How long does a down bag last?
Equipment
I have a North Face 20ยบ bag that is 25 years old. It has been used very little and always stored uncompressed but rolled up loosely in its cotton storage bag. It was very high end in its day with quality goose down.
What is the life expectancy on a bag like this? I need to take it for a test run this winter to see how warm it still is but wondering what you guys thought.
If cared for properly (and it sounds like it is), it should last a lifetime. Take it out once in a while and fluff it ... vigorously.
If you care for a down bag properly, the down will last more than a lifetime. I own several down bags, and I have had two that are no longer useable: I lent one to a friend who got it wet and left it in it's stuff sack. It molded and mildewed beyond repair. The other one burned up in a forest fire.
It sounds like you are caring for yours properly. Keep it loosely stored in a dry environment. With a lot of use, the down can start to get clumpy or absorb skin oils, etc. A basic laundering will take care of that. If the shell and zipper are in good shape, the down should be just fine. Possibly a little fluffing will be required, and I will sometimes do that by throwing it in the clothes dryer with a few clean tennis balls. Just use the setting on the dryer that is just air and tumbling, no heat...
I have a down bag that's about 10 years old now, a pretty decent one. I store it correctly and clean it per the tag. It's rated 0* but it has definitely lost some loft and warmth over the years.
I've got 20 on my top-o-line one and it still keeps me toasty. A big no-no is stuff sack storage. Of oourse, now they have treated down - full loft and waterproof(??)
Scoot, you bad bad man. lol
Midwest, I have a North Face 25 degree that's 40 years old and still very functional. Never stored compressed but has been compressed a lot for backpacking and hunting. The bottom half has lost quite a bit of loft but its still a food summer bag after hundreds of nights of use.
That's good news.
I think I read somewhere on here to throw it in the dryer, no heat with a tennis ball to fluff the down?
Scoot, Old Sarge's advice extends beyond just the bag. Pun intended... ;-)
Really depends. Are you a bed wetter?
The problem with many failures.... things never fail while you're just looking at them thinking about it...
Was checking an air mattress last year to make sure all was good. Blew it up one night, all seemed (seamed?) good the next morning. Cool. Found out later.... it only leaked when it had weight on it.... then it becomes a ground cloth.
In this case the teeth chattering at 2am and hours more to wait for the sun to come up will let you know.... =D
A lot of good advice. Always store your bags uncompressed. Sounds like the bag will last your lifetime.
I have a 25-year-old NF Ibex bag. Down's still good, but the nylon shell has cracked so much that I've used a lot of duct tape on it. It's only good as a comforter now.
My 20-year-old NF Inferno is starting to do the same thing. It still works well, however.
My north face bag still going strong after twenty years ago. Quality stuff
I have my bag from being attached to the Marines in 1960-63. It still works great & gets used almost every year.
No issue with 30+ years. My wife and I bought matching North Face Ibex down bags back about 1980. They were made in California back when NF was more of a boutique backpacking manufacturer. We hadn't used them in a number of years and I sold them 3 years ago on ebay. I think I got $200 each for them. They were in fine condition with superb loft.
Our first down bags were purchased in 1973 from EMS. We now have warmer bags also, but still use the original ones for spring through early fall, just like when they were new.
A couple of the baffles have given out on my old North Face, which may be because I used a tennis shoe in the dryer instead of a tennis ball.
Mine has been going strong since 2012... so yeah you could say they practically last forever.
I use a bag a fair amount given to me by my dad... I forget the name ("Comfy" something I think) but it is a canvas shell and down filled, rectangular bag, with a flannel liner inside. It weighs a ton. Rolled up its around 3 feet wide and maybe 12" diameter.
Made in the 50s or 60s I think. He used to carry it in the tail fuselage of his planes, in case he went down somewhere. Kind of a "survival" bag.
I use it 3 or 4 times a year when staying at a cabin on the mountain (about 6000 ft) It's big and fluffy and comfortable as heck.
It likely isn't as warm as it once was.... but it's probably as warm once as it ever was.... long as you're parked in front of the stone fireplace.....
