UKC

My down sleeping bag (an Alpkit Pipedream) is a couple of years old now and has seen a lot of use, including one thorough drenching and several instances of getting damp. I've tried to take good care of it, agitating the down as it dries and so on, but when I slept out in the bag last week in freezing temperatures I noticed several pronounced cold spots, mostly around the toe area.

I'm assuming this is caused by the down clumping and not distributing properly? It isn't a huge problem at the moment, but next time I use the bag in very cold conditions it might make things uncomfortable.

Is there anything I can do about this?

In reply to Only a hill:
You could try washing it. Its quite a lot of hassel though.

In reply to Only a hill: tumble drier and a hand full of tennis balls?

In reply to Only a hill: Yes: try this - Buy a new bag!

(sorry I couldn't resist - this IS UKC, after all)

In reply to Removed User:

I've heard this works but have never tried it.

In reply to Only a hill:

Dryer and tennis balls seem to be the answer. I washed my old bag a month or two back and dried it spread out on a rotary airer, declumping every half hour. It is still not perfect but good enough for hut use or summer camping. If I want it perfect it will need doing properly in a drier, on a cool setting. BTW it is quite a bit older than you, nearly 40 years old. I do have a much warmer bag that can be used to low temperatures but that is only around 30 years old but still under 200 nights use.

In reply to sutty:
Hmm, perhaps sending it off to be professionally washed and dried is the way forward ... it's the only really warm sleeping bag I've got, so I'd like to keep its performance. When brand new it was fantastically warm at any temperatures I encountered (down to about -15).

In reply to Only a hill: Washing might help, but you need access to a tumble dryer. Invest in Nikwax down wash. Really impressive stuff, well worth the money. That definitely reinvigorated my ten year old down bag.

The other thing is feet often get cold, even in a new bag. Dry woolly socks, or even some kind sleeping "booties" (a very silly word but you know what I mean) help a lot.

In reply to Only a hill:
>

Meantime , do you have a small dog that would be happy to lie down at your toes ?

In reply to Only a hill:
I did my one at home and at a laundrete. I used specific down washing and proofing and did it in my home washing machine. My bag is a super light zero degree bag so size wasn't an issue. After many rince cycles following the wash I then dried at the laundrete with tennis balls chucked in for good measure. This ended up costing quite a lot can't mind how much the drier cost but I think it took about an hour and a half so you could work it out, a heavier bag may take longer, I reckon you'd spend atleast 20 pounds doing this, I think probably more, and a proffessional job is 40 I think.

In reply to Only a hill:
The tumble drier is the best option or otherwise send it to Franklin's in sheffield for the full works.

In reply to Only a hill:

Perhaps getting a close friend to help out might be a more economical (and more pleasant) solution?

In reply to Bruce Hooker:

It would have to be a very close friend, those pie dream sleeping bags are quite narrow fitting.

In reply to Only a hill:

Put some socks on

After a 2 week expedition my sleeping bag got soaked through on the second to last day so i didnt sleep that night, but by the time i got home it smelled funny and needed a wash, and i did the following:

1)filled the bathtub up a few inches of water and put a few caps of nikwax down wash in, i agitated it by hand and by using the shower head thing i then left it for half hour.

2) drained the bath tub, then used the shower head to rinse the down wash out while pressing the bag down (DO NOT SQUEEZE/WRING) until the water ran out of it non bubbly.

3) put it in the washing machine on the spin cycle only.

4) put it in the dryer on low heat with a few tennis balls, checking it every half an hour.

works fine

In reply to Only a hill:
If there is clumping, you should be able to feel it, I'd have thought.

And if you do try washing it yourself, take care with the seams. Sodden sleeping bags are heavy and many moons ago, I managed to damage the internal baffles on my sleeping bag when hanging it on the washing line.

In reply to Only a hill:

plump plump plump!