Harvesting down from thrift store items for DIY UQ

If this has been discussed before (can't imagine it hasn't), I apologize. I have searched for an hour and couldn't find anything.

I'm wondering if anyone has considered harvesting down or down/synthetic mixes from old coats or bed quilts to use as insulation in DIY UQs. You can find these types of items in thrift stores for a couple bucks each. I can't imagine having to pay more than $30 to get enough material. It might take some time and searching, though.

I wonder, also, if it would be feasible to add the harvested material to the baffles of an existing down quilt, etc. and use that as the UQ itself.

The topic certainly has been discussed before. The issue with doing it, is that most quilts, jackets etc, likely to be found at a thrift store will low fill power (500 to 600 fill power) compared to the 800-900 fill power that most vendors use here. Which ultimately translates to having a heavier quilt of a given temperature rating vs using the high fill power down.

I wouldn't consider adding a low fill power down to a quilt that uses a higher fill power. It won't have the same lofting capability and it will just be extra weight for little if any gain.

Cheers

Brian

I don't know why but that grosses me out! I buy all sorts of things from used stores, like all of my family car camping cookware but never anything stuffed.

I have done this for various down realted DIY projects and have had some really good luck with the quality of down in some jackets and some bad luck with others. The main thing is to look for the name brands that use higher quality down in thier clothing.

You can also harvest down from pillows. I got nearly 2 pounds of 700 fill power down out of 1 king size pillow. A local discount store had them for $30.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BrianWillan

The topic certainly has been discussed before.
I wouldn't consider adding a low fill power down to a quilt that uses a higher fill power. It won't have the same lofting capability and it will just be extra weight for little if any gain.

---

Thanks for the education, Brian.

When I mentioned adding the "harvested" down to an existing quilt, I should have said an existing bed quilt. In other words, modifying an old bed quilt like has been done the poncho liners and adding additional insulation.

Thanks, again.