How To Repair A Down Sleeping Bag

A quality sleeping bag may exist i of the biggest backpacking investments you ever brand. Your sleep sack will probable price hundreds of dollars, only if you treat it with intendance, it'll final for many years, maybe fifty-fifty decades. That said, nothing volition ruin a quality sleeping bag faster than fail.

In this commodity we'll show you a few tips and tricks that volition make it easier to prolong the life of your sleeping purse. Also, if you're in the marketplace for a new sleeping purse, make sure to check out our listing of the Best Sleeping Bags & Quilts.

general tips & tricks

Store YOUR BAG PROPERLY - One of the all-time things you can do to extend the life and health of your sleeping bag is to shop it in a dry identify where it tin spread out. Never store a sleeping bag compressed. Ever. The best way to store a sleeping purse is to hang information technology up on a claw in a dry cupboard (not a musty basement or attic). Y'all tin can also store it in a big breathable (cotton or mesh) bag in a dry place that will allow it to maintain its loft. Never put a sleeping bag in a plastic trash bag or not-breathable storage container.

SPRAY FOR FRESHNESS - If y'all desire to give your bag the ultimate TLC, as soon as you return from a trip, hang it up and spray it lightly with Febreze within and out (or use a similar product like an enzyme spray or anti-allergy spray). This will kill off any pollen or mold spores, and give it a fresh smell for your side by side use.

ONLY COMPRESS WHEN NECESSARY -It makes sense to acquit your bag in a stuff sack while in transport, but in one case you get where yous're going, pull it out immediately, requite it a fluff, and let it regain it'southward loft. Leaving your pocketbook compressed for long periods of time can damage the down feathers, causing your bag to loose loft and warmth.

KEEP YOUR BAG DRY - On the trail, we ofttimes behave our sleeping bags in waterproof stuff sacks when it'due south raining, and we may even utilize a waterproof compression stuff sack to go along bulk to a minimum. Dry out numberless are a worthy investment for trips where you're probable to run across rain. Keeping your sleeping handbag dry should always be a pinnacle priority for comfort and safety, only keeping your bag dry will also help extend the life of your equipment.

Make clean YOURSELF Upwards -Sweat, dirt, and oil are long-term enemies of insulation, reducing your pocketbook's constructive warmth rating. Some hikers embrace trail clay and don't mind sleeping in it, but nosotros always try to clean up throughly later a long twenty-four hours on the trail. We as well similar to modify into clean camp dress when possible. This helps us sleep much better and keeps our sleeping bags free of dirt, sweat, oil, and bad smells. To launder up, we unremarkably take a water bottle shower, use a handkerchief every bit a washcloth, and dry off with a small PackTowl. Also, remember to make clean up at least 200 feet from water sources and only use biodegradable lather if really necessary (nosotros have soap-free showers and they're great.)

CONSIDER USING A LINER -A sleeping bag liner will aid protect the interior of your bag from clay and grime, and they can as well add together a little warmth. Nosotros mostly don't utilize liners because they can experience a bit constrictive and become tangled up, but they definitely help go on your purse fresh, and a lot of backpackers love them.

PROTECT YOUR Pocketbook WHILE COWBOY Camping ground -Sleeping in your purse without a tent? Always use a footing sheet and sleeping pad to protect your bag from straight contact with the ground. This volition help proceed the outside of your bag make clean and costless of abrasions.

Cleaning Your Sleeping Bag

Many backpackers never make clean their sleeping bags, allowing grit and grime to soak in for many years. Not only will this brand for a super stinky sleep sack, but it will also eventually ruin your bag'south fabrics and decrease its loft and insulation. Sometimes you'll but demand to spot make clean or deodorize your sleeping bag, simply it may besides exist time for a total-on wash. If it'south fourth dimension to deep clean your bag, check out our total sleeping bag washing guide. Beneath are some bones tips to get you started.

