at 03:46 AM.