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  1. #1
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    Any way to fix a internally torn baffle in a down quilt/sleeping bag?

    Hello, I have a Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 800 fill woman's size sleeping bag from years and years ago. I am a man, 5' 10" and the woman's size bag is 6' and super light and compacts so well, that I use it as a top quilt in my hammock. It works great except for the hood up around my chin is a little bulky.

    This year, I took it out of the attic and noticed that one of the baffled sections as zero down in it! This one:

    IMG_0869.jpg

    And there are no holes in it, and I didn't find a bunch of down floating around so I think it's safe to assume that one of the internal baffles torn and the down migrated to the sections next door. Any thoughts on a DIY fix to this issue?

    I thought I could soak the bag to clump up all the down, then carefully rip a seam. Then I could move the down back into this section and hopefully I'd be able to tenacious tape the internal problem to keep it from happening again. That seem like a crazy idea?

  2. #2
    DGrav's Avatar
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    It depends on how it is constructed.

    If it is two large pieces of fabric (the front and back) the baffles are sewn in order from one end to the other so there is no easy way to reverse the process to do a repair.

    If each chamber uses its own two pieces of fabric which are then sewn to the next chamber over with the baffle material sandwiched in between it can be done if you find where it has seperated.
    Jacks R Better, makers of the of the Original Under Quilt and Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock.
    www.jacksrbetter.com
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  3. #3
    Senior Member WV's Avatar
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    Interesting problem. Some questions: Are the down tubes (and baffles) transverse, rather than longitudinal? Does the entire down tube appear to be empty? Can you tell which way the down went? If you sewed a pleat the length of the tube, essentially folding both the top and bottom layers in half and making the quilt either shorter or narrower, depending on orientation of the baffles, you'd have a smaller, empty, double layer tube on top of what would be a sewn-through seam. You could cut off the empty tube or fill it as a baffle over the effectively sewn-through seam. It might look strange, but it would probably work.
    HF quilt fix.png

  4. #4
    cmc4free's Avatar
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    WV, that's very clever!

  5. #5
    Senior Member gargoyle's Avatar
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    Down would not travel in only one direction.
    As you pack and cram into your stuff sack, I can see some down migrating, but it would also go in both directions.

    Are the neighboring baffles overstuffed compared to the rest of the sleeping bag?
    Is there any down at all in that chamber?
    My theory is it was never stuffed at the factory, if it is completely empty.
    You’d still have some down in the chamber. Or have a really wide chamber.
    Ambulo tua ambulo.

  6. #6
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    These are some good things to think about, thanks. It does seem like if it was internal baffle damage that some of the down would migrate back but I can't seem to get any down to show up inside that section. It's had a good run and I can always start a new project of a DIY quilt with reclaimed down from this bag!

  7. #7
    Senior Member WV's Avatar
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    If you're comfortable transferring down, then that's a better solution. (I would.) Cut that thing open and tell us what you see.

  8. #8
    FLTurtle's Avatar
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    Would making a sausage casing of material, fill it with some down, rip the seam for that baffle and stuffing it in there work?

  9. #9

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    Exploratory surgery is needed. Please report back with diagnosis and prognosis. Probably not lupus, though.
    The game is the best teacher.

  10. #10
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    I'm going to start with an email to Mountain Hardwear warranty and see if they might take care of it or at least have any advice on solutions. Gargoyle is onto something. I'm wondering if it ever had down in it and I just never noticed since my wife always used it on the ground (this baffle is on the bottom). If they blow me off, I'll def cut it open and then we'll know!

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