 |
||||
| Everything you wanted to know about Feathered Friends Products
Frequently Asked Questions - General Information
Frequently Asked Questions - Down Comforters
Frequently Asked Questions - Sleeping Bags
Frequently Asked Question: - Garments For information on cleaning and caring for your Feathered Friends Sleeping Bag, Comforter or Bedding Item, please visit our Care and Feeding Instructions Frequently Asked Questions - General Information 1) What makes your products superior to the rest? - Our design philosophy is simple: Take the best down-proof raw materials available, sew the most effective outer shell together and fill it with the best down we can get our hands on. Elegantly simple and purely functional. There are many good brands on the market today that produce quality products however there are a few things that separate us from the rest.
2) Down vs. Synthetic insulation At first glance Synthetic filled sleeping bags, jackets and bedding appear to offer substantial savings over down. However the longevity of down and the quality of comfort far outweigh the benefits of synthetics. It's not uncommon for us to see 13-15 year old down bags coming back to us simply to be washed. Compare that with having to purchase 3-4 synthetic bags in the same amount of time and the savings become apparent (not to mention 3 less sleeping bags in a landfill somewhere). Down breathes far more effectively than synthetics. It is up to four times as thermally efficient as synthetics and up to ten times more durable. Down is also far more earth friendly; synthetic insulation is a petroleum product. Synthetics will not retain its loft as long as down, they are not biodegradable and represent a non-renewable resource. Down is fully renewable, biodegradable, and a natural by-product of the poultry food industry. No animals are destroyed solely for their down. Where the rubber hits the road, though, is the practical implications in the field. The longstanding argument has been "What if my down bag gets wet? Will it still work?" 3) What is the difference between duck down and goose down? With a microscope you can see tiny barbs on the smallest fibers of duck down, but not on goose down. These barbs make duck down cling together. From this you might conclude that duck down is superior, and in fact the most prized down in the world, Eider down, clings together as if it were one piece. In the commercial world, however, duck are almost never mature by the time their down is collected. Most comes from restaurant ducklings that never are over six weeks old. The down is more like fuzz than mature down. The way mature duck down clings together presents a problem for the down processors when they separate the down from the feathers. For this reason it is usually mixed with goose down. This is perfectly legal as long as the percentage is small. Duck down also has more natural oils than goose down, and unless it gets extra washing, it retains a strong odor. It is possible to get properly washed and separated duck down exceeding 600 fill power. We have used some in the past. The supply is limited, and it costs as much as equivalent fill power goose down. The vast majority of duck down used is less carefully processed and lower fill power than Mediocre goose down. 4) What kind of zipper do you use? We use a YKK#5 zipper on all of our sleeping bags, varying in length depending on the length of the bag. 5) What colors do your products come in? See our available color and fabric selection here. Our in-stock color selection (available immediately) varies depending on the garment or bag. Give the retail store a call to find out what they have ready to ship. If it's not available at the store you can have a bag or garment made in your choice of color/fabric for an additional charge. 6) How long will it take to make my sleeping bag, jacket or comforter? Depending on the season and how busy our factory is, our normal production time is around 4-5 weeks. This may be more for custom garments. 7) How is fill power measured? The standard method for testing fill is to put one ounce of down in a standardized testing cylinder and compress it with a standardized piston that fits loosely inside the cylinder. The volume occupied by this partially compressed down is the fill power measurement. To be tested properly the down must be prepared according to a set procedure, and at a defined range of temperature and humidity. A number of tests must be made with down collected from several places in each batch, and the measurements averaged. The most reliable tests are done by certified testing labs. A processor or manufacturer's test cannot be considered accurate without lab confirmation. 8) Are fill power numbers a legal description? The fill power testing standard has no legal standing. It is an informal agreement among processors, manufacturers, and retailers. Because there is no enforcement, it is wise to look for certification from an independent testing lab. Beyond that, the reputation of the Manufacturer is your only assurance that advertised fill powers are accurate. Frequently Asked Questions - Down Comforters There is a best style for you, but that will not be the same style for everyone. Lightweight comforters should be sewn in squares so the down cannot shift. Comforters that are intended for use over a wide range of temperatures should be sewn in a style that allows the down to be shifted, yet keeps it in place over the course of several nights. Our favorite for versatility is the Scandinavian style. For warmer comforters, baffling between the layers lets the down expand and eliminates sewn through seams. Baffled comforters do not have the puffy look of sewn through construction. If you value the dramatic look more than efficiency, we can make you a very warm sewn through comforter. 