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I need a new sleeping bag. I prefer synthetic but the last superlight one I had has packed down so its got a lot less loft in the filling than it used to have leaving me cold. I have used it for a few hundred nights in 5 years tho. When not in use its been stored unpacked and washed once according to the instructions. the insulation is a sheet and it used to loft up to 5 cm thick - now less than 2 cm. I assume just usage
Looking for comfort down to 0c ish, light, small.
I think you have done quite well out of that one. Synthetics don't usually last as long as down but 5 years/ a few hundred nights seems quite good.
Current bags here are Rab synthetics and one other ultralight brand I have forgotten (in the loft - not warm, just small and light). Nothing wrong with the Rabs though. I would buy them again when they are done.
Down basically. Store it uncompressed and keep it dry and it will last for decades. I had/have somewhere an old Mountain Equipment Lightline from when I was a sixth former, which was a very long time ago. The shell fabric lost its softness over time, but the actual filling was still going strong. Synthetic fibres tend to break over time, especially when compressed regularly, so the filling loses its ability to loft. Down is more resilient.
Ethically-sourced down - ME has a Down Codex which allows you to trace the down in your bag or jacket back to an individual farm/supplier - is mostly a by-product of the food industry. If you wanted really ethical down, Eider duck down is collected from their nesting sites after they've used them, but afaik isn't used in any sleeping bags. It's amazing stuff:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/19/eiderdown-harvesting-iceland-eider-duck
used with a liner 🙂
No such thing as ethical down. some is more horribly sourced than other sources but none is ethical. There is also a wet clumping issue that destroyed my last down bag
Standard STW recommendation for a down bag is a Mountain Hardware Lamina of whatever rating you desire. I have two and can't fault them, though I'm mostly using down these days.
@scotroutes meant synthetic for the Lamina. I've got one as my gash/car camping bag and it's pretty light, compact and warm for synthetic. I use down where weight and warmth matters. Mountain Equipment before and now PHD (ironically ME's founder). Horribly expensive but fantastic quality and warmth. I'd buy a 0°C Lamina for damp 2-3 season back/bike packing and a superlight down bag for summer/2.5 season use. I don't do much winter or high altitude exped stuff nowadays tho still have the kit for it.
this one was a mountain hardware lamina!
Mebbies you're expecting a bit much/living up to the stereotype...🙃
Maybe! It was only when I typed it out I realised how much use I have had from it.
I'd get another Lamina 32 (Fahrenheits for the Septics). ~£100 for 5 years/hundreds of nights is pretty good value. They were about the lightest and most compact of the synthetics unless there's been a radical change in the last few years.
Wadding or sheet style synthetic insulation compresses over time. It looks like you've had your money's worth.
Either go for down or see if you can find a newer synthetic bag with the plume style insulation that mimics down. Lots of companies use it in jackets but I'm not sure about sleeping bags.
If you get a new bag Mtn HW are still great but don't forget Mountain Equipment and Marmot. They're not sexy brands but their bags just work and don't let you down.
No idea about longevity, but I've been pretty impressed with Primaloft Gold.
Down might not be ethical but is sustainable. A decent down bag will outlast you. My main Mountain Equipment bag is 27 years old and still in great condition.
No such thing as ethical down. some is more horribly sourced than other sources but none is ethical. There is also a wet clumping issue that destroyed my last down bag
It depends on your definition of 'ethical'. If you believe that eating animals is wrong, then yes, even down produced as a by-product of the meat industry is suspect, so I guess you're vegan too? If your concern is with the way the geese/ducks are kept and the down is processed, then some down is clearly produced more humanely than other down. Most, probably all, technical outdoor brands source down with some sort of certification, of these ME's own down codex is probably the best and most thorough.
Really bluntly: the geese are being eaten anyway, their down is a by-product of that process, not the main reason they are killed. Far better to source down that way than the horrific process of live plucking, which is utterly abhorrent.
As far as 'wet-clumping' goes, down which has a hydrophobic treatment is far less prone to this and will retain about 90% of its loft after drying without the use of tumble driers, tennis ball agitation etc. Even non-treated down will recover if properly washed and dried after getting soaked btw.
If you're talking about synthetic fills, bear in mind that you're looking at plastic which is a product of the global petro-chemical fossil fuel industry, so arguably not very 'ethical' either. Your other options would be wool-based fill - is that 'ethical' given the damage that sheep farming causes to the natural landscape. Or maybe shredded silk.
The big plus of down is that with proper care, the fill will pretty much last indefinitely and outdoor brands are starting to use recycled down. Synthetic bags, ime, will manage four or five years of use, less if you use them a lot so they're repeatedly compressed which crushes and gradually breaks down the fibres.
Anyway, MHW Lamina bags are good ime. PrimaLoft ones also. But I'm not convinced that they are more ethical than down per se and, given that a well-cared for down bag will outlast a synthetic one by six or seven times, possibly more, you can argue pretty reasonably that down bags are significantly more sustainable.
I'm not tell you what your ethical stance ought to be btw, if you find all animal by-products abhorrent then fair enough, but ethically-produced down is no more unethical than leather for example.
Sorry, I'll shut up now 🙂
fair enough BWD
It's difficult. To be fair to the outdoors industry, the down it uses tends to be top-end, premium stuff and I think outdoors brands are quite ethically aware, not perfect by any means, but definitely trying. The situation with mass-production bedding - domestic duvets, pillows etc - is a lot more iffy I think. What is encouraging is that outdoor brands are starting to recycle / reprocess down, not just from technical clothing and bags, but mostly more general clothing and bedding in particular.
The situation around synthetic fabrics and insulation is also 'interesting'. Unfortunately, for a lot of technical use, synthetic fabrics simply work better than natural alternatives, particularly when it comes to drying and wicking, but down actually outperforms synthetic alternatives, it's really extraordinary, special stuff.
If you compress a handfull of 1000 fill-power down in your hand and then unclench your fist, the down expands so fast that it's almost like a mini explosion. Absiolutely mad. Anyway, I really will shut up now 🙂
I have a down jacket I was given and it really is brilliant
Just get an ex army one. Plenty unused on eBay. 50 quid at worst. I've got a medium weight which is virtually identical to the Carinthia bag. Very comfy. Holofibre. Actually prior to this I had an older British army down bag which lasted yonks. Zero complaints.
I have a 30 year old Snugpak that is still good condition, although to be fair I only use it a few times a year now- when I bought it I used it every day for six months on my RTW trip so it had plenty of use then. I did wash it regularly btw and had a liner
I have had other bags that lasted longer in years but probably not as many nights and I did compress it really tightly to pack it