Down bag losing loft

[Giddy_up]

Hi all,
I have a Mammut down bag and it looks like its losing loft on the bottom of the bag where your body weight goes. I store it hanging up and have given it a good air and dry out in sunshine with no effect. I can't feel any lumps or clumps of down and I can't see where it could have migrated to if its moved within the baffles.

Does down crush eventually and not restore over a longer period of use?

For reference I would have slept in the bag about 50 nights or so over about 3 years, and the bag has never been washed. I use a silk liner.

Cheers
G_U


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[Moondog55]

It happens but before you despair take it to a laundromat and tumble dry LOW for a short while.
It may be time to wash it also

[madmacca]

I wouldn't worry too much about loss of loft below you - because this is crushed flat while you sleep, there is little insulative value here even when new. This is what a mat is for.

[Giddy_up]

Thanks Moondog, I just did the tumble drier thing and it has helped but not completely fixed the problem. Will source some down wash soap and head off to the laundromat and give it a good wash.


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[FatCanyoner]

I wouldn't worry too much about loss of loft below you - because this is crushed flat while you sleep, there is little insulative value here even when new. This is what a mat is for.

Yep, I know people who use bags where they can migrate the down to the top and then rely on a good mat like the Exped Downmat to provide the warmth from below. It allows you to push a lighter bag down to colder conditions.

[Giddy_up]

Hi madmacca, your right about the mat being important and I use a good one and was not getting cold. I just noticed that the bottom of the bag was about 1/3 or less of the loft on the top and was worried it had been crushed and damaged. I'm going to give it a wash now as 20 nights of use seems like the bench mark which I'm well over.


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[sthughes]

Definitely wash it. Your problems will be solved.

[nq111]

Definitely wash it. Your problems will be solved.

+1

Scary to do the first time but well worth it in the end.

[rogo]

Thanks Moondog, I just did the tumble drier thing and it has helped but not completely fixed the problem. Will source some down wash soap and head off to the laundromat and give it a good wash.


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The laundromat is only for the drying! I hope you didn't put the bag in the commercial washer.

I fill a bath up and gently work the soap through the bag then rinse until the water is clear then lay flat on towels in a dry warm spot for at least 48 hours then tumble at the laundromat with tennis balls to break up the clumps.

[Franco]

Yes, don't wash the bag at the laundromat.
The idea is to avoid detergents so even if you do it at home in your front loader (no,do not use a top loader) have a hot wash cycle with NO detergent nor clothing in it before hand.
That will get rid of the detergent residues.

[Giddy_up]

Thanks rogo and Franco for that little insight. I have spent the afternoon looking for some of these down wash products with no success and I would have put it in a washing machine at the laundromat if I had found some.

This was what I watched today and was about to do.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=NJrnISxQ ... JrnISxQCus

Next question then is, what should you use as a cleaning agent and what is the process used?

Thanks
G_U


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[Moondog55]

I use the bath to wash my down gear and last time I used the special down wash from Nikwax.
Also a down bag is very very heavy when saturated so I always use a plastic laundry basket to move it around when rinsing etc.

My practice is to use Nikwax downproof at the last of the 3 or 4 rinses and then let my down jumpers + 'parkas use up the rest of the compound, drying as much as possible before taking to the commercial dryer. I would never do this except in summer tho, washing a bag is best left until the really hot weather arrives in January or February

[Giddy_up]

Thanks Moondog, one of my greatest fears is I get the darn thing washed and some good old QLD weather sets in and I turn it into mould blanket.




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[Strider]

Thanks Moondog, one of my greatest fears is I get the darn thing washed and some good old QLD weather sets in and I turn it into mould blanket.




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That's why you take it to a laundromat - you need to use a large drier to dry it to declump the down anyway.

[Snowzone]

Giddy_up being in Qld you are probably ok as long as its good drying weather (not too humid) but definately use a proper down wash available from outdoor stores and be very careful moving the bag around while wet. Because of the weight when wet the internal baffles are easily broken and the down will then all be displaced. I wash mine in the bath and let it thoroughly drain before I then lay it outside on a large flat airing rack or on towels on an outdoor table. Then when the bag is at least half dry, probably about 48 hours later is when I take it to the laundromat and use a dryer on low heat.
Down is easily damaged when wet so treat it very gently until dry and you will be sleeping in lovely fresh bag in no time.

[Moondog55]

Thanks Moondog, one of my greatest fears is I get the darn thing washed and some good old QLD weather sets in and I turn it into mould blanket.




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That's why you take it to a laundromat - you need to use a large drier to dry it to declump the down anyway.

Trouble with that is modern fabrics are so light weight that if put straight into a tumble dryer you could rip all the baffles right off the shell and totally destroy a bag; I have seen it happen