[pct-l] Washing down.

["Ed Kendall" <kendall@enter.net>]

My down bags are more than 30 years old and still very good bags.
I slept in the snow just last weekend.

Put a down bag in a big front end loader washing machine with some
down soap from your gear store.

Wash as usual....follow directions.

Dry in a large front end loader drier with a tennis shoe in with
the bag to stir up the down fill.  Remove when dry.

I usually sleep in my long johns  with sox, so it does not get too
dirty.  Mainly I feel more comfortable with the sweaty legs not
touching the bag....more for my comfort than for the bags sake.  I
love down and would not even consider any other kind of fill.  I
have never gotten my bag wet...which is a fear I hear discussed
often.  While hiking in the rain I have the bag in a OR waterproof
stuff bag., in my backpack with a rain fly.  It would take a
pretty bad storm to get it wet inside my tent.

It's really comforting to me to know that I can get warm, no
matter what...by putting up the tent and jumping into the down bag
and if necessary the down jacket.  I did just that on the AT
once --and stayed there for 18 hours drinking hot tea, getting
over the shivers and fear of hypothermia.

In short ...I love down.

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Hike On and On


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