I sometimes leave for longer trips and would like to know how long one can store a down quilt compressed without damaging it. And by compressed, I mean not only stored in its stuff sack, but in a compression bag.
I sometimes leave for longer trips and would like to know how long one can store a down quilt compressed without damaging it. And by compressed, I mean not only stored in its stuff sack, but in a compression bag.
I thought I read somewhere about someone who had a down item compressed for years and it still lofted up. I'm not sure but I don't believe a day or two will hurt anything. Are you driving? Is there any reason the quilts can't be left uncompressed while you drive?
Less compression and less time being compressed is always a good thing so leave it uncompressed as long as you can when you can. Otherwise use the equipment and "backpack on". The process of compression over and over is what eventually breaks the features but I'm not sure it's been determined what this metric is other than the more it's done the more the down breaks down.
Technically, any compression at all, even grabbing the quilt with your hand, will add at least some minor amount of wear and tear to the feathers.
If you consider a through hike, the feathers will collectively be compressed for months. It's not only compressed, but if anything at all is on top of the quilt inside your pack, then with every step, it's having those objects hammered onto it.
It might be interesting research to have a quilt dismantled after a long distance hike and see if 1oz of the feathers inside still lofts to the original fill power.
Would agree this area needs more scientific research as it seems more speculation that compression kills down.
Life is too Short to not feed the addiction....Hang on and explore the World
For me "compression kills down" is enough as I'm not going to remember how many times it's been compressed a few years from now no matter what the metrics state. I'm also not going to change the way I pack it when I back pack which is the only time it's compressed. So if we had definitive numbers which I doubt anyone could come up with considering the number of different types of downs and different qualities of down. There are no tow downs alike so it may take someone the rest of their life to study this and in the end what difference does it make. We are still going to compress our down and use it till it's no longer usable.Originally Posted by bkrgi
I'm surprised this hasn't been done before. All this talk is scaring me into just looking at my new quilt set when it comes in from Loco Libre
Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber. - Plato
If down broke down "that fast" we would know. I say enjoy the quilts and "hang on"I'm surprised this hasn't been done before. All this talk is scaring me into just looking at my new quilt set when it comes in from Loco LibreI'm sure some day this study will be done.
...so has anyone ever "worn out" a down quilt because it would no longer loft up - and disposed of it? I've got to think that my down quilts will outlive me.
I think the compress / uncompressed / recompress would likely have more impact on the baffle material than the down.
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