Re: [pct-l] down or synthetic bags?

[Karen Borski <kborski@yahoo.com>]

Hey Troubadour,

I carried my 20-deg down bag the entire AT and cleaned
it once on the trail and once after the trail.  I was
very careful to keep it clean during the first couple
months by sleeping in clean clothes and bathing before
bedtime, but by Waynesboro it was getting a wee bit
smelly.  Luckily, I found a special dry cleaners in
town that could clean it for me.  It took 4 or 5 days,
but I was already taking off some time for an illness
and subsequent 2 days of slackpacking.  

When I got home, I decided to save some money and
clean it myself, but I knew that it was not OK to wash
it with normal soap.  At the outfitters, I found a
bottle of special soap for down bags.  Worriedly, I
washed the bag in a front-loading large capacity
machine at the laundromat and dried it in a big dryer.
 I then layed it outside for awhile to complete the
drying.

It seems to have come through fine, though there is
still that "scratch n' sniff" thru-hiker perfume deep
down.  I don't know if you can ever really get that
smell out of material.  I have noticed that it is not
as warm and fluffy as when it was new, but I guess
that has to be expected with over 300 nights of use
and countless stuffings into the stuff sack.

If you take care not to put dirty clothes or skin
against your bag -- be it down or synthetic -- it will
keep it fresher and help it last longer since it will
need fewer washings.  Oils from skin can diminish the
loft of the bag's fill, so if you can afford the price
or weight a bag-liner is a good preserver. 
Supposedly, a down bag has a life span of 10+ years,
whereas a synthetic has only a 3-4 year life span
("average" use figures).  I never had difficulties
with the bag getting wet despite El Nina's best
attempts to thwart me.  It will be with me on the PCT
this year.

Nocona  
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