Wondering if it's a good idea to spend the extra money and get a water proof or water resistant down sleeping bag for thruhiking the Appalachian Trail. What do you think? It it worth it?
_Yoyo Tokyo_Waterproof down sleeping bags
system
#1
system
#2
No such thing exists. You would not want one if it did exist. Your body will release to the atmosphere through normal perspiration quite a bit of moisture. That moisture needs go away. If it is trapped inside some sort of barrier in your bag you will wake up soaked. If you want to see this moisture look up through the mesh roof of your tent at the water on the under side of your rain fly that collects over night. Some Clever advertisers of high tech fabric may claim that they have a fabric that will allow moisture out but not in. These things won't work enough so that you will notice. If you have a down sleeping don't spray fabric water sealer on it.
_Francis_
system
#3
Generally I agree with Francis, but with one additional comment. Down bags that are advertised as waterproof usually have the feature that the down itself is treated so that it will resist piling. Don't know if that claim holds water (pardon the pun), but if it does, and the nylon of the bag breathes, then this would be a major improvement on the standard (heretofore unparalleled) down sleeping bag.
_2pakjack_
system
#4
I actually bought a "waterproof" down sleeping bag from REI more than a decade ago. I still have it and haven't used it often. It's rated to -5 below and the lining, at least on the outside, is made of gore-tex. It's breathable. Great for use in the snow on it's own but I'd never like be sleeping out in the rain with it alone. I don't think "waterproof" bags really exist. Even compression can force water through gore-tex. I'm not sure bags are even advertised as waterproof anymore.
_David_
system
#5
No, just the down is advertised as being waterproof, with the fancy video of the regular down swirling around the glass of water, and the hydrophobic down plumped up on top of the water. Who knows how accurate that is, but I think I'm just going to go with a regular bag because, 1, it's less expensive, 2, they're lighter, and 3, some regular bags have a light water-resistant coating, which should be enough for any condensation inside the tent.
_Yoyo Tokyo_
system
#6
I have a quilt with treated down and yes it will stay lofted longer than untreated down but just the same as raingear will eventually wet out. I find it good for the moisture that your body puts out and condensation or with a little bit of rain/snow on it. I certainly wouldn't want to get it totally wet, I don't think it would last long in that condition.
Lastly please point to a synthetic sleeping bag that is lighter than a similarly rated down one. They don’t exist. The better the quality of the down the lighter it is. My ex-long ex-wide 20F down quilt/sleeping bag is 655grams or 23 ozs and is filled with 900 Power Hyperdry Water Resistant Down. The same in a regular medium size is 16.7ozs or 473 grams.
_Jim_