How To Care For And Clean Your
Down Sleeping Bag
Your down
sleeping bag is an important investment in lightweight
backpacking. It’s good to know that with proper care it can
last
a long, long time.
To extend the life of your bag, never store it in its stuff sack. Long
periods of compression will cause the bag to lose its loft.
Keep
it loosely stored in a dry place in a large cotton bag. Or hang it in a
closet or store it flat. Don’t ever store your bag in
something
that is watertight. This can result in condensation and
mildew. Avoid excessive heat that can evaporate the natural
oils
in down. Make sure your bag is completely dry after each trip
before you store it.
Airing out your bag on each day of your backpacking trip will help keep
it lofted and dry. Turn inside out and use the sun and breeze
if
necessary. Sleeping bags can be stuffed over and over without
damage. Not using a compression stuff sack or even the
smallest
stuff sack possible may help you reduce the stress on your bag when
stuffing it. Never roll your sleeping bag. Stuffing
it is
easier on the down and fabric. When you stuff your bag, start
with
the foot first to let the air escape more easily. Push the
bag
firmly into the bottom of the stuff sack and stuff with an even
motion. This puts less stress on the stitching. As
you stuff,
if you press against your thigh or the ground instead of just holding
the stuff sack out in front of you, you’ll put less stress on
the
bag and the stitching of the stuff sack.
As soon as you get to camp each evening, remove the bag from its stuff
sack to allow it to air out and loft. Use an even, gentle
motion
to remove it from its stuff sack. Never yank it and stress its
seams. Keep your bag out of sunlight unless you’re
drying
it, since the UV rays slowly degrade the fabric.
Extend the life of your bag by keeping it as clean as possible so you
don’t have to wash it too often. Never lay your bag
directly
on the ground. If you’re not in a tent, use a ground
cloth. Keep your sleeping pad and tent floor clean.
Wear
clean clothing to bed. This protects against trail dirt, body
oils, sweat, and lotions that can harm the down.
If clothing is too restrictive, or heavy, consider using a sleeping bag
liner. They are made of cotton, polyester, or silk and can
weigh
as little as four ounces. They also add a few degrees of
warmth to
your bag. After each trip, just wash and you’re
ready for
your next adventure.
Clean small stains and spills with a damp cloth as they occur to avoid
repeated washings. You can spot treat stains with soap or
cleaning
solvent. Use solvents to remove tar or tree sap. Move
the
down away from the spot you’re treating.
When your sleeping bag is ready to clean because it has too much odor,
too much dirt, or has lost its loft, always follow all the
manufacturer’s instructions. By following a few
simple
guidelines you can have a clean bag and restore its loft.
Never dry clean your bag since the solvents can strip away natural oils
contained in the down. Dry cleaning fluids remain in the bag,
and
dry cleaning is not effective in cleaning the down.
It’s probable that your bag is dirtier on the inside than
outside, so turn the bag inside out before washing. Zip up all
the
zippers. Never use a top-loading or agitator machine because
they
can damage the baffle construction. If you do use a washing
machine make sure it’s a front loader. Bags with
tricot
baffles are stronger than bags with no-see-um netting
baffles.
Use cold and gentle cycles.
For all down sleeping bags it’s safest to wash by hand in a
tub
or bathtub. You can use mild soaps such as Ivory Flakes or
Woolite, but not detergents. Do not add bleach or fabric
softener. Since you’ve invested so much money in
your bag
and you’ll invest so much time in washing it, it’s
best to
use one of the down cleaners that are made especially for down products.
Fill the tub with warm water. Use only the amount of down
cleaner
recommended. Rinsing it all out is one of your most important
objectives. You can put your bag in the water and get it
totally
wet while it's in its stuff sack. This way the air has already
been forced out of the bag and you won’t have to fight
air-filled
baffles trying to float to the surface. Pull the bag from the
sack
and gently knead the soapy water through the bag. Carefully
scrub
the dirtiest places such as the head and foot. You can apply
the
cleaner directly to the worst areas. Don’t expect
the down
cleaner to remove every stain. Let the bag soak for 15 minutes to an
hour. It may be necessary to change the soapy water more than
once, but don’t overdo it. You need to rinse with
clear
water several times to make sure you get the soap out. Some
manufacturers tell you to rinse 3 or more times, but even using small
amounts of soap, I've rinsed 10 times or more. Getting all of the soap
out is critical. Empty the tub with each rinse and let the
water
drain out. The thing you want to be really careful about is
pulling or lifting your bag went it's wet and at its heaviest. The
stitching or interior baffles can be ripped loose. One trick I like to
use is putting the sleeping bag in a large mesh bag and carefully and
slowly lifting that bag to knead the soap in and to rinse the water
out. Press on your bag to remove the water after each rinse,
but
don’t ring out the water. If you wash your bag in a
front
loading washer, run it through a second cycle without soap to get all
the suds out.
After the last rinsing, carefully move your bag to the washing
machine. A washing machine that will allow you to use the last
spin cycle will remove a lot of water and save dryer time. You can
carefully place the bag in a top loader for this part. When
you
move the bag from tub to washer, you can gently roll it into a ball or
carry it in a mesh bag. Other techniques include putting it in
a
large pillowcase or rolling it into a plastic clothesbasket.
Some manufacturers warn against home dryers, but if you have a low heat
setting, no hot spots, and no sharp areas inside the dryer that could
damage the shell fabric, you should be fine. Tumble dry on the
lowest heat setting. This may take two to four
hours. During
washing the down collects in clumps. As you dry, check for
lumps
and redistribute with gentle massaging and more drying
time. It
may be helpful to add two or three clean tennis balls to break up the
down.
Here's
a recap of the basics:
- Wash in bathtub or front loading washing machine
- Use down cleaner
- Don't pull and stress the bag when wet
- Rinse thoroughly
- Dry completely
With proper care and washing, you can enjoy many
years of comfort in your sleeping bag.
Click here to see our clothing and other
ultralight gear
About the author: Steve Green of www.hikelight.com
is an avid hiker who has enjoyed trimming his backpack
weight for over 40 years
.
Contact
Call: (800) 933-HIKE (4453)
Email: hikelight@yahoo.com
