900 fill power?

[steve hiker]

Was looking at the Hydrogen on Marmot's website and they claim 900 fill power: "Certified 900 Fill Goose Down the best weight to warmth down in the market; independently tested and certified by International Down and Feather Laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah. Retested at fill time in Santa Rosa to ensure 900 fill power every time."

First time I've ever seen a rating like that. New standard or more advertising fluff?

[RagingHampster]

I know I'll stir up a lot of trouble here by saying this, but I wouldn't want to use 900fill down. I have an 800fill blanket, and don't like it. I feel that a 3" loft of 600fill down insulates better than 3" of 800fill down. Density of the fill is anoter part of the equation in my opinion. I'm currently using a synthetic comparable to 500 or 600fill down called Polarguard Delta. Great density, great loft, and relatively small weight and pack-size. Throw in great water-resistance, quick to dry, and cheaper than down. I use a 35* bag in conjunction with my Polartec 300 jacket/hat/mittens and my poncho/vapor barrier if ever needed.

[Don]

curiouser and curiouser...I did a google search for the International Down and Feather Laboratory of Salt Lake Utah and came up with about a dozen hits almost all of them embedded in Marmot advertisements....I did a Yellow Pages search in Salt Lake and found no listing for the Laboratory. . . . Ya think the IDFL is in the back someones garage? maybe they're hooked up with the International Institute for Pepsi can stove design and Testing....gotta wonder!

[gravityman]

There is a BIG difference between what one company calls 800 fill and what another company calls it. We have a feathered friends bag and two Ultralights from Western Mountaineering. Both are suppose to be 800 fill, but the feathered friends bag falls flat as soon as you touch it. The western mountaineering bags on the other hand puff up like you wouldn't believe.

The curious thing is that feathered friends is suppose to have a really good reputation, but their bag is just kinda sad, I have to say...

But all 800 down is NOT created equal!

Gravity man

[AmazinGrace]

I have that Marmot "900-fill-power" bag (Hydrogen), and it's the loftiest, puffiest bag I've ever seen. Being inside it is amazing, you're cocooned in fluff. Very warm, very light. It's also very roomy, especially considering the weight--some lightweight bags save ounces by being cut very tight. I'll be taking it out on the AT at the end of the month for a section-hike in Vermont and will report back about how it does on the trail!

Amazin' Grace

[stranger]

This isn't my area of expertise...so correct me if I'm wrong but I've heard that the higher the fill power...the less durable the down is. I have met many people will 550 fill power bags that are 20 years old and still loft up, I guess we won't know for another 10 years if the 700-900 fill bags are still working.

I have both a 550 and 700 fill bag...unfortunately their is a 30 degree difference between them so I can really compare them.