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  1. #1
    Senior Member Strung out's Avatar
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    Down vs Primaloft One questions

    Hello Fellows

    I just purchased some Primaloft One to make a UQ with.

    I've been searching around a lot and cannot find any info directly comparing this insulation to down.

    Can anyone give any solid #s comparing the 2?


    If 2 nearly identical quilts are built, 1 with 16 oz of 850fp Down and 1 with 16 oz of Primaloft one:

    which will be warmer? by how much?

    which will pack smaller? by how much?

    which will perform better after a few years of use?


    I do a lot of BWCA camping. I chose synthetic for my first UQ to get some experience building and using it, and because of the claimed durability, and wet properties.

    Before I choose a TQ insulation, I would like to know exactly how Down compares, without building both and trying it.

    Thanks for any help.
    Last edited by Strung out; 04-14-2011 at 11:50.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Ryvr's Avatar
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    Down will most certainly pack down smaller, by how much I cant really say.

    Both should be equally warm, and with proper care will age in similar fashions. Noted though that in almost all cases synthetics will out last natural fibres. Down will require more effort on your part to keep clean and well maintained.

    Other things to keep in mind are that down will not insulate at all when wet. If this is a concern for the type of camping you do, then synthetics will be a better choice. Synthetics will insulate wet; to a dimished degree, and dry much faster.

    All things you noted in your original post. I personally am a big fan of having peice of each. Down helps keep my load light and compact, but should the unfortunate happen I still have my synthetic top quilt. Its about having the best of both worlds and being prepared for every situation.

    Hope that helps

    Ryvr
    When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun.

  3. #3
    Senior Member SmokeHouse's Avatar
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    great question, I too want to see the results.

  4. #4
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    you also have to keep in mind the primaloft one is supposed to be quilted every 6", if you use it as the manufacture recommends, you'll be making a sewn-thru quilt, the sewn-thru part effects warmth alot

  5. #5
    Senior Member dant8ro's Avatar
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    800 Power-fill down = 1.68 clo/oz Dry and well cared for, wet not so much

    Primaloft one = .92 clo/oz Dry and .9 clo/oz wet.

    Climasheild XP = .82 clo/oz

    So down per oz is king, but if your going to get wet, like Ryvr said. You cant beat a good synthetic.

    clo/oz isn't everything, construction as Warbonnet guy pointed out makes a difference too!

    http://www.primaloft.com/en/performa...aloft-one.html

  6. #6
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    I have a synth (Climashield) UQ I made but have never used. Also had a synth sleeping bag for years .....never got it wet.
    How many folks actually have slept in a wet synthetic bag or quilt or have laid on a wet UQ?
    Been through some big storms with my down UQ Frankenquilt....never got it wet.....yet.
    I made the Climashield UQ just 'cause I had it and maybe to use if I ever go to the Smoky Mountains and it is gonna be rainy and really foggy.
    Shug
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  7. #7
    Senior Member Strung out's Avatar
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    Good info coming out here guys.

    It is quite amazing that top quality down is nearly twice as warm per ounce as the best synthetic that is easy to acquire.

    I too have used synthetic bags on most of my trips. They really do not get wet very often.

    I have been wet in really bad storms when rain has blown under the rainfly of a tent, or when a tent floor leaks because of major flooding. (sometimes tent location choices are quite limited up there)

    If there is not proper weather to dry things out soon after, you can have a wet bag for a night or more following a good storm.

    I will go ahead with my synthetic UQ, and give it a try.
    When I am ready to make the TQ, I will consider some down.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shug View Post
    I have a synth (Climashield) UQ I made but have never used. Also had a synth sleeping bag for years .....never got it wet.
    How many folks actually have slept in a wet synthetic bag or quilt or have laid on a wet UQ?
    Been through some big storms with my down UQ Frankenquilt....never got it wet.....yet.
    I made the Climashield UQ just 'cause I had it and maybe to use if I ever go to the Smoky Mountains and it is gonna be rainy and really foggy.
    Shug
    +1 I'll be miserable either way and probably looking for a better solution that try to sleep in a wet bag..

  9. #9
    Senior Member ricecg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shug View Post
    I have a synth (Climashield) UQ I made but have never used. Also had a synth sleeping bag for years .....never got it wet.
    How many folks actually have slept in a wet synthetic bag or quilt or have laid on a wet UQ?
    Been through some big storms with my down UQ Frankenquilt....never got it wet.....yet.
    I made the Climashield UQ just 'cause I had it and maybe to use if I ever go to the Smoky Mountains and it is gonna be rainy and really foggy.
    Shug
    During a river trip on the Suwanee River, one of our counselors found a "great spot. I awoke to tent full of water that came up to my chest. My bag was a kelty mistral 0degree(synthetic) and the only way i noticed i had water in my tent was because my rain fly started to leak...the my bag dried within couple of hours of a raging fire... but it saved me I don't know how the fire started...
    I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
    Henry David Thoreau

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shug View Post
    I have a synth (Climashield) UQ I made but have never used. Also had a synth sleeping bag for years .....never got it wet.
    How many folks actually have slept in a wet synthetic bag or quilt or have laid on a wet UQ?Been through some big storms with my down UQ Frankenquilt....never got it wet.....yet.
    I made the Climashield UQ just 'cause I had it and maybe to use if I ever go to the Smoky Mountains and it is gonna be rainy and really foggy.
    Shug
    I have spent too many nights sleeping in wet gear. Specifically, wet military ICW sleeping bags (I've had both down and synthetic fill versions), wet wool blankets, and wet poncho liners.

    It is not high on my list of favorite activities, but it can be done. Depending on circumstances and the thickness of the synthetics in question, your body heat can do a good bit of the drying out during that time.

    IME, wet down is the worst of the lot when it does happen. It seems to lose the most insulation factor, and be the biggest pain to dry out.

    It's also the most comfy of the lot when it stays dry.

    I'm new to the hammocking thing...and tend to use the military gear I'm most familiar and comfortable with. That means that I mostly carry synthetics...sometimes I'll opt for the wool blanket it since it retains a decent insulation factor when its wet (but feels like I'm lugging a volkswagen around when it is).

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