Fishing Frenzy

The first step in extending the life of your down sleeping bag, is to not store it for long periods in its own sack, as it is better not to compress your bag for too long. Try to store it loosely in a dry location and, ideally, in a cotton sack if you have one. Avoid storing it for long periods in anything that is watertight, as condensation can occur, followed by mildew. Also avoid a hot storage area, as natural oils found in down can evaporate. See that the bag is completely dry before storing it.

To help keep your down bag lofty, see if you can turn it inside out and air it out each day you're using it. Do not roll your sleeping bag up like most people do; instead, stuff it into its bag, starting at the foot of the sleeping bag (so that the air can all escape).

When you arrive at camp each night, take your sleeping bag out of its bag to air out. Do your best to keep it out of direct sun light, unless you have to dry it, because the sun's rays do eventually damage the bag's fabric.

You will extend the life of your bag by keeping it as clean as you can, so that you don't have to run it through the washing machine as often. Try not to ever lay your bag directly on the ground. If you're not in a tent, use a ground cloth. Wear clean clothing to bed, which protects against dirt from the day, and body oils that can affect the goose down.

Clean stains and spills with a damp cloth as soon as they occur (whenever possible), so as to avoid the need for frequent washing. Try to move the down away from the stain you are working on. When you do wash your sleeping bag, don't forget to strictly respect the washing instructions. Never dry clean your down bag since the solvents can strip away natural oils contained in the goose down.

Your bag will usually get dirtier on the inside than on the outside, so turn it inside out before you wash it. Zip up all zippers. If you do use a washing machine, be sure to use a front loading machine. Use cold water and only gentle wash cycles.

If you can avoid a machine altogether and wash by hand, so much the better. Put your sleeping bag in the bath tub, use a mild soap, and avoid bleach and all fabric softeners.

Fill up the bathtub with tepid water. Put the bag in the water and get it completely wet while it's in its sack. This way the air is already fully out of the bag and its easier to work with. Then pull the bag from the sack and wash it gently with the soapy water. Let it soak for a good hour.

You will have to rinse the bag several times to get all the soap out; some manufacturers say three times or more. See that you empty the tub after each rinse and be careful working with a soaking wet sleeping bag, so as not to damage any stitching or baffles. You can press the bag to remove water, but do not wring it out.

You can now use the spin cycle of a washing machine to remove the majority of the water. Following that, and despite what many manufacturers say about not using a dryer, a low heat tumble dry setting is usually just fine. Before drying however, check for down clumps that can sometimes accumulate during washing, and "massage" them to spread them out again. Some people add two or three clean tennis balls to the dryer to help with the clumps.