Over-Compressed Down Burrow and Phoenix 40deg

[Storytellertn]

Low dryer and some tennis balls is where I would start

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Ditto

[Storytellertn]

How long have you let them sit out? It may even take an hour or more. A firm shake can help. Don't get crazy with it; just enough to fluff it up.

Being new, I think that's all it will take. If it were used, a cleaning and toss in the dryer would be possible. But definitely not for this new one.

p.s. regarding a dryer - be very, very, very, very, very careful!! You can melt the fragile shell in a fraction of a second! This metal part on most residental dryers gets VERY hot even on low:



If your quilt touches that, it's game over. This part on my dryer is permanently coated in black goo. Luckily, not from my hammock quilts!

I do not use any heat when I fluff my quilts. Three or so tennis balls and maybe a hot wet wash rag from the microwave (rung out of course).

[stowe18]

Gotchya - well I'll try giving them a good shake when I get home, and if they still have that clumpy look, I'll take it to the next step with no heat in the dryer with tennis balls..

Again, I really appreciate all your feed back with this!

[SilvrSurfr]

It doesn't appear you bought these from the HF FS forum. Can you just ask the person from whom you bought them if they were stored compressed? Anyone who buys down quilts should know that they should be stored uncompressed, though I am sure there are some who don't.

[IRONFISH45]

The clumps are a potential concern. I would properly wash & dry them.

I think they may have been IMproperly washed/dried before. This can easily result in clumping.

I agree with Otter. I would use a good Down Wash Soap. Go to a laundromat use a large FRONT load washer. CHECK THE DRYER, BE SURE IT RUNS WITHOUT HEAT. This is a slow project. I open the door and fluff the quilt frequently. I use old clean tennis shoes, clean tennis balls and I check for heat and make sure all parts are drying, no clumps of wet down. You must get the quilt totally dry. When I think the quilt is dry, I remove the quilt from dryer, let it sit a few minutes and feel the quilt and feel for lumps, if everything feels dry, I go home. Amazing what a cleaning does for down.

[Just Bill]

Is this treated down?

That can get clumpy depending on the batch. Sounds like a potential culprit.

But give it 24-36 hours if they've been compressed for a while.
Then wash it as said if that fails.

[stowe18]

I did contact the seller, and he confirmed that they were not stored in the stuff sack - he had them hanging in his gear closet. But since they hung there for a while without being moved, maybe the down could have settled.. should also mention that the burrow is a 50, not a 40. Just can't get over how much less downy they are compared to my 0 and 20 deg setups.

[SilvrSurfr]

I did contact the seller, and he confirmed that they were not stored in the stuff sack - he had them hanging in his gear closet. But since they hung there for a while without being moved, maybe the down could have settled.. should also mention that the burrow is a 50, not a 40. Just can't get over how much less downy they are compared to my 0 and 20 deg setups.

My 40* quilts are definitely less downy - not even remotely comparable to my 0* and 20* setups. The first time I viewed them with sunlight coming through them, I couldn't believe how skimpy they looked in the down department. Nevertheless, it makes it easy to shake the down and spread it out because you can see through it so well.

[Carrico]

I've found with 50-30 deg bags and quilts that to get the best results you need to fluff, shake and then pat and spread the down even before every use. Only takes a minute and really helps with cold spots.

[stowe18]

My 40* quilts are definitely less downy - not even remotely comparable to my 0* and 20* setups. The first time I viewed them with sunlight coming through them, I couldn't believe how skimpy they looked in the down department. Nevertheless, it makes it easy to shake the down and spread it out because you can see through it so well.

Very good to know -- I was having that same feeling viewing them for the first time..