November 28, 2008

Swallow Sleeping Bag (courtesy, Feathered Friends)

Do you have a question of your own?

Hey, if they are in your attic, all bets are off. My brother has a sleeping bag, a Feathered Friends Swallow, that I bought in 1987, and it is in near-mint condition.

Here is the general deal: For a down bag, there’s no set lifespan. Buy a good-quality down bag like the Swallow (currently $344 in standard shell), keep it reasonably clean, leave it to expand when stored, and you can expect, well, lifetime service. As for my rules, give it a wash with down cleaner once every year or two, wear long underwear to bed so you don’t grease up the lining, and store in a loose cotton bag. That will do it.

Synthetic bags have a bit less of a lifespan. Same rules apply: Clean it only when needed, do what you can so it doesn’t need to be cleaned often (laundering will in time break down the fiber connections), and store it loose. But in time you will see the loft go down.

So, here’s my advice for the bags you found. Give the bags a good shake and lay them on the floor. If they still are nice and fluffy (Unscientific Wild Ass Guess: five inches of loft for a 30-degree bag), then you are good. They aren’t that old and probably have roots in the modern era. If they are flat as pancakes, well, time to retire. Go buy a Swallow.

The 2009 Winter Outside Buyer’s Guide is now online so you can get prepped for gift-giving season—even if everything you pick is for yourself!

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