[pct-l] Sleeping Bag Compression

[rmoak at sixmoondesigns.com (Ronald Moak)]

>> I also read somewhere that overtime you compress a sleeping bag in the
normal way in your pack, you lose 2-3% of its loft permanently.  You slowly
crush the life out it.  I do not know if that is true, but some of the bags
I see on the trail make me think it is close to true.  <<

I'm sure everything looses some loft from compression over time. However, I
doubt there are any measurement instruments capable of measuring a 2 to 3%
loft reduction. Even if it's true, the loss would translate to less than 2
degree loss of comfort. 

Most down bag loft is lost via body oils or moisture in the bag. Generally a
thorough professional cleaning will restore a down bag to its original loft.
My down bag is going on 6 years and has been cleaned several times. It's
still as good as the day it arrived.

Synthetic bags loose about 10 degrees of comfort due to compression within a
short period of use. After a couple seasons of extensive use they should be
replaced. 

>> If I were hiking in a potentially wet environment, I would certainly
consider a synthetic bag.  I really like down.  I might be wrong here, but I
prefer 800 down bags to 900 down bags.  Your bag has to be tied to your
metabolism and the environment.  For years I have been trying to eliminate
my sleeping bag and substitute a clothing option. <<

When looking at a sleeping bag it's important to look at the whole bag and
not just the insulation. Comparing forms of insulation without discussing
the rest of the materials used in the bag is frankly worthless. Down bag can
be useless if the shell is made from the wrong materials. But then the
problem is with the shell and not the insulation.

With all bags, (down or synthetic) the goal is to keep the insulation dry.
Wet synthetic material may retain some heat but I wouldn't count on any wet
bag keeping me alive if conditions go south. 

Fallingwater