Down Sleeping Back Question

[faxanadu]

I acquired an REI radiant plus 650 down sleeping bag. It is relatively brand new but has been stored rolled up in the stuff sack for almost a year.

It is rated for +20 degrees. I'm just curious how much that might be hindered since it wasn't stored properly.

[johnnybgood]

Great question for a first post. I'm going to guess that the rating won't be affected much if any at all. Yes a down bag may lose some insulating by a few degrees for being compressed for so long, but adding a silk bag liner will make up any slight deficit loss.

By the way ...

[faxanadu]

Great question for a first post. I'm going to guess that the rating won't be affected much if any at all. Yes a down bag may lose some insulating by a few degrees for being compressed for so long, but adding a silk bag liner will make up any slight deficit loss.

By the way ...

Thanks for the welcome. And thanks for the info.

The good thing is it wasn't compressed as much as it could of been. The liner idea is good too... i've been looking into these.

[Venchka]

Un zip the bag. Turn it inside out. Place it in a dryer. NO HEAT. Turn the heat OFF. Run the dryer for 20 minutes. Remove bag from dryer. Shake gently. Turn it outside in-the way you sleep in it-lining inside. Zip it up. Lay it flat on a bed or floor (if no pets around) fluff it some more. Leave it out like that and fluff it often. It should be good as new in a week.
Enjoy the bag. My first bag was a an REI Summerlight in the '70s. It is still my spring/summer/fall bag.

Wayne

[inspectorgene]

Down tolerates compression better than synth.

[faxanadu]

Un zip the bag. Turn it inside out. Place it in a dryer. NO HEAT. Turn the heat OFF. Run the dryer for 20 minutes. Remove bag from dryer. Shake gently. Turn it outside in-the way you sleep in it-lining inside. Zip it up. Lay it flat on a bed or floor (if no pets around) fluff it some more. Leave it out like that and fluff it often. It should be good as new in a week.
Enjoy the bag. My first bag was a an REI Summerlight in the '70s. It is still my spring/summer/fall bag.

Wayne

Great tip. I will do this.

[Venchka]

I store my down bags in large, cotton laundry bags. I try to fluff them in the dryer every 6 months. Let them air out for a week. Then back in the laundry bag.

Wayne

[Freedom Walker]

MY down and best synthetic bag I hang on a nail in a closet. May try the dryer thing to help with the down.

[Rocket Jones]

I use those pants hangers with the clamps, hang my quilts in a closet when I'm not using them. They do get used pretty often all year round though.

[jeffmeh]

Throw a couple of tennis balls in the dryer with the bag.

[Starchild]

Hold the bag up with a light source behind it, do you see any gaps in the down, if so you may have a problem.

[swjohnsey]

Or lay it out in the sun, shake it every once in a while to fluff it up.

[QiWiz]

I would not trust the rating anyway until I had done some "backyard testing". Wait for a 20 degree night, set up your shelter, and sleep in it. You will quickly discover if your metabolism and the bag/pad insulation work out or not. If you get too cold, you can always bail and go inside. Hard to do that on trail.

[swjohnsey]

On a positive note, you ain't gonna die if your sleepin' bag is too light for the job. You will spend an uncomfortable night but that's it.

[Drybones]

If the loft has not changed I wouldn't expect the rating to change. Lay the bag out and give it plenty of time to loft up, then measure it and compare to the original specs, that should give some general idea of any rating change.

[wornoutboots]

My Marmot came with a huge loose "storage" bag when it's not on trail. Great Question! just make sure to keep it stored with the "fill" loose

[Kookork]

I had a thread in whiteblaze about how to refresh a compressed down bag. Here is the link:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...bag&highlight=

Kookork