View Full Version : Restoring a Down Bag?
RITBlake
01-29-2009, 02:11
So about a year ago I was given a REI Sub Kilo bag for free from a friend. I was happy to use it and have done so on several trips.
I've noticed though, the down seems to have clumped together. Now when you push down on the bag, in some spots, there is zero insulation left, just the liner fabric rubbing against itself.
Any solutions for this? Maybe putting it in the dryer? Don't want to melt the bag either!
stranger
01-29-2009, 02:28
The reason your down is clumping and creating gaps in insulation is because the down is dirty. You will need to wash the bag with a non-detergent soap (detergent will remove the Lanolin from the down, a natural oil in down).
There is much available online about how to do this, however I would strongly recommend the following:
- Wash the bag in the largest front loading machine you can find
- Use a recommended down wash like "sportswash" or similar product
- Run the bag through the wash a second time with no soap to ensure it's 100% completely rinsed of all soad residue
- Spend about 3-5 hours drying the bag in the largest front loading dryer you can find, on the lowest heat possible
- You will have to remove the bag and break up clumps by hand about every 10-15 minutes (the shoe, tennis ball, this that, theory in the dryer can damage the bag)
Needless to say - this process is long and tedious, but it will work like a charm
Good Luck
RedneckRye
01-29-2009, 02:31
Get a bottle of Nikwax Down Wash, a roll or two of quarters, and a good book.
Head to the laundromat and toss the bag into a front loader.
Read the book while the bag washes and dries for several hours on medium heat.
Enjoy the bag for years to come, repeating the wash and read process every year or two.
Hooray for getting gear for free.
RITBlake
01-29-2009, 09:58
The reason your down is clumping and creating gaps in insulation is because the down is dirty.
Ohhhh, makes sense!
I'm not real familiar with REI brand stuff, but with my WM bag, I simply shifted and shook lots of the down in the back of the bag to the front/top. Now it's much warmer and better insultated. I was gonna trash it
skinewmexico
01-29-2009, 10:05
Buy a specialized down soap, not Sportwash. Hand wash it at home, in your bathtub. Get all the water you can out, then take it to a large, front loading dryer. Be careful as you pick it up, so the baffles don't rip out due to the wet down. Or send it to Rainy Pass to be washed. http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=Product%20Tips%20and%20Care
Tipi Walter
01-29-2009, 10:07
Washing is a huge undertaking. Get ready to spend about four hours at the laundrymat with the big round dryers. And have plenty of quarters. OR: if the bag's not worth really saving, wash it at home and use your home dryer. Why not? How valuable a bag is it, anyway?
garlic08
01-29-2009, 10:39
My bag's instructions say to turn it inside out when washing and drying (Marmot Helium EQ). I assume that's because of the water resistant shell. Should you do this for every down bag?
I was having the same problem with my Helium, especially around the neck and shoulders, and washing fixed it. I heard you can also wash the bag in the bathtub.
I've also heard great things about Rainy Pass in Seattle, some say it's worth the shipping cost.
I happen to have some old down jackets and a sleeping bag that are "down donors" to anything I want to add down to. If you have access to this, you have the ability to custom make your bag into something much better at no cost, just time and slight sewing ability, as I have very little, lol. If you are interested in that, pm me and I can help with the steps involved.
RITBlake
01-29-2009, 10:57
Washing is a huge undertaking. Get ready to spend about four hours at the laundrymat with the big round dryers. And have plenty of quarters. OR: if the bag's not worth really saving, wash it at home and use your home dryer. Why not? How valuable a bag is it, anyway?
It's a $200 bag that I got for free. And at the moment, happens to be the only bag in my kit!
stranger
01-29-2009, 21:32
With all due respect, I would strongly recommend not washing your bag in the bathtub - a washer is much easier and much more effective. Getting all the water out of your bag can be unnecessarily time consuming, and you run the risk of tearing baffles as noted above. A washer poses no such problems and is much faster.
I thought Sportswash was a down specialized soap - perhaps I'm wrong.
skinewmexico
01-30-2009, 00:55
Well, Western Mountaineering and Feathered Friends both recommend the bathtub, so that was good enough for me.
Having washed a few bags in my bathtub I would suggest that it can be done ( I have a top loader and no dryer, but we do have laundromat about 1/2 a mile away )
Obviously you do need pure soap as suggested above.A good soak with lots of massaging is required, then at least three rinses . Make sure that during the all process you <b>do not lift the bag </b> .You should see the water progressively getting cleaner. Then let it drain and gently squeeze some water out of it. When it looks like there is little water to be squeezed stop. Now the tricky bit is to get it out of the bathtub. I use a string hammock for this, one of those cheap jobs that are sold for a few dollars at variety stores . Roll the bag over the hammock (don't lift) then I lift the hammock . More water should come out as you do this. Another way of doing would be to use a bed sheet. Not having a drier but a backyard I then put the hammock out in the sun and hopefully some wind and in two days it will be dry . You have to un-clump the down (very gently) every few hours.
Most will find it quicker and easier to take it to the laundromat, I'm too cheap for that.
Franco
Sorry, the <b> do not lift</b> was a bold attempt on my part. I forgot that there is a button for that.
Franco
So, any opinions on the tennis ball in the dryer with it?
Jayboflavin04
01-30-2009, 08:01
This is good post to read! Does the use of a silk liner, prolong the tedious task of washing your down bag.
So, any opinions on the tennis ball in the dryer with it?
Yeah, I've always heard it was a good idea to throw a bunch of tennis balls in the dryer to help declump the down.
garlic08
01-30-2009, 11:12
Yeah, I've always heard it was a good idea to throw a bunch of tennis balls in the dryer to help declump the down.
Do NOT use a Croc shoe. Even on low heat, mine shrank about 3 sizes!
Thanks for the tips, everyone.
This is good post to read! Does the use of a silk liner, prolong the tedious task of washing your down bag.
Yes. It will keep your bag cleaner. You skin oils are not great for the long term life of the bag.
" Does the use of a silk liner, prolong the tedious task of washing your down bag."
no it actually shortens that because you don't have to do it as often.
But maybe you meant "delay".....:D
Franco
Feral Bill
01-30-2009, 22:16
I have a front loading washer and dryer in the basement. My 40 year old bag washed up nicely. No problem at all.