Down
Facts and Performance Sleeping Bags
MATERIALS
Good quality bags can be split into two camps.
Firstly there are those that are used with an emphasis on protection,
with the shell - and often sections of the inner - using highly
water resistant fabrics. These bags are intended for general purpose
use, be it camping, climbing or expeditions. Shell materials like
DriShell, DriLite, Endurance, Conduit and Epic are just about waterproof
and very tough and go a long way to keeping their delicate insulation
healthy, taking some of the stress out of using a down bag - revolutionizing
the down market. These materials are more expensive and heavier
than plain unproofed fabrics but the weight penalty and cost is
worth it if your bag stays dry.
The second category of bags is the ultra-light variety, where the
shell materials are chosen for their gossamer-like weight. These
fabrics can shave hundreds of grams off the total shell weight and
also help the bag to loft and drape to the down's maximum advantage.
The drawbacks are that they are non-water resistant (they are coated
with DWR but this is only cosmetic) and are far more fragile than
full weight fabrics. Another drawback is that they are less down
proof so you may get some feathers poking through the weave. If
this happens don't pull them out as this will make a small hole.
Instead pull the feathers back through into the bag. For the weight
obsessed mountaineers this is a sacrifice worth taking in order
to shave a couple of hundreds grams off their backs and all that
is required is a little more care.
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Facts and Performance Sleeping Bags
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