Down Fill 'Bags Vs Water
- Thread starter DJ123
- Start date
Interesting. I always use down kit with DWR coatings. Mainly because they pack a lot smaller than synthetic. I also put things like my sleeping bags / tent inner etc in individual waterproof roll top bags so there’s no chance whatsoever of them getting wet.
Ducks spend a good part of their lives on water. There's a clue there ...
They, along with other aquatic wildfowl, also spend a considerable amount of time, looking after their feathers. Looking after kit, seems to pass some bikermates by.
Having slept in a wet Down bag ( army issue ) I can say with some certainty that it was a great deal colder than a dry one
Should’ve slept in the dry one then!
But have you ever wondered how they keep their feet "toasty"?
Ducks use a counter-current heat exchange system in their legs and feet to stay warm in cold conditions. This system allows warm blood flowing to the feet to transfer heat to the colder blood returning to the body, minimizing heat loss and keeping the feet relatively warm.
How’s that gonna help all the cheapskates that don’t want to buy the right gear and stay warm at night?
Getting cold at night can ruin a good biking and camping holiday.
I’ve woken up in the morning in my tent with about a foot of snow around it up a Scottish mountain. Surprised the hell out of me cos I slept right through it!
It wasn’t forecast either but I was toasty in my down winter sleeping bag. 
Good quality gear last a long time too. My old point five Orion is still going strong. I got it for my 16th birthday in 1976. It does have fewer feathers these days though. I call it old two feather. Prior to that I had a Blacks icelandic special and a Blacks Mountain tent. Bloody heavy to carry up mountains but once the tent was up, the Primus lit and the Icelandic Special rolled out the weather didn’t matter.How’s that gonna help all the cheapskates that don’t want to buy the right gear and stay warm at night?
Getting cold at night can ruin a good biking and camping holiday.
I’ve woken up in the morning in my tent with about a foot of snow around it up a Scottish mountain. Surprised the hell out of me cos I slept right through it!
Dit on. Pussers arctic issue bags weren't the greatest and pot luck if you got a good one. I froze my tits off in a snow hole one night and on the verge of frostbite/nip on my toes. Thanks to the ML that saved me from a helicopter trip, who had my poor toes tucked up into his armpits most of the night trying to get the blood flowing again. When we passed by the next town, the mission was to buy a decent Norwegian bag, Ajungilak (then made in Norway), against the rules but quite a lot of the lads bought their own kit. Toasty nights from then on which was a relief, we were also issued little booties for extra insulation of the feet, nothing that special, a bit like a quilt style material which helped quite a lot, but having your feet stuck in cold and wet old style ski boots all day and night didn't help. My feet have been pretty screwed since then.
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