View Full Version : First down sleeping bag
OK, I got my first down sleeping bag yesterday. It comes with a feature they didn't advertise...it smells like wet dog! Makes you go "hmmmmm...." :-? Hope it can air out before I have to pack everything tonight.
taildragger
04-08-2008, 14:41
OK, I got my first down sleeping bag yesterday. It comes with a feature they didn't advertise...it smells like wet dog! Makes you go "hmmmmm...." :-? Hope it can air out before I have to pack everything tonight.
Maybe its an air freshener?
Wet dog smells far better than 4+ day enriched hiker funk
envirodiver
04-08-2008, 14:48
OK, I got my first down sleeping bag yesterday. It comes with a feature they didn't advertise...it smells like wet dog! Makes you go "hmmmmm...." :-? Hope it can air out before I have to pack everything tonight.
They usually charge extra for that feature.
BTW, Hilo town is a nice place.
88BlueGT
04-08-2008, 14:58
If you have a few days wash it out...
or throw a few air fresheners in there and hope for the best :)
saimyoji
04-08-2008, 15:07
OK, I got my first down sleeping bag yesterday. It comes with a feature they didn't advertise...it smells like wet dog! Makes you go "hmmmmm...." :-? Hope it can air out before I have to pack everything tonight.
Perhaps provide details on vendor, bag type...
OK, I got my first down sleeping bag yesterday. It comes with a feature they didn't advertise...it smells like wet dog! Makes you go "hmmmmm...." :-? Hope it can air out before I have to pack everything tonight.
Shouldn't smell like that. Contact the manufacturer. What kind of bag is it? :-?
BTW, Hilo town is a nice place.
East Hawai'i took a lot of getting used to, and a complete change of hobbies. The proximity of the wilderness is its one saving grace, or else it would be like living in a grave. I seriously miss the Northern seasons.
It's a Marmot helium. Except for the smell, it looks like what I've been dreaming of. Wet dog or not, my helicopter drop into the forest reserve for this week's forest bird surveys is tomorrow morning, if the weather and volcanic activity allows.
Got it from Campmor. Package arrived 2-day air in perfect condition, so it didn't get wet along the way or anything like that. It's just a fairly modest animal odor that surprised me. Trying to air it out at home, but it's probably just sucking up sulfur fumes from the volcano right now to add to the wonderful aroma experience. ;D
Ramble~On
04-08-2008, 15:22
If you bought the bag used you'll probably want to wash it before you climb into the unknown.:eek:
There should be a small tag somewhere on the bag with instructions for care. Down can't be washed the same as a synthetic and takes longer to dry. Most laundry mats have large front opening washing machines that are the recommended method for most bags.
You posted the above as I was writing this one...Wash it anyway and that ought to get rid of the odor.
saimyoji
04-08-2008, 15:32
My Marmot down bag had a slight chemical odor that I attributed to the sterilization of the down. Perhaps this chemical is what you are smelling, but to your senses, is more of a "wet dog" smell?
Definitely smelled "wet dog" to me, but different people smell differently. I actually thought a dirty dog was outside my window before I realized it was the bag on the floor. That's when I realized it's full of real feathers. No time for washing, tho.
Ramble~On
04-08-2008, 15:52
If the smell bothers you Fabreeze spray might help or lysol.
I don't wash my down bag after every trip but I do shove a couple of fabric softener sheets inside it and hang it from the ceiling to air/dry out.
I got some fabreeze stuff - is it safe for the bag.
When I saw the itty bitty stuff sack the bag goes in, and felt the incredible fabric it's made out of I was glad I spent the $$$ on it. My old Marmot trestles bag was a monster to carry around.
88BlueGT
04-08-2008, 15:59
which Marmot bag did you go with?
88BlueGT
04-08-2008, 16:19
Nice I just baught the same one about two months ago. Its ashame because I havent even used it yet and now its starting to get warm enough where I'm not going to be able to lol. Seems to be a EXTREMELY nice bag though. I have a granite gear compression sack and can get it down to the length of a remote for a tv and the thickness of like 1 1/2 nalgene bottles
Hmmm :-? - "wet dog" smell? Ah, sure it's filled with feathers? :D
Throw two-three bounce sheets in the bag, cinch the bag a bit. Helps eliminate odors.
Appalachian Tater
04-08-2008, 17:37
Put it in the sun and air it out, and reverse it after a few hours.
I am a little surprised that it has that kind of smell.
Well, I snoozed under it on the couch for a couple hours last night and didn't barf, so at least I think it'll work out OK. ;)
Definitely smelled "wet dog" to me, but different people smell differently. I actually thought a dirty dog was outside my window before I realized it was the bag on the floor. That's when I realized it's full of real feathers. No time for washing, tho.
Very little amount of feathers if any. Thats a 850 fill down in there. I have that bag and had no smell to it. Return it for a new one.
88BlueGT
04-09-2008, 00:27
you think its a possiblity that they sold you a used bag? :-?
Who can say? Definitely "wet dog". Oh well, time to get everything packed and loaded.
88BlueGT
04-09-2008, 11:58
to take out to use or to send back?
to take out to use or to send back?
For the big adventure! However, when I got to the helicopter pickup site at 6AM I found out that they postponed our bird survey a couple weeks due to flash flood watch.
Anyhow, it's airing out again and I'll have a go at washing it next week if I think I can find a way to get it to dry out in a few days.
Trying fabreeze on it turned out to be a big mistake - you don't notice it on cotton, but on nylon ripstop fabreeze leaves a really sticky residue.
For the big adventure! However, when I got to the helicopter pickup site at 6AM I found out that they postponed our bird survey a couple weeks due to flash flood watch.
