UKC

My favourite sleeping bag Rab Summit Alpine 300 (had it a good number of years) is basically half the bag it used to be due to losing a lot of down over the years but overall the material/outer looks like new.

Just wondering is it worth getting it refilled?  I have found companies online who can refill it with 800fill power goose down.  Trying to decide if its worth getting the bag refilled or just retiring it and buying something new?

Anyone had a down bag refilled? was it worth the hassle?

Looking at prices, it looks marginal, but would be environmentally positive. 

I'm very tempted to try it DIY. Has anyone in Sheffield got a crap old down bag they might give/sell me? 

I did once add extra filling to a sleeping bag. It was a lot of effort getting it in the bag (rather than all over the house) and measuring the amount going in.

I first searched around the bag to find the seam where it was originally filled from (running along the zip in my case) and opened up a slot about 4 cm long by unpicking the seam. 

In the factory they use a sucker/blower to fill the bag, I didn't have access to such equipment so I made a roll of card that I could stuff with down with my hands inside the bag of down and then transfer to the sleeping bag without getting down everywhere by poking the tube into the slot I'd made and pushing the down out of the tube. 

Hope this helps.

I had Scottish Mountain Gear add extra down to an old ME bag a few years ago, and although I can't remember the exact cost it was nowhere near as much as buying a new one. It was a pretty straightforward process and improved the performance of the bag quite a lot.

I had my winter bag cleaned & some of the down replaced by a company in Grange over Sands several years ago. Cost much less than replacing the bag which was 'as new' afterwards. Don't know if they still exist but if they do I woud recomend them

This bunch I suspect:

http://www.mountaineering-designs.co.uk/shop/2/index.htm

Mountaineering Designs is the company. Had a bag cleaned and some of the down replaced many years ago. Came back 'like new' and really extended the bags life.

Don't Rab re-fill as part of their cleaning service? Or did i dream that (wouldn't be the first time)!?!

Thanks, good to hear they are still there, and asumming the service is as good as it was a few years ago, recomended for sleeping bag repairs, cleaning etc

Yes, and that's where my bag's going to go!

Used them last year to clean our bags. Brilliant.

Previously used to Replace down in bag. Recommended. 

Mountaineering designs are still going and still awesome.

They cleaned a sleeping bag of mine and did a fine job.  They also replaced a zip on an otherwise fine and stupid-expensive Castelli cycling jacket (including checking with me that a change in zip colour was OK (Castelli's silver coil zip not available).  They transferred the old slider over so that I still had the glove-friendly Castelli one rather than a normal slider.  First rate

Sent my 16yr old rab winter bag to rab thinking it needed a refill. They wash it as part of the refill, said it didn't need a refill and sent back good as new. 

Have spoken to the people at mountaineering-designs.  I'm going to send the sleeping bag to them to wash etc.  Hopefully, that will sort it out.

Thanks for the suggestions.

The guys sorted my PHD bag, washed and refilled a couple of baffles where the down was knackered, seems as good as new.