2) How can I tell if a comforter will be warm enough, but not too warm? Do you give temperature ratings? There are no exact formulas for temperature ratings, and no exact answers about the right warmth comforter. Individuals are so variable that we have customers who find our thinnest comforters plenty warm on cold days with the windows open, and others who use our heaviest comforters in the summer. You probably have a good idea if you sleep warm or cold, and can adjust from our recommendations accordingly. Fortunately, down is comfortable over a much wider range than other bedding. 3) How can the consumer tell the quality of the yarn? The best indication is the origin of the cotton. Long fibered Egyptian Grown in the near East has long been recognized as far superior in strength and consistency. This long fibered strain is known as Pima cotton when it is grown in the American southwest. German mills do the best job of spinning and weaving into an even, soft, downproof fabric. 4) Is higher thread count better? Not necessarily. Higher thread count fabrics have smaller yarns, so they are generally lighter and softer. On the other hand, smaller threads are weaker. Higher thread count fabrics can be far less durable than lower thread count fabrics. Some of the most durable downproof fabric made is a 227 count Egyptian cotton from Germany. The quality of the yarn is just as important as thread count. 5) Does higher thread count mean that fabric is more down proof? Again, not necessarily. A thread count of at least 220 is necessary to make a downproof fabric that is not excessively stiff and heavy. Using smaller yarns leaves more space in the weave, and raising the thread count does not always compensate fully. Even spacing is also important; otherwise down can leak through the less densely packed area. Weaves that have the same warp count as weft count are more stable than fabrics that have a much higher count in one direction than the other. Cambric weaves alternately pass the weft yarns one over the warp and one under. Cambric is inherently more stable than twill and sateen weaves which pass two over one or three over one. We have noted that many of the damask look twills from the orient are quite leaky in spite of a high thread count. That is not to say that twill and sateen weaves cannot be downproof. The weaving pattern allows a higher thread count, and if the yarns are tightly packed, twills and sateen weaves make some of the finest downproof fabrics. 6) Why are there so many stitching styles for down comforters? The stitching arrangement should match the amount of down fill. That accounts for having both sewn through and baffled styles, and for the different size chambers. Some people like to move the down around to adjust the warmth, and some people like it to stay put. In additional to these functional reasons, there are personal preferences in the appearance of the comforter. Remember that the comforter will probably be covered before you let aesthetic considerations override practicality. Most manufacturers will not tell you the primary consideration from their point of view, which is ease of fabrication. Manufacturers tend to like the open styles that allow them to fill the quilt by blowing the down in all at one time. These open styles were designed for comforters that are thick and not much larger than the mattress. Because the down tends to fall off the edge of the bed, the "framed" styles were invented. Most of these comforters are somewhat underfilled, and shifting is a constant problem. 7) Do I have to use a cover with my down comforter? Your comforter will last longer if you use a cover, and making the bed will be a snap, but many people like the look of a down comforter without a cover. You can take your choice; wear out the shell of the comforter or wear out a removable cover. You can replace the cover, or we can remake the comforter by putting the down into a new shell. You might think twice about using a comforter without a cover if you have children or pets that jump on the comforter. A limited amount of cleaning will not hurt a down comforter, but excessive cleaning will. 8) What is the best way to properly wash my comforter or pillow? Cleaning can easily ruin your investment by excessively stripping the down of its natural oils. Feathered friends offer an expert washing service for your Feathered Friends products. 9) Speaking of cleaning, how should a down comforter be cleaned? We recommend washing with mild soap and warm water. We discourage dry cleaning. Dry cleaning leaves down dry and brittle, usually leaves the down a dirty as before; and worse, leaves a residue of cleaning fluid that takes weeks to completely evaporate. You can wash a comforter at home with special down soaps. Otherwise, find someone who will wash rather than dry clean. You can send your comforter to Feathered Friends for professional cleaning if you cannot find someone local. Comforters that have short intermittent stitching require special cleaning. These comforters often go by the name of "Karo" style, although the name "Karostep" is a German trademarked name referring to a precise baffle size and spacing. Feathered Friends European style is one of these types. Most inexpensive Karo style comforters have no baffles. Down is heavy when wet, and in the Karo style can concentrate in one area. 10) What if I am allergic to down bedding and pillows? Most people who believe that they are allergic to feathers and down are actually experiencing a reaction to dust, dirt, and other contaminants found in down and feathers. Feathered friends down is among the cleanest available. Each batch of down is tested for cleanliness by an independent laboratory. Only the cleanest down is acceptable for use in our products. If for any reason, however, you feel that our product is not satisfactory, our warranty ensures that you can return it for a full refund. Frequently Asked Questions - Sleeping Bags 1) I'm a 5'3" woman. Do I need a small or medium bag? This question also applies to anyone right on the fence between a regular and long bag in the unisex models. To answer the question: it depends. Our listed recommended heights are based on a person being able to lay in one of our bags with their feet hovering just short of touching the bottom of the bag. If you're much taller you run the risk of compressing the foot box and compromising warmth. If you need space at the bottom of your bag to store extra clothes, or if you just want extra room down there size up. 2) What side is the zipper on? For the unisex bags: on the left. Women's specific: on the right. 