SPOT Treat - Sometimes, all your bag volition need is a spot launder effectually areas similar the head or footbox. To do this, apply a small amount of downward wash to an area and utilise a toothbrush to scrub away the grime. When completed, use a moisture sponge to wash the surface area and remove the soap. If possible, hold the material away from the down filler to minimize getting the down wet. Information technology'southward ok if you exercise get the down wet, you lot'll simply need to give it adequate time to dry before storing your bag.

DEODORIZE - If your bag has a developed an odor, give it a practiced spray with Nature'south Phenomenon or Febreze and hang it to dry. You don't demand to saturate the bag since most of the odor will likely be in the fabric covering the bag. If the smell remains after hanging it out to dry for 24 hours, the stink may be in the downwards make full. If that's the case, you can either spray it once more, this time saturating the pocketbook, or give it a full wash.

Full Launder - Washing your sleeping pocketbook may sound like a daunting chore, but it's actually pretty elementary, though information technology will take a few hours. Down feathers are frail, so it'southward very important to wash your bag properly. Recollect to always use specific Down Soap, such as Granger Down Launder or Nikwax Down Wash. Check our our detailed guide - How to wash a downward sleeping handbag - for a stride-by-step procedure to cleaning and restoring DWR to your bag.

SLEEPING Pocketbook REPAIR

If yous've endemic your sleeping bag for a while, chances are you've experienced some of these mutual issues before. Most of these fixes should be fairly easy to address on your own. And retrieve, in a pinch, or even for a long term set up, Tenacious Tape is a really good fabric repair tool for sleeping bag holes or tears. Here are some like shooting fish in a barrel fixes to common sleeping bag problems:

Downward LEAK – Near downwardly sleeping bags are designed with tightly woven fabrics that prevent feathers from getting out. But every at present and so yous're likely encounter feathers poking their fashion through your sleeping handbag fabric. When that happens, we recommend not pulling the feathers out, but instead trying to piece of work the feathers back inside your bag by pulling the fill from the inside. You definitely don't desire to get in the addiction of pulling feathers out of your sleeping bag, because that will create larger holes, making information technology easier for more feathers to escape.

FABRIC HOLES OR TEARS - Two-way zippers are sadly notorious for snagging fabric and ripping a holes in sleeping bags. Be proactive and have it easy on your zippers. Zip slowly and avoid yanking if your zipper gets stuck. If yous do develop a hole in your sleeping bag, we recommend using Gear Help's Tenacious Tape to patch upwards the textile. This sticky-back waterproof tape is great for fixing rips, holes and gashes outdoor gear. Alternatively, you could also manus stitch holes or tears with a needle and thread, merely nosotros prefer Tenacious Tape. Serious holes or tears may require a professional repair. If you don't feel confident sewing or patching your handbag yourself, nosotros recommend contacting the handbag manufacture.

ZIPPERS - To fix a derailed or broken zipper, you'll need a zipper repair kit. That'south usually a task that'southward best completed at home, so you may accept to tough it out if y'all're already on the trail. Yous may be tempted to employ safety pins on your pocketbook as a temporary set, but we recommend agains that if possible. Introducing new holes into a sleeping bag's fabric is generally not a expert thought.

SLEEPING BAG STORAGE Tips

REMOVE FROM STUFF SACK - As soon equally you arrive dwelling, accept your sleeping bag out of its stuff sack and let information technology expand. Spend a minute or 2 fluffing the feathers and helping your bag regain it's loft. This is one of the most important things you can do to help extend the life of your sleeping bag.

AIR It OUT - Make sure you unzip your purse, open it up completely and ensure that it'due south 100% dry out before storage. Yous tin can also spay it with Febreze to reduce bad smells, only make certain to permit your purse dry completely earlier you store it.

Store IN A Large SACK OR HANG -Once your bag is dry and ready to exist stored, nosotros recommend either hanging your purse up, or placing it in the big mesh storage bag that it came with. Also, it's very important to store your sleeping purse in a dry location (not a musty basement or attic).