UKH

I have a down sleeping bag that I bought about 15 years ago.

It no longer lofts properly and is no longer warm enough for winter use, but there is nothing wrong with the fabric.

I am considering replacing it, but I noticed that Scottish Mountain Gear are now offering a down re-filling service which would be considerably cheaper than buying a new bag.

Has anyone done this? Is it worthwhile? Advice and comments (preferably on this topic ) gratefully accepted!

In reply to kathrync:

Have you tried washing it? It's a great reviver.

In reply to Rigid Raider:

Yes - it gets washed about once a year. That improves the loft for maybe a month or so, but even then it is definitely less warm than it was when it was new.

In reply to kathrync:

I recently had a down bag professionally cleaned and whereas it was about half filling my mesh storage sack before, it now fills it. So much warmer. I used Mountaineering Designs cleaning service who also do bag re-fills I think. Probably worth trying to clean it and if that doesnt work then think of adding some more new down.

In reply to kathrync:

It depends how much your bag is worth / how much an equivalent bag is these days.

I had my bag cleaned by them which was enough that it didnt need refilling. They are good but once you factor in postage costs and refilling / cleaning etc it does get quite expensive.

In reply to kathrync:
I always thought the down is the durable bit as a lot of outdoor gear repairers seem to offer re use of the down from an old bag in a new cover.

In reply to ow arm:

Thanks.

Yeah, I figured it wasn't going to be cheap, but to replace the bag with an equivalent will be over £400 (I sleep cold!) so it would still be a saving.

Maybe I'll ask them to clean it and see how that goes before making a decision on a refill.

In reply to kathrync:

You can get a bag sufficient to -15 for around £150, iirc - I'd splash out on a new one.

In reply to Tall Clare:

Is that down, or synthetic?

In reply to kathrync:
Down! I'm sure my ME one cost around that much... but that was five or six years ago. Will hunt down the equivalent now.

Edit: okay, the Classic 750 now has an RRP of £320, but it's on sale in Cotswold for £200...

In reply to Tall Clare:

Oh, well in that case I would have a new one. All the down ones I have seen that go to -15 were around the £425 mark - perhaps I am looking in the wrong places!

In reply to kathrync:

Thus: http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/mountain-equipment-classic-750-regular-sleep...

In reply to Tall Clare:

Thanks

Funny how they only seem to have the more expensive ones on display in the shop!

In reply to kathrync:

The Classic 750 is only rated to -12, and I'm not sure that I'd be too warm in mine at that temperature... I do sleep pretty cold, though.

In reply to captain paranoia:

In fairness that was just one example - it's more about the fact that decent down bags don't have to cost £400.

I've been fine in mine down to -15, but I do use a silk liner.

In reply to kathrync:
I can't see you having properly knackered the down in it. I think a professional cleaner that gets the down out of the bag, cleans it, then sticks it back in again would make it good as new. The problem with washing at home is it simply doesn't get into the down, especially if it's a thick bag: even with a huge washing machine, the outer fabrics protect the down so well, and they need a lot of washing and rinsing, that the down in the middle may never truly get washed. Incidentally, tumble drying will puff your sleeping bag up too, but again it's quite a temporary improvement.

Replacing the down in a bag is an option but - though I sure Mountaineering Designs know a lot more than me about this - I can't believe that you can ruin your down enough in normal use that it needs replacing unless you have spilt nasty chemicals on it or heated it to well over 100 °C! Down is so much more durable and long-lasting than many people think. Royalty have been using the same eider down duvets for hundreds of years and would replace the cambrics repeatedly before thinking about replacing the down.

In reply to kathrync:




http://www.mountaineering-designs.co.uk/

In reply to kathrync:

Mountaineering Designs will top your bag up for you as well as cleaning it.

In reply to kathrync:

Thanks all