[pct-l] 900 Fill Down

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good evening, John,

The volume-per-weight indicator for bag insulation has a continuum between
900-fill goose-down all the way down to the kapok fill that was often used
when I was a kid.  I have no idea how the kapok fill would be rated, but
not high; maybe about 15-20.  The comment from Jordan didn’t say what he
believes is acceptable, but if 900-fill is a poor choice, I’m close because
I use a popular make/model of bag with 850-fill – a bag that I find is
perfectly acceptable.

The question is more about how to compromise, and my choice is to go to the
high-end down.  I have a synthetic bag equally as warm as my 850-fill down
bag, but it weighs considerably more.  I wouldn’t even consider it for
anything but car-camping.

Steel-Eye

-Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/


On Fri, Mar 16, 2012 at 8:59 AM, John Coyle <jcoyle at sanjuan.edu> wrote:

> OK, here is the exact quote from Ryan Jordan of BackpackingLight about 900
> fill down from an article titled "Propects For 2012: New and Noteworthy
> Gear."
>
> "My own experience with "very high" (i.e.>900) fill power down suggests
> that it's so sensitive to humidity and condensation that it takes precious
> little moisture (e.g., one night of condensation accumulation during a cold
> night) to reduce its loft levels that have always made we wish for
> something more robust.  So if you're considering it, you might also
> consider that it seems mostly to be a novelty that looks better on your
> gear list weight column than on a rainy night in the wilds. I will concede
> that there may be some applicability of very high fill power down for
> hikers traveling through mostly dry and warm environments."
>
> There you have it, and I might add that it costs $25 a year to subscribe
> to Backpackinglight and it is worth every penny.  I have found their
> reviews and advice to be spot on and reliable. It is like a Consumers
> Report for Backpackers.
>