Maintaining your down sleeping bag

Welchji

New Member
Jan 18, 2017
37
0
Southern AL
I just invested in a nice down sleeping bag and want to get the most service life out of it as possible. What do you do in the field and at home to maintain your down bags? Use of sleeping bag liners? Sleep in your base layer? Do you wash them after a hunt/season? How do you clean a down bag?

Also, I'm bald and have to wash my pillow cases twice as much as my sheets due to the direct contact and transfer of skin oils from my head. I'm thinking the hood of the sleeping bag will be the first failure point because of this. Any specific recommendations for bald guys? I was thinking of just wearing a sacrificial beanie hat while I sleep.
 

Work2hunt

Veteran member
Mar 2, 2013
1,366
11
St. Louis, MO
Most bags I've seen come with care instructions from the manufacturer. I would wash and dry accordingly. In the off season store it unstuffed. Compression is your enemy with lofty insulation materials.
 

hoshour

Veteran member
Agree with storing it unrolled and if I were you, I would go with the beanie.

I wouldn't do more than spot was an expensive down bad unless it was losing a lot of loft. You can gently wash many down bags if you use lukewarm water and extremely gentle soap or you can send it to a place that specializes in laundering and repairing down products, like this one http://rainypass.com/down-services/
 

drifli

Member
Jun 7, 2015
62
0
Tahoe, Yosemite,
All my down bags live under my beds layed open on the floor. I say all since I'm a gear junkie. My wife washes all my down bags and jackets in the washing machine on some real easy cycle. I can attest to never once messing up any of my bags, jackets, blankets,
And gloves she made me. I would go with manufacturers recommendations, but I'm sure we haven't and definitely have had zero issues.

She air drys everything after washing.
 

sneakypete

Veteran member
Aug 9, 2011
2,811
249
Oakdale Ca.
Most high end down bags come with bot a stuff sack , and I'll call it a big mesh bag that the bag is relaxed in or simply hang them.