I just made an international move and had limited space. I had ship my sleeping bag compressed and just now got it. It was compressed for....4 months and its a TNF Cats Meow (synthetic bag). Its been in the basement unrolled and I keep fluffing it but its a shadow of its former self. Did I ruin it?
You could try washing and drying it well and see if that improves the loft. It probably won't help like it would in a down bag, but worth a try. My dad refuses to hang his sleeping bag and has always stored it stuffed (but not compressed) year after year. It's probably 15 years old and he never seems to have a problem.
I'm not 100% convinced about the "proper" way to store sleeping bags, so I just leave them somewhat loose in large pillow cases or the included mesh storage sacks.
Yeah, mine was in the stuff sack all tightened down to the size of a football all that time...hopefully I don't freeze my first night in it.
Run it in your dryer with a couple of tennis balls. Run the heat on delicate ... low or no heat at all. I think you'll notice a big difference
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I have a meow too. It's never stored stuffed, but it is compressed fairly tight when I travel.
Last trip I could have sworn it didn't loft as well as last time and I was colder than expected...
Maybe these guys don't like compression?
I'd wash it and dry it in a tumbling dryer with tennis balls or old sneakers. There is a good chance a lot of the filler is stuck together with the sizing the factory uses to keep the fiber manageable while handling and sewing. Washing will remove a lot of that letting the fibers loft better. In your case probably a lot better.
Free advice worth what you paid for it. ;-)
I too had a cats meow-------loved it and used it alot, but made a mistake---used a compressor stuff sack a few times (I didnt know better) Between the age (6 years?) use (?) and over compressing it, the loft was gone. I would say it went from a 20 degree bag to a 50 degree bag. (that is one big advantage to down---its longevity if properly stored)
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My experience with synthetics is that over one summer of VERY active use (35 nights or more of packing/unpacking), my daughter lost about one-third of the loft.
The old "rules" still apply...synthetics are cheaper, heavier and not so durable. Down is expensive, lighter and can last for many years.
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Wash it then dry in in the tumble with tennis balls at least 4 of them then of you can sit dry it further and shake it often and it will came back.
another vote for fluff (no heat) cycle in the dryer with tennis balls or dryer balls.
if it's not dirty, I'm not sure I'd mess with running it through the washing machine.
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