Anyhow, it's airing out again and I'll have a go at washing it next week if I think I can find a way to get it to dry out in a few days.
Trying fabreeze on it turned out to be a big mistake - you don't notice it on cotton, but on nylon ripstop fabreeze leaves a really sticky residue.
This story of the Bag doesn't sound like its going to have a happy ending.
This story of the Bag doesn't sound like its going to have a happy ending.
Well, whatever happens it's worlds better for expeditions than my old synthetic-fill monster bag.
Tipi Walter
04-11-2008, 08:31
Does it smell like one wet dog, two or three wet dogs? If it's three, then you have a bag for a three-dog night!! Ha Ha Ha.
Seriously, sometimes new urethane coated products(like stuff sacks)have a musky strong odor, like an animal, so the bag could've been stored in or near other products with this smell. I'd send it back to Campmor and try again or find the Helium for sale at another online store.
saimyoji
04-11-2008, 09:04
Since you now have the time, definately send it back.
I couldn't do anything about it until at least Monday, so I'm going to see how it smells then. It seems slightly better now. The hassle of trying to return it before I need to re-pack, with all the other stuff that's going on, is currently far greater than the hassle of the smell. I'll just name it Fido.
Berserker
04-16-2008, 13:09
I have several down bags, and have checked out a bunch of others over the years. None of them had any appreciable smell that I could remember. If your bag smells like a wet dog then there is definitely something awry. If you can live with it then rock on. I myself would send it back.
The smell seems to have lessened somewhat, so I think it'll be fine if I hang it in an airy location for the next few months. I didn't find any holes or tears that would indicate rats or mice got into it, which was my biggest concern. I was surprised that only one other person has told me of a similar experience.
leeki pole
04-16-2008, 14:46
My fear would be that wet dog smell would come back in humid and/or damp conditions. Down shouldn't smell. Send it back.
taildragger
04-16-2008, 14:48
If its smelling and you bought it new, then why aren't you sending it back?
Just curious, I know that thing would've be gone by now if I'd bought it
envirodiver
04-16-2008, 15:10
Should at least call them and talk to them about it. They will likely tell you to send it back.
If its smelling and you bought it new, then why aren't you sending it back?
Just curious, I know that thing would've be gone by now if I'd bought it
Because I had to use it the day after it arrived. I'm not keen to send it back now because of all the time that'll waste, and I can't afford to be without the bag when I need it again. If the return shipment gets screwed up or the replacement bag arrives damaged I may have to buy a second bag and have it next day aired to me so I have a bag in time for the next trip. When the helicopter flies I have to be on it, bag or no bag.
taildragger
04-16-2008, 16:42
With the dealings I've had with campmor, I'd think that it wouldn't be too hard to explain your situation and they'll help you take care of it.
I'd at least try that before putting up with a funked up bag.
But then again, thats just me.
Well, if I can get myself up before dawn tomorrow I might be able to call about it before I head up the mountain. If it arrived at the current smell level I probably wouldn't ever have noticed. It was much more musky the day it arrived. I haven't really been home enough to really look at it in a few days. At least the fabreeze I sprayed on it isn't as sticky anymore.
ChinMusic
04-16-2008, 17:03
First down, sleeping bag
Did they have to measure?
With the dealings I've had with campmor, I'd think that it wouldn't be too hard to explain your situation and they'll help you take care of it.
I'd at least try that before putting up with a funked up bag.
But then again, thats just me.
They are open late. Call, tell them what's up. I bet if you are nice they will send out a new one, while you use the doggy one, which you can then return.
Those guys are on top of it, they don't want you running around telling people like me you got a fancy bag that smelled like dog butt. Tell them you put Febreeze to it, and it is still less than what you had hoped for from Campmor.
honestly i'm quite impressed at how well you've handled this. i would've been pretty pissed! kudos...
I stuck my nose all over it last night, and the smell has escaped to parts unknown. Mostly smells faintly like synthetic fabric now. Since I'm in the tropics it will be hanging in the closet, not stored in a bag, so it should always get plenty of air. Glad I didn't have to try to wash it.
Now I have to figure out how to keep condensation away from it in the hammock at night...
9 months later... The bag has mostly been on the couch in the living room for 9 months and the wet dog has not been smelled again. I finally had a chance to use the bag for two nights in a HIGH humidity environment last week and the wet dog did not return, even when the bag got surface-wet from condensation near the hood and on the top side.
This is a Helium +15F bag. I slept on a covered deck, and estimate the outside temperature to have been 45-50F with very little breeze, but the upper surface of the dark bag could have been colder from radiative cooling. (tiny beads and sheen of condensation on the upper surface of the bag all night.) I was wearing smartwools, boxer briefs and flannel PJ-bottoms, wicking shirt, long-sleeve cotton shirt and long-sleeved "fleece" top, and finally a "baseball"-type hat. I was perfectly comfy all night, and occasionally a tad too warm. (I'm a cold sleeper)
My first two outings with the bag wearing the same outfit on ca. 55F nights in my hammock were quite cold because of lack of underside insulation because my weight squashed the down underneath me. Conclusion - I need to make an underquilt for the hammock and that will be fixed.
Happy camper.
every once in awhile i open a webpage and drool at the helium. then i come back to reality and i have a lafuma
saimyoji
01-07-2009, 13:50
its a long, but its a great price.
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___46556
every once in awhile i open a webpage and drool at the helium. then i come back to reality and i have a lafuma
You'll drool more when you see how small it compresses. :D It's about 1/3 the volume of my synthetic bag, and maybe less than half the weight.