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  1. #1
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    Default Adding down to a synthetic bag??? Maybe xtra wording is needed.

    Have an old 20+ years cats meow bag.
    Plan to add down, (at the moment no feathers).
    Am seeking a 0° "absolute" comfort level for a cold sleeper. So I am making up a 20° or25° rule instead of the average 15° rule.
    I am dealing with an old bag of unknown
    seamingly quality down. (Recommendations on simple damp proofing). And am just going to tape up
    Instalation slits with Ttape or gorilla tape.
    Any advise, Recommendations, or advice greatly appreciated. Thank you.

  2. #2
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    Sorry, the old bag I spoke of is the down. Not the cats meow synthetic sleep bag useing for this project.

  3. #3
    Registered User somers515's Avatar
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    I have a cats meow bag because I'm allergic to down so I was initially shocked by your plan. : )

    Good luck with your project and report back how it goes for you!
    AT Flip Flop (HF to ME, HF to GA) Thru Hike 2023; LT End-to-Ender 2017; NH 48/48 2015-2021; 21 of 159usForests.com

  4. #4
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    Sorry but in my opinion this is a bad idea and you're wasting your money. Save your money and use it for a quality 0 degree bag such as FF or WM. There are others. You can save money by buying a synthetic bag or down bag with cheaper down but still rated to same temp. You give up weight and stuff size which you are already doing.

    The quality of insulation is primarily a factor for weight not warmth. Warmth comes from actual loft or thickness. Add all the down you want to a quality bag originally good for say 30 degrees and I doubt you'll gain much rating over the original design. Baffle depth is higher for colder rated bags. They are likely better designed to prevent down from shifting or having uneven loft depth. Overstuffing a higher temp. bag will puff it out only a little as the fabric physically keeps you from increasing the loft from the original design. Colder rated bags also rely on better draft stops around zipper areas, shoulders and the face including draw strings.

    Synthetic material is more likely to be in a bat (even sewn in)i.e. not moveable thus making it hard to distribute down. Down could get incorporated and broken or permanently squished by the original material. Down can be very expensive and extremely hard to get into a bag and even harder to get into each baffle evenly. It will likely go everywhere.

  5. #5

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    The better option is to leave well enough alone and use the down bag as a quilt over the Cat's Meow. Of course, the best option is just to spring for a quality down bag or quilt and be done with it. I've learned trying to be thriftful and recycle old, worn-out gear is a big mistake.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  6. #6
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    I guess that was my main concern; the interaction of the down to the quilt.
    Thanks, the thoughts coming.

  7. #7
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    Err... interaction *between the down and the synthetic insulation.

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