NeezyDeezy

Hi all,

I normally prefer to tour in warm weather, so it had been a while since I've used my heavier down sleeping bag. I did a hiking trip recently and was miserable at how cold I became, despite the fact that my bag's rating was over 15 degrees warmer than the actual temperature. The bag seemed to have lost most of its loft. I tried to fluff up the bag the next night by taking it out earlier and shaking/smacking it around a little, but without luck.

The bag is only three years old. I've never washed it, and have always kept the bag in a garbage bag to allow it to breathe when I'm not on tour. In doing some internet research, I found out that a lot of people think that high quality down (700-800+ fill) should never be used in a stuff sack with compression straps. On all my tours and camping trips, to minimize space, I've stuffed the HELL out my bags and aggressively used compression straps (once all day for almost a month). I never knew I might be crushing the down.

I don't have money for a new bag at all. I'm going to try to get some reviveX down wash and see if washing it (for the first time) and drying with tennis balls, will help this problem. I'll report back to see. If it turns out the down is permanently crushed, I'm afraid I will be too.

Anyone else have a similar issue? Did washing your bag help?

kayakdiver

If you haven't washed your bag in three years.......... might be your problem. If you have used your bag much your body will sweat and it will get into the down. Killing the loft. Take it to the cleaners and I think you will be surprised at how much warmer it becomes.

I lay my down bag flat under my bed at home when not in use. On tour I don't have any problem using a stuff sack with it.

If you use the rivive X down wash stuff just make sure you don't try and do it at home. Not enough volume to do a good job. Laundry mat time.

My bag is 800+ fill. Feathered friends bag and I'm sure in 20 years I will still be using it. They will last longer than most owners if taken care of.

kyakdiver

Erick L

Store it hanging, flat or in a large cotton bag, not a garbage bag!

An advantage of down is to recover loft after beign compressed. Good down bags have baffles so the down doesn't get stuffed in the same spot.

NeezyDeezy

Thanks for your responses. Total use in the bag is 60-65 days. How would a cotton bag be that much better than a garbage bag?

Would a mod edit the title to "damage to down bags from compression?"

Erick L

A garbage bag doesn't breathe, although it shouldn't affect loft.

kayakdiver

Your bag will be good to go with a little washing. I would suggest you run it through twice since it's never been washed before. You'll be good to go and your bag will be happy.

NeezyDeezy

That's very encouraging, thanks! If I really want to contribute something, I'll try to take before and after profile pictures to see if the loft (hopefully) rises.

HardyWeinberg

Yeah I would think if it gets clammy inside the garbage bag that couldn't help the down's resilience. I always used a string mesh bag if I wasn't going to hang a bag straight from a coat rack.

Camel

I used a down bag on my year tour, and compressed the tar out of it every day, sometimes leaving it compressed for a week or more unused. I did let it air out in the mornings, after use, when time/weather allowed.

Part of my sleep system is that I use a vapor barrier liner inside my bag.

I think my using the vapor barrier liner helped the bag retain it's loft for so long.

My bag is about ready for a down re-fill, and was starting to look into how to go about such on my own, then got side tracked with other things.

-Basicly it is possible to refill a down bag on your own for about 80-130$, and a bit of time and patience. I did some on-line research and had found a seller in California who sells 800 fill down by the ounce.

Edit: these folks was where I was going to buy my down https://www.sevenwondersdown.com/Products.html

They seem nice enough, I asked if they would mind packaging up my order in individual 1 oz packets (so I could fill baffles evenly), they said no-problem.

oldride

Lots of good advice above. I always store my down bag laying flat under my bed and occasionally fluff it. I do think your bag will be fine after washing. Good luck.

markf

I store my down bags loose in a cotton sack (the one that the bag came in, I only compress them as much as necessary when touring or backpacking, and I use a silk liner inside the bag when I sleep in it. Proper washing can extend the life of a bag, but it's a nuisance to do it right.

I also try not to use too warm a bag for expected conditions, otherwise i sweat too much into the bag.

wahoonc

Just as an FYI this applies to most fiber fill bags too. FWIW I have had both and if you put it in a cotton storage sack and hang it in the closet it will be fine. I only stuff mine when on a trip. I have one down bag that is over 25 years old and reaching the end of it's useable life span, also have a fiberfill bag of the same age that is in the same condition. I have used both bags fairly heavily for a 10-15 year period, they have been in semi retirement for the past 9

Aaron

avatarworf

I think any bag is going to suffer on a longer bike tour. Is there really any way to not compress a bag on a bike tour? Not that I've found...

We just accept now that our bags will need to be replaced every year or so. Our current ones have been going since September 2007 but we didn't use them for most of our time in SE Asia. I think we'll need to get them refilled or replaced before we hit North America in May.

pipes

My wife who knows about these things says use tennis SHOES in the drier NOT tennis balls .

overthehillmedi

The other thing to do is DO NOT DRY CLEAN DOWN.It causes the fine down filaments to pill and therefore the down loses it's loft.Wash it twice in the largest machine you can find the second time without soap or anything,basicly you rinse it a lot. If you wash your bag at home in the bathtub keep rinsing until you would drink the rinse water and then rinse again.

antokelly

i emailed exped today on how to store my exped 7 down mat when not in use for long periods.they recommended, laying it flat with valves open,oviously under a bed out of harms way,so i would imagine you do the same with sleeping bag.

dcullen

I have a North Face Blue Kazoo that is over 20 years old and has been heavily used (like two 6 month thru hikes of the AT and 4 summers of summer camp). Its is still very warm.

If you've not washed the bag in 3 years, start there. Use a good product like Revivex and a LARGE capacity front loading washing machine. Use a lot of care when moving to the drier, the wet weight can tear seams. Throw some new tennis ball in the drier too. Proper cleaning will restore the loft.

I notice you said you store in a garbage bag. Please get a proper storage bag. You had the right idea to store uncompressed, but the storage needs to be breathable. Stored under a bed is fine as long as you don't have pets, a storage bag is safer.

Also, develop good care habits while using. I don't use compression bags. The standard stuff sack is usually pretty small and tight. Additional compression is probably not advisable. You sweat about a quart of water at night and this moisture can build up in the down. Take time to air and dry your bag regularly. On long trips, I often take a nice long lunch in the heat of the day and when I do, the bag gets opened up and spread out in the sun. There is a noticeable difference when I air the bag after an extended wet period when I've not had the opportunity to air the bag well. This practice is good for synthetic bags too. While hiking the Appalachian trail I was surprise how few people new this.

Down bags are hard to beat for warmth to weight and size ratio. If the best synthetics don't match high loft down for warth or DURABILITY.

For those folks who say down and water don't mix, my summer camp experience is primarily as a counselor/guide on extended canoeing trips to the NE and Canada. With reasonable care they work great.

NeezyDeezy

Thanks for this.

I am trying to track down some revivex locally to save $. I will let everyone know once I wash it.