Sleeping Bag

[Altaskibum]

Yeah y'all are probably right. How long is a synthetic bag supposed to last? Should I get a down next time? Do they typically last longer?

[Mike P.]

My synthetic is 10+ years old & still retains warmth, it's not used all that much though.

Whatever you buy, they should sell cotton storage bags. They are thin & good sized so your bag can be stored without being cramped in a tiny stuff sack. Storing it in the stuff sack will shorten the life of any bag.

[David Metsky]

It really depends on how you use, store, and clean it. If you use it heavily and it spends a lot of time compressed, you will see a loss of loft (insulating power) in just a few (3-4) years. If you use it infrequently, store it properly, and sleep in a liner so the bag doesn't absorb moisture and oils, it will last up to 10 or so years without losing much loft.

Down will generally last much longer, I know of folks with 20+ year old bags that are still going strong. I've got one bag hitting 20 years now.

But a proper wash and drying of the synthetic bag should restore some of the loft. It can be hard on the bag structure and you could cause rips/tears in the shell.

-dave-

[Bergamo]

FWIW: I was at Moor and Mountain the other day , speaking to Burt about some old down bags I own. One is a North Face Slim-some-thing-or-another Mummy rated to 20. And the other is a Sierra Designs rated to -20. His first question was: How did you store them? I said I have used them off and on over the years and have kept them both in a very large cardboard box (one of those big boxes for some sort of kid's toy house, or something) and lofted-up. He said it was good they weren't crunched in a stuff sack and suggested I give them a wash. He sold me the down soap and gave me the instructions to follow. He said I should have good results bringing back the loft. These bags were bought in the mid 1970's. At this point in my life, I won't be buying new equipment unless it is necessary and it will be used.