[at-l] Sleeping bags

[thornel at attglobal.net (W F Thorneloe)]

David Jones notes the recurrent conflict over down bags versus inferior 
bags. ;-)

First, no bag keeps you warm when it is wet. There will be heat lost as 
your 98.6 F furnace is used to evaporate the wetness. The belief is that 
synthetic stuffing will keep more loft, but you still have the same heat 
sink. If your bag is wet, you are in for a rough night.

Second, keeping a down bag dry is not all that hard. You keep the bag in a 
stuff sack and then put the stuff sack into a sturdy plastic bag, such as a 
trash compactor bag. You never get it out of those bags unless you are 
prepared to keep it covered and dry. If you put the bag in the bottom of 
your backpack, you pay attention to where you set the pack down.

Third, the advantages of down far outweigh the problems of synthetic. Down 
bags a much lighter for the same temperature rating. Down bags compress 
much more than synthetic bags. Each time you compress anything, it doesn't 
quite get back to the original loft. Down seems to return loft easier and 
longer, while synthetic becomes brittle with age. You will replace a 
synthetic bag. A down bag might last you one or two lifetimes.

As to the "cruelty thing." Down from Europe is usually harvested over the 
lifetime of the goose. China's down production is a by-product of food 
production. If you are opposed to using animal sourced products, you won't 
like down. Otherwise, it is about as cruel as eating eggs or visiting KFC.

OrangeBug