After reading all of the thoughtful responses to my question concerning a new sleeping bag I have decided to purchase a bag made with Polarguard Delta insulation. I am a scrawny specimen and get cold at the slightest chill in the air. This new Delta insulation sounds quite good. It is both lighter and warmer than Polarguard 3D by about 10%. It will be fun camping this winter out on the lake. Jim et al *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> After reading all of the thoughtful responses to my question concerning a new > sleeping bag I have decided to purchase a bag made with Polarguard Delta > insulation. I am a scrawny specimen and get cold at the slightest chill in > the air. This new Delta insulation sounds quite good. It is both lighter and > warmer than Polarguard 3D by about 10%. In 5-6 years we'll see synthetic fibers equalling down in softness and warmth, I guess. I only think they meant 10% better warmth/weight ratio, i.e. either 10% warmer *or* 10% lighter. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Interesting points all round . Whatever type bag you have you may find the care tips at the following link useful : http://www.stikage.com/guide_sleepcare.htm The only care tip I am aware of not mentioned on the above web page is that when drying - in a clothes dryer , especially a down bag , toss in some tennis balls to help break up clumps of down filler . I don't usually have any tennis balls around but I suppose a pair of sneakers in need of a wash and dry would do the same . With a seven year old son it is usually no problem to find a pair or two or three in need of a wash up and spin dry . Anyone have other useful tips to extend the life or utility of a sleeping bag ? David alex wrote: > > After reading all ....I have decided to purchase a bag made with Polarguard > Delta > > insulation. > In 5-6 years we'll see synthetic fibers equalling down *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 9/26/2003 9:32:09 AM Central Daylight Time, dwalker_at_newwave.net writes: > Anyone have other useful tips to extend the life or utility of a sleeping > bag ? > > A. Don't wash it. When I get home I clean the shell with anti bacterial wipes, inside and out.My down bag with water membrane has lasted excellently for the past 3 years. My last 8 day rainforest trip, half of it in rain, it was just fine. To me it exceeded the temp rating on the first, as well as the last days. If you do wash it make sure you handle it very, very carefully when you remove it from the washer. Baffles tear easily. Dry with tennis balls to keep the clumping down. If you have it done commercially make sure you DO NOT dry clean as the finishes on any bag, down or synth, will be eliminated. B. Hang it or stuff it in a large cotton sack at home. C. When you land, let it loft in your tent for a bit. If there is still sunlight left the heat in a fully enclosed tent will dry anything fairly quickly, particularly if the tent is a darker color. D. Airflow through your tent at night is a good way to keep things drier. You may wish to address the quality of your tent if it has a difficult time in keeping things dry from constantly wet weather. Backpacker magazine often has excellent tent evaluation criteria and they are not afraid of stating how good or bad tents are with this in mind.The *rainforest* aspect to this discussion is interesting. Perhaps we are not factoring our tents and their suitability to the environment here. Tent site selection is a major factor too. I see an awful lot of tents pitched beam onto the prevailing breeze. You might want to pitch it with max airflow in mind. Indoor humidity is worse than outdoor and that is an airflow issue. Treat your tent seams with a sealer. This has much to do with your sleeping bag's longevity. E. Bag liners are very, very small and can be stored in a small water proof bag in the furthest reaches of a bow or stern. Some weigh as little as 10 ounces. They can keep the bag cleaner and less humid. Additionally, they are a good option for keeping you warm if your down or synth bag gets wet. In conjunction with long underwear and a hat you can benefit from a wide range of warmth regulating options. Buy the bag you want. The technology and options are increasing far, far more quickly than most of our consumption of these products. Your care of it includes the other factors of your tent and site and auxiliary products meant to increase the range of options for your comfort and safety. Rob G *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On 26 Sep 2003 at 11:56, Rcgibbert_at_aol.com wrote: > A. Don't wash it. I would not recommend washing it frequently, but never washing it is not a good idea IMHO. You can minimize the washing frequency by using a bag liner, but you will still get some oil and stuff from you body into the bag. This will affect the fill. Since too much washing also affects the fill, you have to wash only enough to remove these oils and stuff but not so much to damage the fill. Depending on usage, once a year is a lot to me. I think we average about 2-3 years (twenty-thirty nights out per year) between washing for the synthetics and maybe 4-5 years for the down (which gets less use). That's with a liner. I use a down washing soap from Nik Wax. There are other brands recommended by your sleeping bag's manufacturer. As far as drying it, some folks consider the tennis ball thing to be old advice and recommend against it. I'd certainly never put a running shoe in there, as you'd really beat up the sleeping bag. When Amie and I bought our washer and drier, I argued in favour of a front load washer and large capacity drier on the basis of $$$ vs energy consumption with a secondary argument that they allow us to clean our sleeping bags at home. Front loaders have no agitator, use less soap and water and are better for a sleeping bag. If you don't want an agitator, why would you then beat up the sleeping bag in the drier? A large capacity drier with a very low heat setting will allow you to dry the bag gently and slowly. No softeners!!! Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 9/26/2003 1:37:01 PM Central Daylight Time, michaeldaly_at_rogers.com writes: > I use a down washing soap from Nik Wax. There are other brands > recommended by your sleeping bag's manufacturer. > > As far as drying it, some folks consider the tennis ball thing to be > old advice and recommend against it. I'd certainly never put a > running shoe in there, as you'd really beat up the sleeping bag. > Mike- Have you noticed a change in the temp rating of the bag from new to present? Secondly, the specialized wash products are appealing from the standpoint of being recommended by manufacturers for shell finishes. I have no knowledge of their effectiveness regarding cleaning the loft and aiding or at least not being adverse to the loft. Do you? I still see the tennis ball thing come up a lot in Backpacker and other sources, but a simple phone call to the manufacturer is probably as latest and greatest as one might expect. Rob *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On 26 Sep 2003 at 17:36, Rcgibbert_at_aol.com wrote: > Have you noticed a change in the temp rating of the bag from new to > present? No, but there are so many variables (what I ate before bed, wind, humidity etc...) that I don't think I could tell. My down bag must be worse than when new, but I always use a liner now (microfleece - like flannel) so that would make up for it. > I have no knowledge of their effectiveness regarding > cleaning the loft and aiding or at least not being adverse to the > loft. Do you? I remember reading something many years ago about the effectiveness. I think it was in Bicycling magazine, but it might have been Backpacker. They had tested various products. They liked some of them and found that they did help with the loft. I should imagine that today's products are better if not the same - certainly the respected brands like Nik Wax. Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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