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Posted by Bill S on October 21, 2006 at 11:20:27 am EDT
In reply to Feather question posted by Blackbeard on October 21, 2006 at 7:25:08 am EDT

All down bags leak some feathers. Higher quality bags use more "downproof" materials and leak fewer feathers. But they also use higher-loft down, which has lots more tiny plumules, which tend to get through the fabrics more readily. Still, the top end bags from Feathered Friends and Western Mountaineering leak less than Generic Sporting Goods bags.

Interesting bit of trivia - I have a copy of a study report from the Army labs on the best fill for Arctic bags. Turns out that the best fill is not pure down plumules, but a mix of feathers with the plumules. And the type of feathers? Turns out it is chicken feathers! The big problem that made the chicken feather mix unacceptable is that when wet, chicken feathers have a horrendous stench. They tried to de-odorize the feathers, but were never successful. For some reason, mixes with duck or goose feathers did not work out as well.

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• Re: Feathers - Blackbeard 12:08:22 10/21/2006
  • Re: Feathers - Bill S 13:42:27 10/21/2006
    • Re: Feathers - my two cents worth - SteveTheFolkie 09:49:22 12/05/2006

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