[pct-l] Down vs. Synthetic

[rmoak@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Ronald Moak)]

>> I have fairly poor circulation in my extremities and sleep colder than
most
I think.  I can't ignore the warmth for the weight of down bags.  And the
cozinee loft of a DRY down can't be denied.  I would love some feedback on
down/synthetic use on past thru hikes. <<

Jason,

Here goes another war! This subject is almost as bad as bear canisters.

The issue is not Down vs. Synthetic, it's dry fill vs. wet fill. So if you
can keep your fill dry, it really doesn't matter what kind of fill it is.

That leaves the question of how to keep your fill dry. Well in the day,
double bagging your sleeping bag will go a long way to keeping your bag dry
until you get to camp. Keeping your fill dry at night is a bit trickier.
Fortunately in recent years, shell materials have made major advances. There
are three basic classes of shell fabric, impregnated, laminated and DWR
coated.

Epic and Pertex fabrics fall into the Impregnated class. Epic is use by
Feathered Friends and a few other manufactures. Pertex is used by a number
of Canadian and European manufactures. Both offer excellent breathability
and water resistance. Condensation and spray will just roll off of them.

Laminated fabrics include the Gore-Tex line of Dry Loft and PTFE. They've
been around awhile and available from most major sleeping bag manufactures.
They offer the highest in protection and greatest in cost. However, overtime
the protective membrane can delaminate.

In the last class, a Durable Water Resistance (DWR) coating is applied to a
microfiber fabric. The newer DWR finishes have significantly better life
span and excellent water resistance. Most standard bags by major outdoor
manufactures use this as the standard. However, economy down bags may not
and you'll wind up with wet ball of feathers if your bag gets wet.

Ratings:

Water Resistance / Breathability (Highest water resistance = lowest
breathability) (Most resistant to Least)

Dry Loft, PTFE, Epic, Pertex, DWR

Additional Cost (highest to lowest)

Dry Loft, PTFE, Epic Pertex, DWR

Additional Weight (highest to lowest)

Dry Loft PTFE, Epic Pertex, DWR

Also look for down rated at 700 to 800 fill. Bags made with lower quality
down rated at 550 to 600 often use cheaper shell materials.

My personal recommendation is a sleeping bag made from Epic fabric with an
800 fill. It'll keep you warm and dry even in the miserable wet Washington
fall rain. Proven by experience.

-Fallingwater