WASHING DOWN PRODUCTS
Though we do not know why, in the minds of many there exist a deeply rooted myth, based on which they believe that down products must not be washed. Well, as it happens, not only can you wash down products, but you also should.
Clean down expands much better and smells much nicer. So how do you go about it?
WASHING SYNTHETICS
Our jackets with the Climashield® synthetic insulation can be machine-washed according to the instructions on the label.
Temperature: 30°C [86°F]
Do not use fabric softeners.
That is all!
REGENERATING THE DWR LAYER
The DWR coating on Pertex® fabrics, which is applied during their production, wears out after several washing cycles or long-term use. We recommend using Nikwax® products, available in outdoor stores, to regenerate it. All waterproofing agents should be used according to the instructions provided by their manufacturers.
PRACTICAL USE
While you do not need to handle our products with kid gloves, some simple rules must be followed if you want them to last for many years:
-> if a sleeping bag comes into contact with moisture, dry it in the sun whenever possible. If you must put a slightly damp sleeping bag back in its cover, it is good to hang it out and dry it at every opportunity. Even if humidity makes drying it impossible, hang it out anyway to allow it to breathe.
-> down should preferably remain in its expanded state, so it is a good idea to roll out your sleeping bag at least once a day. This typically happens when you use it for sleeping. However, if you do not need it during the night, it is a good idea to hang it out and let the down expand. If you have free space in your backpack, you can put the sleeping bag in loosely, so that it fills the remaining free space without being fully compressed.
-> never place a sleeping bag directly on the ground. Firstly, insulation: if the down is compressed under your body, it will not insulate you well enough from the cold ground, so using a mattress or a foam mat is a much better choice. Secondly, while the fabrics we use seem more delicate than they are, a sleeping bag may become damaged when used on uneven ground, and especially its external transverse seams, which may affect the integrity of the down chambers.
-> the rules for storing down products at home are rather simple: down likes to be expanded as much as possible. If you do not have enough room for that, you can store your sleeping bag in our dedicated, breathable mesh bag. Nonetheless, it is best to hang the sleeping bag freely in a dry room if possible.
DOWNPROOFNESS
The fact that the fabric is downproof does not mean that no feather will ever find its way between its fibres. Feathers do come out sometimes, but this is perfectly normal. We use ultra-light fabrics, and this is the very low price that we pay for having equipment that weighs next to nothing. Secondly, each gram of down includes a vast number of feathers. Depending on whether we count all feathers, including the smallest, or just the full-sized ones, there are around 400 to 800 of them in each gram of down. Thus, assuming a safe average of 500 feathers, the Lite Line 200 model contains about 100,000 of them. Note that the only feathers that come out are the lower quality ones with a clearly defined rigid core, which constitute less than 8% of the total volume of down. Therefore, this phenomenon will not weaken the thermal qualities of the sleeping bag in any significant way.
-> if you notice a feather sticking out halfway between the down chamber and the great outdoors, avoid taking it out. By doing so, you can pull out even more feathers with it and further enlarge the opening between the fibres of the fabric. Grab the feather through the fabric and pull it back into the down chamber. You can also use your finger to gently smooth out the place where the fibre structure was disturbed to help the fibres naturally arrange themselves back into a uniform structure.
-> remember that feathers do not create holes in the fabric when they come out. They come out in-between the fibres, with the latter reverting to their original structure afterwards.
