[pct-l] Down vs Synthetic

[Paul.C.Griffith at bankofamerica.com (Griffith, Paul C)]

Glad to hear everyone likes their down bags and quilts - I just made a down quilt after using synthetic Jardine quilts for two years.  Feathered Friends filled a pillow case with 10oz of 800 fill at their Seattle plant for $8 an ounce.  WWW.Thru-hiker.com sells it in 3oz packets for $25 and has instructions and "kits" for a bag and a quilt.  I made mine like a Jardine/Golite quilt with a zippered foot pocket.  To stuff the down in, I put plastic drop cloth around the porch to  block the breeze, tacked the quilt to the side of the house so I could stuff down downwards into the "pockets", and just stuffed one fistful into every baffled pocket, then repeat, so it got evenly distributed.  I brought the sewing machine outside to close it up - no feathers in my house!  Total material cost about $140.  Of course, if you value your time at even minimum wage, it's still cheaper to buy.  But it was fun.  

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Magnanti [mailto:pmags@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2003 3:04 PM
To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
Subject: [pct-l] Down vs Synthetic


I am a big fan of down. Had the same Feathered Friends
Hummingbird for going on six years now. Only after the
PCT thru of last year did I have to replace some of
the down. (And after two thru-hikes, and two three
week long hikes in 5 years of use, I ain't
complaining. :-) ) 

Yeah, a good down bag is expensive. But it is lighter,
warmer and lasts a long time. Never had a problem with
it getting wet. I just put it in a stuff sack lined
with a trash bag.

As mentioned, I put some new down in my bag. After
finishing the PCT, went to Seattle and brought my bag
straight to the FF store. They didn't even bat an eye
lash with my bag from fresh off the trail. Now that's
hardcore!  The bag is now oh-so-fluffy and looks brand
new. Cost me less than $100. Not too bad!

Plan on having the bag for as long as I can...



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The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched
--Thoreau

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