I have washed my down bag several times now and honestly feel it’s too easy to not do it more often. My down jackets are the same and I wash them annually at least. I don’t use a liner because now that I know how to properly wash the thing I can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner. If your bag is made with a nylon fabric and has a dwr it’s obviously going to repel water when you try to wet it. I put my bag into the bathtub inside out to do the foot area first and use a conservative amount of a regular liquid detergent in my hands and rub it into the fabric just like if I were washing my hair. Then I turn it back around so I have access to the outside fabric of the bag and do the same. In the process some of the water will get into the inner baffles and wet the down. It will clump up. That’s not an issue. The water will be a nice ugly grey brown at this point and I drain the tub to let all the dirt go down the drain. Then I rinse it with my shower head and let the water run over the bag until I feel it’s free of soap. I let it sit for a while and then use my hands to squish on the bag and remove as much of the water as I can before drying. Don’t freak out. This is the part where people thing they messed up, but you didn’t. The dryer needs to be on medium to low heat for the first hour or so of drying. I use my regular home grade dryer and have never had an issue. Check on the bag every 15 minutes. When you notice the outside fabric has become dry the inside down will still be clumpy. Don’t panic. Put a couple clean tennis balls in there and switch to low heat or the air fluff setting so there is no chance you will damage your shell fabric. As the down drys it will begin to loft again and you’ll want to check it every so often to make sure the insulation is not sitting there stuck in any of the baffles. If it is, just try to gently slide the down toward the middle of the baffle and put it back in the dryer. Any time you have moisture on your bag it’s fine to run this method of air fluff in the dryer and restore the loft before hanging to store. Believe it or not... a clean bag is much much better at keeping you warm and the couple hours it takes to clean it is infinitely better than purchasing a new sleeping bag. If you desire you can purchase a spray on dwr like camp dry or gear aid and apply that to your sleeping bag once it is clean. The dwr helps repel moisture and helps to keep the bag clean longer in normal camping conditions. It should only be applied to a clean bag or you will trap the surface dirt and grime into the fabric and make cleaning more difficult later. A good down bag will last you 30+ years if you learn to clean it properly. Protect your investment. Clean your bag. ❤️
Thanks so much for these videos. I just got my Aerie 30 Underquilt and the included card with warranty and care info was a nice touch. Keep up the good work!
Just got my Summit 20 and will be testing it down those temps this week! Now that you guys sell a liner, are you going to post a video for it? Or did I overlook one that you've already posted?
We will do a video on our liner, but currently we are stocked out of it and won't have it in stock for a few months. We will likely do a video on it when we have them back in stock. The demand was much higher than we originally anticipated. Thanks!
I'm confused. I keep hearing about not getting your down bags wet since they'll lose their insulation properties. So how would putting it in a washer help? Plus they're really expensive to deliberately wet them to clean them.
What you heard is true, but that insulation is lost WHEN the bag is wet. Not because the bag was ever wet. As long as you don't do anything extreme or wash it with any chemicals that aren't good for down, it'll insulate you just fine once it's dried again. Just make sure you dry it out and keep it dry when you want to actually use it.
I bought an OV summit 20 degree 800 fill bag when they were brand new. The bag is still going strong and is my favorite piece of gear!
Much needed video on this. Everyone else just showed it in the machine with dryer which reduces it's longevity. Thank you so much.
I have washed my down bag several times now and honestly feel it’s too easy to not do it more often. My down jackets are the same and I wash them annually at least. I don’t use a liner because now that I know how to properly wash the thing I can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner. If your bag is made with a nylon fabric and has a dwr it’s obviously going to repel water when you try to wet it. I put my bag into the bathtub inside out to do the foot area first and use a conservative amount of a regular liquid detergent in my hands and rub it into the fabric just like if I were washing my hair. Then I turn it back around so I have access to the outside fabric of the bag and do the same. In the process some of the water will get into the inner baffles and wet the down. It will clump up. That’s not an issue. The water will be a nice ugly grey brown at this point and I drain the tub to let all the dirt go down the drain. Then I rinse it with my shower head and let the water run over the bag until I feel it’s free of soap. I let it sit for a while and then use my hands to squish on the bag and remove as much of the water as I can before drying. Don’t freak out. This is the part where people thing they messed up, but you didn’t. The dryer needs to be on medium to low heat for the first hour or so of drying. I use my regular home grade dryer and have never had an issue. Check on the bag every 15 minutes. When you notice the outside fabric has become dry the inside down will still be clumpy. Don’t panic. Put a couple clean tennis balls in there and switch to low heat or the air fluff setting so there is no chance you will damage your shell fabric. As the down drys it will begin to loft again and you’ll want to check it every so often to make sure the insulation is not sitting there stuck in any of the baffles. If it is, just try to gently slide the down toward the middle of the baffle and put it back in the dryer. Any time you have moisture on your bag it’s fine to run this method of air fluff in the dryer and restore the loft before hanging to store. Believe it or not... a clean bag is much much better at keeping you warm and the couple hours it takes to clean it is infinitely better than purchasing a new sleeping bag. If you desire you can purchase a spray on dwr like camp dry or gear aid and apply that to your sleeping bag once it is clean. The dwr helps repel moisture and helps to keep the bag clean longer in normal camping conditions. It should only be applied to a clean bag or you will trap the surface dirt and grime into the fabric and make cleaning more difficult later. A good down bag will last you 30+ years if you learn to clean it properly. Protect your investment. Clean your bag. ❤️
Thanks so much for these videos. I just got my Aerie 30 Underquilt and the included card with warranty and care info was a nice touch. Keep up the good work!
thank you for the tip/ tips.
Thanks for the good advice. You answered all my questions.
0:20 like when you have one too many warm milks at night too close to your bedtime
Just got my Summit 20 and will be testing it down those temps this week! Now that you guys sell a liner, are you going to post a video for it? Or did I overlook one that you've already posted?
We will do a video on our liner, but currently we are stocked out of it and won't have it in stock for a few months. We will likely do a video on it when we have them back in stock. The demand was much higher than we originally anticipated. Thanks!
Outdoor Vitals Awesome! Thanks.
I'm confused. I keep hearing about not getting your down bags wet since they'll lose their insulation properties. So how would putting it in a washer help? Plus they're really expensive to deliberately wet them to clean them.
What you heard is true, but that insulation is lost WHEN the bag is wet. Not because the bag was ever wet. As long as you don't do anything extreme or wash it with any chemicals that aren't good for down, it'll insulate you just fine once it's dried again. Just make sure you dry it out and keep it dry when you want to actually use it.
What, just a dry run. I was hoping you'd get that thing wet!
Well. Im fucked up then.
Am i?
Im put in too much detergent on it.
My old sleeping bag is 13 years old LOL you can see the dirt
1 you are so little. 2 love the backdrop 3. I feel like your advice has changed.