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[at-l] Washing a Sleeping Bag



Just in case anyone wondered just how I felt about something....

Today, I took my 7 year old Western Mountaineering PUMA bag (zero or so) 
back to it's foster home, and complained about the stuck zipper. For a 
couple of years, the zipper was crossed down at the foot end, and I 
couldn't open it up and chill my tootsies. I had pulled at it, but was 
afraid of breaking the zipper or tearing something.

Of course, the guy at High Country Outfitters pulled on it for two minutes, 
fixed it and commented on the need for it to be cleaned.

So, roughly $9 for a bottle of Nikwak down soap and off to the local coin 
laundry with the front loading washers and dryers. (Do List: learn Spanish 
so I can listen to TV in those places).

Well, I followed bottle instructions as closely as if it were instructions 
on the safe use of Aleve. I wiped out the detergent residue, crammed in the 
sleeping bag and sat for 30 minutes for the cycle to end. I had a dandy wet 
by clean sleeping bag, of totally no use to anyone given that it was 
absolutely collapsed and wet.

Into the dryer. 30 minutes on medium heat with 2 tennis shoes. Wet and 
clumpy. Another 20 minutes. No change. Twenty minutes further. Ho hum. 
Twenty minutes on High, Dryer, but still clumping. Twenty more minutes on 
High - pretty dry - they are all looking at me. Time to take it home and 
use that dryer.

I have it dry now, non clumpy and lofting freely. It seems about a pound or 
two lighter. It is getting windy and cold outside tonight. No, I am not 
going to test it.

OrangeBug


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