View Full Version : Help! New down bag question
Ok, so I just bought a 15 degree Montbell SS down hugger #1. I used it this weekend in the smokies which It performed fantastically.
I got home and was looking it over when I noticed a feather was sticking out of the bag so I pulled it out. I found another one as well.
Whats going on? Is this supposed to happen? I only used the bag for a couple nights and I've been treating this thing like it's my baby b/c it was so much money.
A few feathers night is no big deal--that's pretty normal. I wouldn't yank feathers out though.
Tipi Walter
11-25-2007, 16:26
I haven't seen a bag yet that the down doesn't come out. The main point is just to pull it back in and not pull it out. Can be tricky when the down cluster is near a seam or zipper. Some shell materials are more resistant to this, perhaps the microfibers, but the inner nylon shell will sometimes allow down to escape.
Mont-bell makes great bags. That's what I use. Feathers coming out is normal. From the side of the bag opposite where the feather is coming out, grab it from the inside and pull it back through. Don't pull them out. It is the lightweight fabric that allows the feather to stick through. Any lightweight bag would be the same.
saimyoji
11-25-2007, 16:35
Mont-bell makes great bags. That's what I use. Feathers coming out is normal. From the side of the bag opposite where the feather is coming out, grab it from the inside ans pull it back through. Don't pull them out. It is the lightweight fabric that allows the feather to stick through. Any lightweight bag would be the same.
(emphasis mine)
This is very important and needs repeating.
Tipi Walter
11-25-2007, 16:49
(emphasis mine)
This is very important and needs repeating.
Plus, each down cluster is worth about $10, so you gotta keep 'em in!:)
Congrats on the purchase! I hope you are as happy with your as I am mine!!
As for the feathers... I have only had 1 or 2 in a year poke thru and I usually find them on my clothes when I wake up...
My down jacket on the other hand did have more of a prolem "shedding." I found that if I grasped the feather from the opposite side of the fabric and pulled it back into the jacket, no further feather loss occured... Try that with your bag. Hope it works!
I see we are all on the same thought track, pull the down back in!!
Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better.
I will pull them in from now on.
Johnny Thunder
11-25-2007, 18:35
Losing one or two isn't a big deal...I was told by marmot that and ounce of 850 (or maybe 900) rated down is about the size of a basketball. So, a few feathers isn't even a fraction of an ounce of lost fill.
My down jacket on the other hand did have more of a prolem "shedding." I found that if I grasped the feather from the opposite side of the fabric and pulled it back into the jacket, no further feather loss occured... Try that with your bag. Hope it works!
Good idea, definately "pull" them back in if you can, it's not hard to do, and worth your peace of mind if a bunch are coming out. I usually have little tiny wispy ones come thru every once in a while.:)
Nightwalker
11-25-2007, 23:56
My Mountain Smith bag lost a good deal of down at first, but stopped after a few months. Maybe the frisky ones just need to get away!
Appalachian Tater
11-27-2007, 19:44
Definitely either pull them back in or clip them off, don't pull them out or it can start pulling others through as well. And it is normal and not brand-specific. My lightweight Marmot bags, you can actually see the down through the material, it is so thin.
Tipi Walter
11-27-2007, 20:28
Another question could be, 'How do I get more down INTO my bag."