Army Surplus Down Hammock questions

[Buckaroo]

I have a friend who has a old army surplus down bag he will give me or sell super cheap,

Is the down in these bags any good ?

Could I use the down in a DIY quilt with modern materials ?

I am a car/motorcycle camper so I was thinking I could use this as a winter top quilt upside down possibly until I can upgrade

[TxAggie]

I’ve never see an army bag made with down. How old is it?

[whmoller]

When I entered the Army in 1984 you might still see an occasional down bag issued, but they were the exception. Perhaps others had a different experience but the Army used a synthetic bag until the modular sleep system began entering the system in the late 80s and early 90s.

[Smckinney0031]

My thought....the age of the down in the bag....how many people have used it? How long was it in use? What does it smell like?

[SilvrSurfr]

You're probably looking at chicken feathers. The Army surplus down bags I've seen weigh an absolute ton and aren't worth squat. Will they keep you warm? I'd be afraid to try.

I wouldn't pay anything for that army surplus down bag. If it's a gift? Maybe give it a try, but don't expend any energy on trying to make a UQ out of it. Just see if you can hang it as is under your hammock with some sort of contraption.

If I was looking for heavy-as-heck, cheap insulation, I'd probably try to find 100% wool blankets you could fashion into an UQ.