View Full Version : New waterproof down sleeping bags and puffy sweaters
Anybody use these?
Did they preform as advertised?
I sweat to much in winter to wear down, it is soaked by the end of the day. So I use fleese type jackets which are heavy and do not pack up small.
Packeagle
10-13-2013, 16:43
Underground quilts showed a test of their down in a mason jar of water and it maintained loft. I don't have hands on experience, but the test looked promising.
Add to the down proper layering will help solve your sweat problems.
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Yes I have seen the add that has the "down" in the water in a jar. The shell is nylon not down so is it also treated? These are going at $300 for a jacket and start at 300 for a sleeping BAG. It is mostly always damp in the woods the sleeping bag would perform so much better if the dampness did not mess with the down.
This is an interesting topic ... I'm currently considering a zPacks sleeping bag and they offer 850 fill power water resistant down as a free option. However, since the regular down they use is 900 fill power, the result is that the water resistant option adds about an ounce to the weight of a bag according to the site since more down has to be used for the same temperature rating. Still one ounce seems and zero additional dollars seems like a pretty low price to pay if in fact this technology is effective.
Packeagle
10-14-2013, 17:28
I think the shells have dwr. The bag and down will still get wet like a synthetic bag will. The down just maintains its loft better when wet. Keeping you warmer. Avoiding getting the bag wet is still your best bet.
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oleary92
10-14-2013, 18:31
They look very cool, have not tried them though. Don't think I would pay extra because it's easier and cheaper to just not get them wet in the first place. With a waterproof down jacket I would still wear a ponch or shell over it if it was raining so not sure it would be tons of use in terms of packing less.
"I sweat to much in winter to wear down, it is soaked by the end of the day'
I may be way off but my take is that barring a particular medical condition , if you sweat more than just a little is either because of high ambient temperature or you have too much on if the air is cold.
I see this on the trail all the time.
Folk hike with a 30-50 lbs pack , wearing 3 or 4 layers under that and they sweat profusely.
When they stop in their wet clothing, they get cold, so off they go again still wearing bulky and dump clothing.
At camp they strip off but then get cold pretty fast so back those damp clothing go.
Some like me just wear very little walking but put on a warm layer or two as soon as we stop and take those off before starting again.
Then at camp we take the day wear off , have a wash and put dry stuff on, in winter that would be down clothing.
My rough rule is that if I am comfortably warm (or more precisly not a bit cold...) at camp just before starting, I will be hot 30 minutes later, so I start feeling a bit cold.
Franco is spot on. Less can be more regarding layering while ACTIVE during the winter.
greentick
10-16-2013, 10:20
Franco is spot on. Less can be more regarding layering while ACTIVE during the winter.
Yep. I hike in a tee or long sleeve shirt and shorts down to about freezing. Add a shell/ or midweight layer if it's worse than that. When I stop for the day I don't put on my down until I've started drying/start chilling. During the day, if I'm stopping for more than a few minutes I may put something on.