How long do you keep your down compressed?

[475068350]

I was wondering, how long you can keep down compressed and it not lose its' loft? Any input appreciated.

[Brute1100]

That's a hard question to answer... I can say this, I have a down sleeping bag my mom bought in the 70's sometime... And it stayed compressed all of my life and it still lofts up quite nicely... I think what does more damage is repeated over compression and reloft... I guess cycling it between lofted and compressed is what I am saying does the most damage.

Now that being said I still use that sleeping bag but it stays lofted in a pillow case unless it's compressed into the stuff sack and on a trip with me.

[MAD777]

I put mine in a stuff sack the night before a trip and remove it as soon as I return home. All my down either hangs from a hook or lives in a super-sized, cotton pillow case at home.

[Junebugdawn]

The down I used in my TQ and UQ was from a Frostline kit that was at least 25 years old most likely. The down was packaged in plastic baggies with 2 oz each. It lofted up just fine. I store my quilts hanging up.

[JohnSawyer]

The down I used in my TQ and UQ was from a Frostline kit that was at least 25 years old most likely. The down was packaged in plastic baggies with 2 oz each. It lofted up just fine. I store my quilts hanging up.

wow. Me too! I still have some frostline down that's what, >30 years old, compressed into a puck...

Bought a 80's vintage down bag, was compressed for years. washed it and it's toasty warm!

I don't have hanging room, so they're kept in laundry bags...

John

[bruinfan]

great thread. thanks everyone. I learned something here

[DemostiX]

The usual is that down should remain uncompressed, even though it seems unlikely that it is shipped and stored that way.

Similarly even though down is heavily laundered and sterilized or pasteurized to kill viruses and remove all dirt, you'll often find expressions of concern for stripping out natural oils, as though the concerned had lanolin in mind, something in unprocessed wool.

My guess is that there's some well-done research somewhere on the OP's question, because it must be of concern to manufacturers.

I would also guess that compression has little to do with loft recovery and everything to do with the container in which it is compressed and the condition of the down before it goes in that container. Wet down will grow moldy and compressed down which is wet will not dry out before it grows moldy. But, dry down? No. So, every seller (here) who assures you that her down quilt for sale is hanging uncompressed is more significantly implicitly reassuring you that by including enough air to loft the garment, the down has had a chance to dry out. It hasn't been (ever, you hope) stored the least bit damp.

Regarding fear of washing: Most down goes into bags / quilts that have limited air and water vapor flow. Down-proofing restricts those flows if the end user's desire to reduce convection flows totally through the garment did not. This means that getting water and detergent in and out of the garment is not easy. Neither is getting air in to promote evaporation and water vapor out to be sure the down is left completely dry. How many people will ruin their down garments with either incomplete drying or drying at so high a temperature the nylon shell is crinkled? Too many.

Result: A phobia about washing that is not about washing at all, but about getting and keeping the down garment mold-free after washing. And those detergents that might remain in an incompletely-rinsed garment? They're hydrophilic, attracting and bonding to water, which will mold and reduce loft besides.

[Shewie]

I store mine in large cotton bags under a spare bed, compressing them into stuff sacks when I pack for a trip.
My quilts are the first thing in my pack when I'm packing, I find the trick is to lay everything out until the last possible minute and then load up the night before I leave.
Down will fold and eventually become flat over time, I suppose the logic is the more you compress and stuff your quilts the quicker this process becomes. Reducing the number of times you compress and stuff your quilts will give you longer service.
If you ever get a feather that escapes from a quilt, roll it and squash it in your fingers for a while and you'll see it eventually becomes limp and flat.

[nothermark]

Demostix probably has a point with detergent. I learned to wash down with Woolite because it was designed to rinse out easily in cool water. I also learned to surface clean bags as most dirt did not penetrate into the down. Down is similar to wool in that one can clean the surface dirt or one can chemically strip it. I was taught that good down was washed and dried to clean the surface dirt the same way a good wool can be and that was what was best for the down or the wool. I have played around with the hand spinning community to understand the wool side so I take the down on faith. At least that is how I treat mine.

[Mountnman]

Mine is only stuffed when being carried on my back. It gets hung and stays lofted as soon as I get home from a trip. I wash mine, about twice a year and use Graingers down wash, it is a bit pricey but my down once dry lofts out amazingly. I dry on the lowest temp in the dryer (have never used tennis balls) and then hang it outside in the day time only, to air out and have never had any issues. Been using down for years. I think people are scared of down because of the price. I dont abuse any of my gear but things happen and my down has held fine.