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Thread: Down color

  1. #1
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    Down color

    I have had this ridge reaper for a few years, and maybe I never paid attention but is the dark spots inside this quilt just the color of the down insulation, or is this something else? Yellow is the outside color, black on inside. I thought perhaps it's just the black material showing through in spots, but doesn't appear to be the case

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  2. #2
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Sure looks like mold to me.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

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    Yeah not sure, when I hold up to the light looks like small dark feathers. If it was mold wouldn't it be growing on the fabric as well? This is just the insulation that is spotty.

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    Senior Member Rolloff's Avatar
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    I'm with SS. Down can certainly grow mold. Perhaps a good wash with some proper detergent like Nikiwax can mitigate the problem somewhat.
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    Perhaps George can weigh in, I looked at the original listing when I purchased this, and it says duck down, maybe this dark and light color variation is normal.

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    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    That's mold. Perhaps you stored it without airing it out first.

    I have a synthetic 0* bag (Polyfill II) that looks exactly like that. I don't know - I probably stored it wet. Back then I used to store my sleeping bags in a stuff sack (which I would never do now).

    One thing I believe is that, after a trip, you need to air your quilts out in an air-conditioned environment. Within 24 hours, your quilts will be good as new. Air-conditioning just sucks the moisture right out of quilts.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  7. #7
    psyculman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr View Post
    That's mold. Perhaps you stored it without airing it out first.

    I have a synthetic 0* bag (Polyfill II) that looks exactly like that. I don't know - I probably stored it wet. Back then I used to store my sleeping bags in a stuff sack (which I would never do now).

    One thing I believe is that, after a trip, you need to air your quilts out in an air-conditioned environment. Within 24 hours, your quilts will be good as new. Air-conditioning just sucks the moisture right out of quilts.
    Thanks, good to know.
    Since I retired, some times I stay awake all day, some times all night.

  8. #8
    Senior Member georgecarr's Avatar
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    It's hard to say by the picture. Duck down (and some goose down) can have light and dark feathers, and even have a gray tone to it. The higher fill power down is generally more white with less or no dark nodules.

    Could it be mold? I cant say one way or the other, but I would suspect if it were it might have an off smell. My first guess without having it in hand is that it's just dark feathers.

    The pic I attached is obviously 850 fill gray duck down from downtek. You can see the mottling from the feathers (not mold).

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    Last edited by georgecarr; 09-13-2022 at 06:31.

  9. #9
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by georgecarr View Post
    It's hard to say by the picture. Duck down (and some goose down) can have light and dark feathers, and even have a gray tone to it. The higher fill power down is generally more white with less or no dark nodules.

    Could it be mold? I cant say one way or the other, but I would suspect if it were it might have an off smell. My first guess without having it in hand is that it's just dark feathers.

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    This was my first impression. I have some duck down pieces and with lighter/thinner shells this is what it looks like. Another giveaway is the even distribution, which to me suggests it is simply darker colored down bits.

    Also concur, the best test is the SMELL test, and I would also check to see if the discoloration is in the feathers only or also on the shell material.
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    Senior Member gargoyle's Avatar
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    If it doesn’t smell like mold don’t sweat it.
    Duck down does have a few darker feathers . The light yellows, whites are extremely translucent, and any down almost always shows thru them. Maybe 900 fill down is more all white feather/fluff.??
    I’ve seen all white quilts before and they always have a see-thru look.

    Move the down around, to see what happens with the spots. If it’s mold, some should stick to the fabric.
    Ambulo tua ambulo.

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