Sleeping
Bags and Tents Information
Down Facts and Performance Sleeping Bags
by Andy Kirkpatrick on 1 April 2003
http://www.planetfear.com/article_detail.asp?a_id=417
Two years ago I wrote an article entitled 'beyond
car camping' that dealt with down insulation versus synthetic insulation.
The piece was aimed at climbers tackling routes where they couldn't
guarantee that their sleeping bags wouldn't get wet. Synthetics
won out in the article and many climbers afterwards seemed to think
that I was saying that down was dead.
Well, to reset the balance I've decided to do justice to down and
dedicate the whole of this month's gear notes to our friend the
feather, plus take a look at the stand-out down pits on the market
that show just what is possible in this medium.
FEATHERY FACTS
PROCESSING
WHAT DOES FILL POWER ACTUALLY MEAN?
HOW IS FILL POWER MEASURED?
LONG TERM FILL POWER?
WHAT FILL POWER DO YOU WANT?
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
DOWN CONTROL
MATERIALS
OTHER FEATURES
HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR BAG
MAXIMIZING YOUR BAG'S WARMTH
INSULATION CARE
WET DOWN - HOW TO COPE
Conclusion
I firmly believe that in experienced hands a down sleeping bag is
one of the most efficient pieces of equipment on the planet (more
than a bike even). I suppose this isn't surprising when you consider
that the fabric industry has only had around 50 years to come up
with an alternative to something mother nature has been improving
for several million.
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