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Down sleeping bags - Do they have a short lifespan ?? Can they be revived ? Down sleeping bags - Do they have a short lifespan ?? Can they be revived ?
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  #1  
Old 5 Nov 2009
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Down sleeping bags - Do they have a short lifespan ?? Can they be revived ?
Hi..

I just bought a second hand down sleeping bag.

A Moutain hardware "Integral" 25-0c sleeping bag.

Having unwrapped it, the bag is really very very thin. I can rub the out skin layers between my fingers and feel amost no down at all !

This is meant to be rated to 0c but having a "test nap" in it today INDOORS, I still felt chilly at 12c.

Just how thick are 2-3 season down bags meant to be ? shouldnt they fluffy and not flat ??

If this bag is doomed, and I can't get a refund, can they be refilled or revived cheaply ??

Thanks all.

Ted
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I used to have an old down bag it was pretty thin too, no idea if you can refill or refurbush. It was ok for spring too hot for summer but I used to and still do carry a silk innerbag for those chilly nights. I'm thinking lake district at easter when its 0degs. good luck.
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Old 5 Nov 2009
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When down gets dirty(or wet) it looses loft (i.e. the ability to quell back when compressed). If the downs are not worn out, which takes a long time, the bag can be washed in down soap and dried in a big tumbledrier( put a clean tennisshoe or a couple of tennisballs in with it). Afterwards You then probably have to redistribute the down inside as it tends to move around inside and lump.
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Old 5 Nov 2009
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Ted, this isn't one of the bags where you're meant to put a sleeping mat into a sleeve in the bottom and it only has down in the top half is it?
If it is, no wonder it's thin in parts.

I've had a number of down bags going back to the 70's and never had one wear out, but they do seem to be less effective after a few years of use. Washing them using the proper down wash stuff doesn't seem to "refluff" them but they do smell less!

You might be able to buy some down from someone like Rab or you could buy a down pillow on ebay for a tenner and take it to bits but you're going to have to cut the bag to stuff it in and them sew it back up again. The one time I tried it didn't go well - the down went everywhere and hand sewing the cuts in the bag took forever and feathers leaked out through the stitching constantly afterwards.
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Old 5 Nov 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by backofbeyond View Post
Ted, this isn't one of the bags where you're meant to put a sleeping mat into a sleeve in the bottom and it only has down in the top half is it?
If it is, no wonder it's thin in parts.

I've had a number of down bags going back to the 70's and never had one wear out, but they do seem to be less effective after a few years of use. Washing them using the proper down wash stuff doesn't seem to "refluff" them but they do smell less!

You might be able to buy some down from someone like Rab or you could buy a down pillow on ebay for a tenner and take it to bits but you're going to have to cut the bag to stuff it in and them sew it back up again. The one time I tried it didn't go well - the down went everywhere and hand sewing the cuts in the bag took forever and feathers leaked out through the stitching constantly afterwards.
bloomin eck that seems like hard work - as for the down bag mine feels thin I have washed it once with nikwax down stuff and soap flakes definatly smells better. mine is a macpak that is only down on the top and just a sleeve underneath its ok but you need to wear clothes to stay warm plus silk liner on the plus size it packs down to the size of a 1 litre stubby bottle and weighs much less

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Old 5 Nov 2009
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Originally Posted by backofbeyond View Post
Ted, this isn't one of the bags where you're meant to put a sleeping mat into a sleeve in the bottom and it only has down in the top half is it?
If it is, no wonder it's thin in parts.

I've had a number of down bags going back to the 70's and never had one wear out, but they do seem to be less effective after a few years of use. Washing them using the proper down wash stuff doesn't seem to "refluff" them but they do smell less!

You might be able to buy some down from someone like Rab or you could buy a down pillow on ebay for a tenner and take it to bits but you're going to have to cut the bag to stuff it in and them sew it back up again. The one time I tried it didn't go well - the down went everywhere and hand sewing the cuts in the bag took forever and feathers leaked out through the stitching constantly afterwards.
Yer, theres no down at all at the bottom as there's a sleave for the sleeping mat.

Holding the bag upto the light you just see thin clumps of down in less that 30% of the bag.
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Hey Ted,

My two bits is that I would wash it once and see if that makes any difference. As noted by others, the down tends to clump after a while as it accumulates dirt, oils, etc. You can use Nikwax or other non-detergent soaps like Zero (which is all Nikwax or other down specific soaps really are). 30% coverage doesn't sound promising though. As for spending the time to restuff, almost unheard of these days. I would much prefer to buy a new down bag from the likes of MEC over here, or go with a somewhat larger 0 rated synthetic bag. Happy riding.
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