Accidentally got some heavy rains on my Down quilts last night

[MAD777]

Fantastic experiment! I love real results over conjecture. Thank you for your sacrifice!

[boatstall]

Thanks Strung out. While you were probably aggravated after the rain fell, I feel like you made the best out of it.
And all of us I think, have benefited.
Your experiment has relieved most of my anxiety in the down vs synthetic buying decision. Living in Louisiana, I have been skeptical of how down would work for me.
Most of my hanging will be done utilizing boats rather than a pack, so proximity to dampness will be a constant. I am now assured by your results that down will be workable here.
Prior to your testing, all I had to go on was assumptions, mostly based on other's opinions, and rarely based on the types of conditions one can experience here in Louisiana.
Thank you again.

[BillyBob58]

INBOX cleared for you man.



The old RAB top quilt is NOT made with water resistant down. (Edited OP to make it more clear) It also has "old tech" pertex fabric which seems to be thought of as not as weather resistant as some of the newer fabrics.
It is also dirty.

Your statement "Normal down, subjected to those conditions would have been a soggy mess." seems to be a popular belief amongst many campers.

If my old dirty UL down quilt can survive a downpour like this, then I hope it helps to calm the fears of some people.

Enjoy a light pack and a warm sleep my friends.

I experienced a similar accident with my traditional Down Peapod a few years back, when a tarp stake came loose during blowing rain, while I was not out there to correct it. And much like you, I was impressed at how little damage to loft actually occurred. But I'm even more impressed buy your accidental testing. Impressed to see how little water appears to have been absorbed.

The main problems I have personally observed(As opposed to just heard about) happened when there was no exposure at all to external moisture. But after a week of hiking and camping, my buddies down had lost considerable loft. Either from condensation, Or perhaps he got overheated and sweated a bit. That was with one trip had the lows in the 40s in lower 50s, And the other trip lows in the 20s and 30s. I was surprised– And so was he- to see that much loss of loft. Actually, there was a third trip 20+ years ago with the same fellow ! This time it was the foot of his bag. Inside a tent. We always thought that rain had blown in the foot vent of the small 2 man tent. I had a Gore-Tex shell on my Marmot bag, and suffered no problems to speak of. Except that, once I was back from the trip, I did notice that the bag had lost about an inch or two of loft, out of maybe 7 inches total loft. This was after a one week trip. But I didn't notice any problems while actually on the trip, Unlike my buddy whose bag was pretty flat in the foot area. In retrospect it seems almost impossible that much water blew in the little covered vent, And I have come to suspect that was also condensation or sweat.

It's kind of amazing, isn't it? The kind of problems that some people have reported over the years from down becoming damp or wet out in the field, and then to see how you're old traditional down RAB just more or less shrugged off that in effect total immersion? It was not under the tarp?

[Strung out]

Thanks for the comments and stories guys.

Most of my camping is in the BWCA from a canoe. Plenty of rain and foggy mornings. I've not yet been cold because of wet down gear.

billybob, I agree, body moisture being trapped in a quilt is certainly a concern sometimes.
I've only had a problem with this when a non breathable fabric was near my feet.

These tests were done for my own education and I wanted to share with the world.

I try hard to push my gear to it's limits in the backyard before I run into a situation in the bush.
It let's me know how things will perform, and most of all, it gives me peace of mind while out in the woods.

For example, I hung on a west facing slope next to a lake and had a strong thunderstorm roll in at night.
wind was blowing across the lake, and rain was coming right under my tarp, even after I took it down from porch mode.
But I had been sprayed sideways before and new I would stay warm. I just layed there in awe watching the lightning and thunder and wind and rain.
Eventually it slowed and I was able to fall asleep again. TQ, UQ, and hammock somewhat wet, Me warm and dry.
I carry 30* insulation all summer. (but it does get in the 40s in any month in BWCA) This gives me a bit of a safety cushion if conditions are less than ideal.

I will say again, please test your own gear and know it's limits.
These are just my results.
Stay safe out there.

[kc8ljm]

Thanks for the thread Strungout, Very educational and informative. Well done.

[warbonnetguy]

I wanted to test the downproofness of some new sample fabric, so i made a pillow out of some of it, I will admit that the pillow is packed far more densly than any quilt would ever be. (down fill is active-dry by the way). So I start the washer, and actually place the pillow directly under the flowing water. Threw in some detergent just for the heck of it and shut the lid. I don't know if it floated or what but it was possibly 100% dry when I pulled it out after the spin cycle (never looked inside during), I threw it in the dryer for about 1/2 hour just to be safe, but it was darn near fully dry without the dryer. Maybe if i had waited for it to fill and then submerged it by hand it may have gotten alot wetter, but still.

[johnspenn]

This is a very interesting thread. I will admit that after spending the kind of money I did on down TQ and UQ I'm not willing to turn a hose on it! But at the same time, it is somewhat comforting to know that if I do get a little water on my quilts that it won't be the end of the world.

[TrailSlug]

I just assumed that ducks and geese get wet all the time and they dry out so it has to be near the same if we get the down wet. Granted I would never intentionally do this as a test but it's good to know that it worked for some.

[Charliev]

Thanks a heap for your testing, that was great. A couple of years ago hiking in N Ga mtns had a heavy fog roll in early evening, thick as pea soup all night into morning. Everything soping wet it seemed the next morning. Tarp both sides and HG TQ and UQ really wet. Nothing to do but shake it off pack it up and go on. I think it was just surface moisture, not soaked it but it sure worried me and looked like a mess. When I unpacked both quilts were dry. I was shocked and still don't know where all the moisture went. I think I crammed tarp in mesh pocket. All the fog was freezing on the trees that morning as I hiked on. Beautiful. Looked like a christmas card.