Your down sleeping bag is a vital funding in light-weight backpacking. It is good to know that with correct care it will possibly final an extended, very long time.
To increase the lifetime of your bag, by no means retailer it in its stuff sack. Lengthy durations of compression will trigger the bag to lose its loft. Hold it loosely saved in a dry place in a big cotton bag. Or dangle it in a closet or retailer it flat. Do not ever retailer your bag in one thing that’s watertight. This may end up in condensation and mildew. Keep away from extreme warmth that may evaporate the pure oils in down. Be sure your bag is totally dry after every journey earlier than you retailer it.
Airing out your bag on every day of your backpacking journey will assist hold it lofted and dry. Flip inside out and use the solar and breeze if mandatory. Sleeping baggage may be stuffed again and again with out harm. Not utilizing a compression stuff sack and even the smallest stuff sack attainable might show you how to cut back the stress in your bag when stuffing it. By no means roll your sleeping bag. Stuffing it’s simpler on the down and cloth. Once you stuff your bag, begin with the foot first to let the air escape extra simply. Push the bag firmly into the underside of the stuff sack and stuff with a fair movement. This places much less stress on the stitching. As you stuff, should you press in opposition to your thigh or the bottom as a substitute of simply holding the stuff sack out in entrance of you, you may put much less stress on the bag and the stitching of the stuff sack.
As quickly as you get to camp every night, take away the bag from its stuff sack to permit it to air out and loft. Use a fair, light movement to take away it from its stuff sack. By no means yank it and stress its seams. Hold your bag out of daylight except you are drying it, for the reason that UV rays slowly degrade the material.
Lengthen the lifetime of your bag by protecting it as clear as attainable so you do not have to scrub it too typically. By no means lay your bag instantly on the bottom. In the event you’re not in a tent, use a floor material. Hold your Outdoor Sleeping Pad and tent flooring clear. Put on clear clothes to mattress. This protects in opposition to path filth, physique oils, sweat, and lotions that may hurt the down.
If clothes is simply too restrictive, or heavy, think about using a sleeping bag liner. They’re made from cotton, polyester, or silk and may weigh as little as 4 ounces. In addition they add a couple of levels of heat to your bag. After every journey, simply wash and also you’re prepared on your subsequent journey.
Clear small stains and spills with a moist material as they happen to keep away from repeated washings. You’ll be able to spot deal with stains with cleaning soap or cleansing solvent. Use solvents to take away tar or tree sap. Transfer the down away from the spot you are treating.
When your sleeping bag is able to clear as a result of it has an excessive amount of odor, an excessive amount of filth, or has misplaced its loft, all the time comply with all of the producer’s directions. By following a couple of easy tips you possibly can have a clear bag and restore its loft.
By no means dry clear your bag for the reason that solvents can strip away pure oils contained within the down. Dry cleansing fluids stay within the bag, and dry cleansing is just not efficient in cleansing the down.
It is possible that your bag is dirtier on the within than outdoors, so flip the bag inside out earlier than washing. Zip up all of the zippers. By no means use a top-loading or agitator machine as a result of they will harm the baffle development. In the event you do use a washer be certain that it is a entrance loader. Baggage with tricot baffles are stronger than baggage with no-see-um netting baffles. Use chilly and mild cycles.
For all down sleeping baggage it is most secure to scrub by hand in a bathtub or bathtub. You should use delicate soaps corresponding to Ivory Flakes or Woolite, however not detergents. Don’t add bleach or cloth softener. Since you have invested a lot cash in your bag and you may make investments a lot time in washing it, it is best to make use of one of many down cleaners which can be made particularly for down merchandise.
Fill the bathtub with heat water. Use solely the quantity of down cleaner advisable. Rinsing all of it out is one in all your most necessary aims. You’ll be able to put your bag within the water and get it completely moist whereas it is in its stuff sack. This fashion the air has already been pressured out of the bag and you will not need to combat air-filled baffles making an attempt to drift to the floor. Pull the bag from the sack and gently knead the soapy water by way of the bag. Fastidiously scrub the dirtiest locations corresponding to the pinnacle and foot. You’ll be able to apply the cleaner on to the worst areas. Do not anticipate the down cleaner to take away each stain. Let the bag soak for quarter-hour to an hour. It might be mandatory to vary the soapy water greater than as soon as, however do not overdo it. It’s essential rinse with clear water a number of occasions to ensure you get the cleaning soap out. Some producers inform you to rinse 3 or extra occasions, however even utilizing small quantities of cleaning soap, I’ve rinsed 10 occasions or extra. Getting all the cleaning soap out is important. Empty the bathtub with every rinse and let the water drain out. The factor you need to be actually cautious about is pulling or lifting your bag went it is moist and at its heaviest. The stitching or inside baffles may be ripped free. One trick I like to make use of is placing the sleeping bag in a big mesh bag and punctiliously and slowly lifting that bag to knead the cleaning soap in and to rinse the water out. Press in your bag to take away the water after every rinse, however do not ring out the water. In the event you wash your bag in a entrance loading washer, run it by way of a second cycle with out cleaning soap to get all of the suds out.
After the final rinsing, fastidiously transfer your bag to the washer. A washer that may permit you to use the final spin cycle will take away a variety of water and save dryer time. You’ll be able to fastidiously place the bag in a high loader for this half. Once you transfer the bag from tub to washer, you possibly can gently roll it right into a ball or carry it in a mesh bag. Different methods embrace placing it in a big pillowcase or rolling it right into a plastic garments basket.
Some producers warn in opposition to house dryers, however in case you have a low warmth setting, no scorching spots, and no sharp areas contained in the dryer that would harm the shell cloth, you ought to be effective. Tumble dry on the bottom warmth setting. This will likely take two to 4 hours. Throughout washing the down collects in clumps. As you dry, test for lumps and redistribute with light massaging and extra drying time. It might be useful so as to add two or three clear tennis balls to interrupt up the down.