Picking Minds & Blowing Noses!

[Laochri]

OK, So I sorta mislead ya! No need for blowing noses, but I'm in need of y'alls opinions.
I have inherited my grandpas Snow Lion down mummy bag. I would like to use it for insulation. My First question is;
His bag has been stored in the stuff sack and hasn't seen the light of day for like 20 years. I have noticed that there is a spot on the bottom side (as your laying in it) that the down is clumped to the sides. My guess is that it is soiled and needs to be washed. I do have some Nikwax Down Wash. Will this revitalize down that was abused for so long?
Second, Will it be easier to convert it into a Under Quilt or a Top Quilt?

[JToon]

This is a tough one since I feel you are in a place not very many people have been before. If it was mine I would launder it and then tennis balls and dryer. You may not succeed but if you don't try you will never know.

[mrmike65]

+1 on the laundering. etc. Maybe run it through 2 or 3 times. Plan B: reclaim the down, ditching the clumped stuff, and make a quilt.

This is a tough one since I feel you are in a place not very many people have been before. If it was mine I would launder it and then tennis balls and dryer. You may not succeed but if you don't try you will never know.

[CountryRoads]

I have a couple old down bags and I've washed them a couple times. They came out like new. About it being easy to get that down out.........I would say that is going to be a hideous chore. You will be blowing you nose my friend. You'll be blowing a lot of down that you inhale out of it! I took apart a down coat once and I wet it and took the down out in clumps, but it still got everywhere because it stuck to my hands so bad. I've also done it dry by hand realllllllly slowly and that worked ok but it was measured out and packed tightly in bags. I want to turn those bags into quilts but haven't, one because they're such nice bags that I don't want to hurt them, but also because I think it would be so much work.

[Macca81]

Yup, wash it (maybe a couple of times) then stick it in the dryer with a few tennis balls. This should get the clumps out and make sure it's clean. After that, you can decide if it is worth reclaiming the down. You will probably get away with it

[gunner76]

Snow Lion was made for just a few years in the 70's and my wife has one she bought back then that she still uses ( hers is a synthetic )

http://www.oregonphotos.com/Snowlion1.html link to some history on SnowLion

[OutandBack]

Snow Lion was made for just a few years in the 70's and my wife has one she bought back then that she still uses ( hers is a synthetic )

http://www.oregonphotos.com/Snowlion1.html link to some history on SnowLion

I still have my SnowLion 2 man A frame tent.
They were right up there with NorthFace when that companies rep. ment something (pre china).
The problem I see is back in the 70's 600-650 fill down was considered top of the line.

[priller]

Yay for vintage bags! I just scored an old REI Mt. Mckinley down sleeping bag. It is in excellent shape, so much loft its unreal.....well of course there is 2+ lbs of down in it! I washed it by hand in the bathtub to try to make it smell less old haha.

Yeah, like Outandback points out, the quality of the down isn't close to what it is today....

[VictoriaGuy]

I would like to use it for insulation. My First question is;
His bag has been stored in the stuff sack and hasn't seen the light of day for like 20 years. I have noticed that there is a spot on the bottom side (as your laying in it) that the down is clumped to the sides. My guess is that it is soiled and needs to be washed. I do have some Nikwax Down Wash. Will this revitalize down that was abused for so long?

Yes, you can successfully hand-wash down sleeping bags in the bathtub. Multiple (2- with a good soapy soak time) wash and (especially) rinse cycles are what I use. Nikwax down wash is good. If it is smelly, you also could try Mirazyme or similar products - I used Mirazyme on a tent that had been in a cruising sailboat and had that moldy+diesel smell, and it worked well.

Squeeze most of the water out of the bag (gently) before you try to lift it - be careful as you can burst the baffles if there is too much water weight in the bag. I generally slide the wet squeezed bag into a bucket to transport it to the dryer. (If you have a good front-load washer, you can try spinning some of the water out....again, be careful.)

Dryer- tennis balls or sneakers inside cotton socks work well. You'll probably need several cycles of drying (a couple of hours) to get the bag properly lofted.

While you are waiting for the bag to dry, take an old pillowcase and cut a slit in the hem end. Thread a shoelace or paracord string through the hem to make a large breathable storage bag. Or, just make a spot in the closet to hang the lofted bag in a hanger.

Second, Will it be easier to convert it into a Under Quilt or a Top Quilt?

Personally, I'd leave the bag as-is and just use it (partly unzipped) as a TQ. That's what I do in my hammock. If you are accustomed to selling online, you can get decent money for decent down bags on eBay (or possibly even here on HF). Put the $$ toward a dedicated TQ/UQ would be my advice, if you want a quilt.

Reclaiming the down for another project wouldn't be worth my trouble, I think. If I were doing much work- making a quilt from scratch with new ultra-light fabric, I'd rather spring for new 800+ down. Handling down is incredibly messy- check out the shop vac techniques posted here at HF if you go that route.

[wgiles]

I just washed my 40 year old REI down bag and it turned out fine. I took it to the laundromat and washed it with my 40 year old down parka and a pair of Carhart canvas overalls in one of the big front loading washers. I used Gear-Aid down wash in the pre-wash and wash cycles. The washer was gentle and did a good job of spinning the excess water out. I put the whole mess in one of the dryers and set it on low. I ran the dryer through about six cycles, but the down wasn't completely dry. If I had it to do over again, I would keep putting quarters in the dryer until the down was completely dry. I don't think that tennis balls would improve the drying and I certainly wouldn't put any in while the down was wet. I think that the big commercial washer and dryer made a huge difference and I would never try this at home. I had always done this by hand in the bathtub and let the bag drain for days, so the laundromat was a pleasant change. I would plan on three to four hours for the job.