Super Down made it's way into the shower....

[todd kelly]

Well after wearing the Super Down jacket all winter and 30 plus days in the field this spring bear hunting I thought it was about time to test her out in some real wet weather. So off to the shower I went. So if your into watching grown men in the shower, his video is for you!

I first weighed the jacket (size L) it hit the scales at 9oz or so. I know my meat scale is not the best one to use, but it's all I got.

[video=youtube;deLmVbYjMR8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deLmVbYjMR8&feature=youtu.be[/video]



After roughly a minute in the shower, I took her off and was completely dry and no noticeable water absorption by the down. Back on the scale it went and there was a gain of about .5-1oz. I thought I better head back in for a longer go, so back in for about 1min 50sec. I had one wet spot where water leaked through the chest pocket zipper. Other then that one spot I was completely dry and no noticeable loss of loft. Back on the scale and it gained roughly 3oz. After 15min the jacket was completely dry.

I hope this video helps some people out, and if there is a better test I can do, please let me know.

 

[Brock A]

Thats awesome! Nice video. I kind of want to take a shower with mine now hahah!

 

[Ryan Avery]

Todd, good stuff! Can you do jumping jacks

 

[cmeier117]

I love watching grown men shower so thank you for the video! But on a less serious note that shows what that new down is suppose to do when it gets wet, maintain loft and dry quick! Thanks for posting.

 

[todd kelly]

Well I wanted to do another test of getting the jacket soaked to see if the down would clump. So back into the shower the jacket went. With the jacket compressed and wet the down did not clump and continued to have good loft. I gave it a light wipe down and set the jacket on the back of a chair to dry. It only took 30mins and the jacket was bone dry. (room temp at 18C/64F)

[video=youtube;xshtfGk0Vps]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xshtfGk0Vps[/video]

 

[fillthefreezer]

it was difficult last time my wife caught me doing this....

 

[AZ Ron]

Thanks for documenting your super down tests. While I have no intention of getting my down soaked, it gives me confidence that it is working as it is supposed to. I have a bigger fear of snagging the fabric and tearing a big hole in it and thus losing down more than I do getting it soaked and having it lose loft.

Ron

 

[OBP]

Nice test and video Todd, thanks for posting it up.

 

[Ross]

I had wanted to do this since I acquired my super down. Nice to see it works as expected and I know in this neck of the woods it will be getting soaked this fall. Nice work on the review.

 

[TXCO]

Great job Todd. Really appreciate it. Since I never got great winter testing with mine, can you comment on its warmth and any layering you did with it?

 

[Nick Muche]

Great test!

TXCO - This jacket is plenty warm, I wore mine most of the time with just a merino layer under and it kept me toasty.

 

[aron]

Awesome work Todd. Looks like a great product and really like the fact how quick it dries. It would be interesting to see if/when the performance starts dropping over continued use.

 

[TXCO]

I wore the jacket all winter long and it was awesome. I gave it a good test over christmas on a trip to Alberta where it was down to -35C with the windchill. I wore a merino 190wt long sleeved T, a 250wt Zip T and the superdown and was plenty warm while standing outside watching the niece's tobogan for a couple hours. I was also impressed how well it bucked the wind.

Now thats a real test!!

 

[luke moffat]

Great testing Todd.....sounds like the super down is the real deal thus far. Keep us posted on how it holds up over time. Glad to hear its working out thus far. Was a bit apprehensive to jump in with both feet on the jacket so went a different route, but always interesting to hear how something continues to hold up over time....keep the info coming and thanks again for the videos!

 

[Stid2677]

Mr Todd,, this is just an assumption, but my guess is that the reason is not because it got wet, but because of a years worth of sweat and body oils accumulating in the down resulting in it not being quite as effective.

Nice review, thanks.

Steve

 

[boom]

hahahha..

almost as good as a gladiator movie!!

i am going to KUIU this upcoming monday. my brother if flying in and wants to shop. i am taking fistfulls of cash.

dont tell my wife.

 

[ChadS]

I used my lightly this past season. The thing was incredibly warm when it was new. After elk season before heading to the treestand I called Kuiu and asked how to wash it. I did as they instructed and the thing is not as warm as it used to be.

 

[TXCO]

Very interesting comments. I have avoided washing mine for the most part but did do a shower test this fall. Anyone else care to comment? My biggest fear is its too tough to accurately measure these thoughts.

 

[SHTF]

Todd,

I dont know if this applies but something struck me when i read this post. Patrick Smith of Kifaru says that washing any of his outdoor fabrics can harm the finish of the material used in all his gear. so he recommends never washing it in any appliances but using a Wolite to sponge it down if it needs cleaning. Now I know the materials are going to be different from with Kifaru and Kuiu use but I would guess this would be also stand true with the Fabrics that Kuiu uses. Im just taking a stab it. If the down coat has a DWR Finish and you wash it that may of broken down and now the finish is much more breathable to the point its causing to much body heat to escape.
Im not stating this as fact just hypothesizing based off what Ive read in the past on fabrics and what you described above. maybe talk with Patrick of Kuiu or Jason about this.

 

[boom]

I have been holding off on updating this thread since washing it and testing it out for the last few weeks. Maybe my body fat or metabolism has changed, but it does not seem nearly as warm at it was a year ago, Or maybe its all in my head?

Last winter I wore the jacket with two merino layers underneath down to -35C and was comfortable, now with the same two merino layers, I find myself cold when its around -5C. Anything lower now and I am really cold in it. Don't know what to think about it....

one time when i was younger and more enthusiastic..i knocked down a deer. i was far from refrigeration and had a long drive. i cooled the carcass and put the deer in my truck. i wrapped it up with my down northface sleeping bag (i think i read about this tip somewhere).

i got the bag home and i washed it. i lost a bit of loft..i then "punted" and put the bag into a dryer with a bunch of tennis balls (i think i read about this tip somewhere)..i think it worked.

did you re-fluff/loft the jacket? (maybe i should scan the entire thread) dunno..i am just punting ideas. i want a superdown, and i am buying a blackone when they get them. this thread is very interesting.