[at-l] Re: ??? How do I re-fluff my [synthetic fill] bag ????

[jloudon@juno.com (Jim Loudon)]

Restoring the loft of an old synthetic-fill sleeping bag to its
former glory is problematic.

Much of the loft in a new synthetic-fill bag is due to the little
curls in the individual fibers of the fill material.  Over time, the
curls relax (much like a perm), and once they're gone, they're
gone forever, along with the loft. This is the primary reason why
a well-maintained down bag has a longer useful lifespan than a
comparable synthetic-fill bag -- down is able to hold its loft
longer.

As far as blowing out baffles is concerned, yes it's possible,
but not likely with a _dry_ bag.  A _wet_ bag, that's another
story.  Caution is called for when handling a wet bag, unless
it's a down bag, in which case _extreme_ caution must be exercised.
The baffle that was made to cope with a couple ounces of
dry fill has to deal with what seems like tons of force when
the fill is wet.

BTW, I prefer running shoes to tennis balls :-)

jim

================

>> 
>> I have had some luck putting coats, vest, and the like in a front load
dryer
>> with a bunch of tennis balls and running on the Air Dry setting for 
20 or so
>> cycles.
>> 
>> Might work on a bag.
>
>I have heard people recommend this on rec.backcountry as well, but in
>the _Backpacker_ Gear Guide section on sleeping bags, they advise
>against it because you can damage the baffles or rip them up. That 
>would be bad.
>
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