Troop 140 - Boys Scouts of America
Blairstown, New Jersey 75+ Years of Scouting Adventure and Leadership Development
Care and Storage of Your Down Sleeping Bag
Information provided by Western Mountaineering
Proper care and storage of your sleeping bag will provide you with years of service. Outlined below are some useful tips for prolonging the life of your bag.
Using your sleeping bag:
Always place your bag on a waterproof ground cloth to keep dirt and other forest litter from soiling the outside shell.
Protect the inside of the bag from sweat and body oils by wearing a tee shirt, shorts and socks. This will do the same as sheets on a bed.
Storing your sleeping bag:
After use, air-dry your bag in the sun or in a tumble dryer before storing it.
Put it into a large breathable storage sack.
Do not leave it stuffed in its stuff sack or in a plastic bag for long periods of time.
Cleaning your sleeping bag:
Don't let this frighten you!
The best way to clean the bag is to hand wash it in a bathtub* or to use a front-loading washing machine**.
Never use a top-loading or agitator machine as this can damage the baffle construction.
Only use soap especially prepared for down products.
Dry cleaning is not recommended since the solvents can strip away natural oils contained in the down.
*When you hand wash, fill the tub with warm water, add down soap and put the bag in the tub. A tip here is to keep your bag in its stuff sack and put the whole thing underwater. That way air has already been forced out of the bag and you won't have to fight air filled baffles floating to the surface. A Dryloft™ bag should first be turned inside out before being put into the tub. Carefully pull the bag from its stuff sack and gently knead the soapy water through the bag. It may be necessary to change the soapy water more than once, but don't over do it. When you are satisfied that your bag is clean, be prepared to rinse it with clear water several times. It is important that all of the soap is removed from the down before it is dried. If in doubt, rinse again. Five or more rinses are not uncommon. Do not wring water from your sleeping bag. Instead, roll it up tightly and carefully.
**A washing machine that will allow you to select the last spin cycle will remove a lot of water and save dryer time.
You may dry your bag in a gas or electric clothes dryer. Find a large dryer with good heat control, and set to low heat. First, watch for hot spots on the dryer drum that could melt the nylon shell. If in doubt use the no heat setting. A couple of clean tennis balls tossed in with the bag will help break up clumps of down and give you something to look at. Be careful! Don't just tumble your bag till it feels dry. That may not be enough. Carefully feel the down insulation. If you still feel lumps, no matter how small, then your down is still wet! Break your twenty and add some dimes. In a couple of hours you will have a clean sleeping bag back to its original loft.
