Dog odor coming from new top quilt?

[MarkThompson]

I think it's also all about the batch of down they use in your specific quilt. My HG 40º TQ, and 20º UQ didn't smell. My 20º TQ does – and it really isn't that bad, but I do notice it at times and wish there wasn't a smell at all.

I think my next step, instead of washing it, is to get some new tennis balls and run it in the dryer with those and a ton of dryer sheets.

Very true. My other two HG UQs don't smell at all.

I wonder if Hammock Gear can chime in and let us know if a new batch of down was recently used?

[gbolt]

The real question is "Which smells worse"?
1. Herd of geese taking a bath in a sauna?
2. Herd of Thru Hikers hiking into Hot Springs?

Just saying...

[apsilon]

Thought I'd just add that my HG new top quilt arrived without any real smell to it even if I bury my face in it. Smells like the under quilt does after it'd aired for a while. Both are now living in cotton pillow cases so I don't foresee any smells returning.

[turkeyboy]

FWIW, I ordered a several HG quilts a few weeks ago, and they do have a smell to them, while my older HG quilts do not (and never did). Have considered washing them, but have taken a "wait and see" approach so far.

[SilvrSurfr]

Hmmm - wonder if I just have a dead nose!

My quilts are probably aired out enough that I don't have to worry about it.

[cjayflo]

Mine has the smell to it. My wife smells it as well. I'll see what a few days in the sun does to it.

[zip-tyducttape]

I purchased a HG 0 Burrow about a year ago and it has had the smell since I bought it. I thought over time it would disappear. I also thought maybe it was typical as I've never purchased any other down top quilts or sleeping bags before. Here it is a year later and it still has the odor and it is significant enough to affect my sleeping. I agree with Mark Thompson...it would be nice if HG could chime in and let us know what we can do about it. Come on HG...give us some insight.

[Firesong]

My incubator 20 had the same (Multicam). Sold it.

[mrh_on]

I wonder if the treatment to make the down waterproof is what is causing the issue. Maybe some folks are more sensitive to the smell of it? It is a chemical after all. I know my wife has a lot better sniffer than I do and picks up on smells usually a long time before I do so I'm wondering if some folks are sensitive to whatever the chemical is that they treat with. I got a Burrow 0 this summer and I don't think I smell anything off about it.

[thorwren]

Thanks for bringing this up, folks. We had a supplier we worked with for a long time without issues. Since they supplied goose down for big name companies like Eddie Bauer and The North Face, we felt sure they were a good source. When the demand for DWR down became a standard feature in our products, the extra processing created a problem with the smell. The odors people were experiencing were not from the goose down, but from the water resistant treatment and how it is applied. We tried to work with the supplier to alleviate the problem, and when it could not be resolved, we switched to another source, which resulted in a much better outcome.

Goose down will always have SOME smell to it. That smell is quite similar to the one associated with the goose down DWR treatment. In most cases the odor will dissipate after being aired out for a period of time. Some people have had decent results using a dryer on the lowest setting (this method should be tested for temperature before attempted to make sure the dryer is not too hot). Also, if the quilts are stored in an area that does not have good ventilation, the smell can be quite noticeable when getting the gear back out. While some people are more sensitive to the smell, we do not want anyone to be stuck with a quilt that stinks. It can be a long night out in the woods trying to go to sleep when your top quilt smells funny.

In light of this revived thread, we are in contact with our new supplier to find out what is going on. The integrity or loft of the down was never compromised, rather, it is the challenge of maintaining the way they process it to acquire the water resistance without the odor. This is a priority for us, and we will update you as soon as we have consistent results.

Please contact us if the odor does not seem to go away after attempting to air it out. We will do our best to make things right.