Down vs Synthetic Sleeping Bags

[egreen4257]

Thanks for all the replies guys! Kinda wish we splurged on the down bags during the REI sale now but we still dumped $1000... At least we got pretty good quality sleeping pads to pair them with. We will be upgrading to down bags as soon as financially possible haha, at least I know my synthetic worked well in Vail a few Octobers ago and we are hunting Oct 12 so we should survive, can always throw a heated water bottle in the bottom of the bag or something.


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[zacattack]

Down and getting wet is not an issue anymore with any of the high end companies. All down is treated with some type of waterproofing and will hold its loft when it gets wet to a certain point. The issues of down and wetness have long past us.

Down 100% over synthetic for me

Unless things have changed recently, this is not true

 

[kevingm1987]

Unless things have changed recently, this is not true

How soon is recently?
Which bags have you used that claim to have waterproof down and don't?

I run the SG chilkoot 15 and have had zero issues with water and the down losing loft. That being said, I haven't taken it swimming or used it directly in a rain storm but have put it through some pretty wet stuff, condensation, bivy, a couple tent leaks, and the bag has been flawless.

Heard nothing but good from Kuiu bags as well.

Do know that WM used to treat their down but have moved back to untreated down. They rely on the natural oil of their high quality down to shed the water.

Each bag will perform differently under different conditions though.

 

[zacattack]

How soon is recently?
Which bags have you used that claim to have waterproof down and don't?

I run the SG chilkoot 15 and have had zero issues with water and the down losing loft. That being said, I haven't taken it swimming or used it directly in a rain storm but have put it through some pretty wet stuff, condensation, bivy, a couple tent leaks, and the bag has been flawless.

Heard nothing but good from Kuiu bags as well.

Do know that WM used to treat their down but have moved back to untreated down. They rely on the natural oil of their high quality down to shed the water.

Each bag will perform differently under different conditions though.

Yeah I see where my statement was confusing. I meant the treated down part, the makers like western mountaineering, feathered friends, are not using treated down.

 

[kevingm1987]

Yeah I see where my statement was confusing. I meant the treated down part, the makers like western mountaineering, feathered friends, are not using treated down.

I was interested to read that myself. I guess as outside fabrics improve and get some type of treatment( I assume), the requirement to treat the down itself shrinks.

 

[Bcoonce117]

I was interested to read that myself. I guess as outside fabrics improve and get some type of treatment( I assume), the requirement to treat the down itself shrinks.

Well and naturally goose feathers shed water. That’s why it says they rely on the feathers natural oils

 

[zacattack]

I was interested to read that myself. I guess as outside fabrics improve and get some type of treatment( I assume), the requirement to treat the down itself shrinks.

There’s really no reason to treat the down, it’s naturally oily and water resistant to some degree.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

A nice high end down bag is an amazing piece of gear. Often times I’m sort of excited to go to bed just to climb into my western mountaineering badger bag.

 

[Brightside]

I run the SG chilkoot 15 and have had zero issues with water and the down losing loft. That being said, I haven't taken it swimming or used it directly in a rain storm but have put it through some pretty wet stuff, condensation, bivy, a couple tent leaks, and the bag has been flawless.

Maybe I just got lucky but this was NOT my experience at all with my SG 15. Last October on a typical rainy coastal Oregon deer hunt, in a SO Silex with stove, the footbox of the bag got damp with condensation the first night and lost loft. It took nothing to soak through, almost like cotton. Lows were in the high 30s and I was pretty darn cold at night until I was able to get it somewhat dry a couple days later. Trying to dry it out was miserable even with the stove. Leaving a hot nalgene in the footbox helped the most but it took away from hunting time and sleep. I wanted to like that bag because of how roomy it is but I dont trust it.

 

[Aggie_Angler]

+1 for good down. Treated the outside of my western mountaineering with NikWax solar guard and it helps slow down getting the down wet. I always sleep with a liner so I can just wash that. I keep our down bags layed flat under beds instead of the large bags.

 

[Southern Lights]

I have both types of bags. My WM down bag is the most comfortable, but my synthetic Mont Bell I'll use in wet conditions like temperate rain forest. Not that I think the bag may get wet, but that very humid air will attack down loft over several days as it pulls water in. If you can dry it you're fine, but if you are in many days of rain, the synthetic will have better safety margin and won't lose the same amount of loft. If I was on extended trips, I'd take the synthetic again for margin of safety if things go wrong.