3) Why do you have 3 different dimensions for each temperature rating? Having the best down filled inside the best shell is only part of the equation towards getting an ideal bag. Sleeping inside a bag that fits YOU is the final step. Some people wake up in the exact same position they fell asleep in, while others will toss and turn all night long. Additionally, some people are built like marathoners, while others are built like football linebackers. The trick is to get a bag that eliminates as much dead air space inside your bag as possible while still being comfortable enough to sleep in. If you can find that happy medium, you'll have the most efficient bag. The best thing to is come into our shop and try them on for size. Otherwise feel free to order two different sizes and keep the one that "feels right". 4) Will I be comfortable in a 20 degree bag if the temperature gets down to 20 degrees? Not exactly. Again, bag rating are not an exact science and should be used as a guideline. Since warmth during sleep depends on a number of factors including health, altitude, level of hydration, rate of metabolism and perception (to name just a few) we can't accurately determine how comfortable you will be at any given temperature. A conservative recommendation is to use a bag rated 20 degrees colder than the lowest temperature you expect to be in, in this case a 0 degree bag. Frequently Asked Question: - Garments 1) If my jacket doesn't fit, can I return it? Absolutely. Please fill out one of our Return Forms for prompt service. 2) How can I figure out if it will fit? You can refer to our Garment Sizing Charts for some accurate guidelines. Give us a call if you have further questions and we'll be happy to help you out. Glossary Baffles are the cross-sectional "walls" that seperate down chambers in our warmer sleeping bags and garments. They allow more down to be filled in the same area compared to something with sewn-through construction. Cleanliness is an important characteristic of high quality down. Clean down and feathers have better loft, durability, and fewer irritants. Each batch of Feathered Friends down is measured by an independent lab for cleanliness, or turbidity. Turbidity is the measure of dust, dirt, and solids found in a sample of down. Although the FTC does not set regulations, the industry standard is about 200 on a scale of 0 to 550. Our average Turbidity is 495. 0 being the worst and 550 being the best. This means that our down is 2 and a half times cleaner than the average down comforter on the U.S. market. Only nature could provide this miracle of insulation. Each down cluster consists of thousands of tiny filaments that expand and interlock to trap your body's warmth. Down also "breathes", allowing moisture to pass freely away. All down is not the same. The three major points to consider are the feather content, fill power, and cleanliness. 100% cotton fabric is the best choice for a down ticking or pillow. It must be a tightly woven, high thread count, fabric, Feathered Friends uses a domestically woven Pima cotton with a 260 thread count as well as long-staple Egyptian and Sudanese cottons spun and woven in Germany with a 280 thread count. Higher count fabrics are available, but with ultra high- count fabrics, durability is sacrificed for the lighter weight. Most importantly, the long-fiber cottons we use are evenly woven and exceptionally strong for their weight. Geese have more feathers than down, yet feathers don't fluff and expand as down plumes will. Thus down is scarcer and more expensive than feathers, Feathers will add weight to a quilt or pillow and their sharp quills can pole through the outer fabric. Most people do not realize that "all down" on the label can contain as much as 30% feathers! Even the most economical Feathered Friends comforters contain less than half the amount of feathers allowed by FTC regulations. Of course, for pure down luxury, consider our 700+ fill, 750+ fill, or even our 850+ fill. This is most important characteristic of down because it determines the quality amount of loft of the down, and thus the insulating capability of the trapped air. Fill power is the number of cubic inches one ounce of down will fill under standardized laboratory conditions. Higher fill power means more warmth for the weight. Thus, if two comforters weigh the same but contain down with different fill powers, the comforter with the higher fill power will be fluffier and warmer. The higher fill power down is also more durable due to the greater maturity of the down plume. Fill power is a measurement of the ability of down to loft. Since higher lofting down traps more air, higher fill power down is warmer for the same weight. Higher lofting down is also more mature and carefully processed. This means much greater longevity. Even though higher fill power down costs more, in the long run it is a good buy. The upper and lower layers of a comforter are sewn together. The sum of the threads running vertically (warp) and horizontally (weft) within one square inch is the thread count. Sometimes when the two smaller threads twisted together are used instead of one single thread, each are counted in the total. This gives a number that is double the effective thread count. The highest normal thread count is about 360, and with the yarns doubled could be called 720 count. Construction The baffling fabric used in all our bags is a one-way stretch tricot. This lightweight mesh fabric is extremely strong. Its texture grabs the down and helps control shifting. All baffle seams are tuck-stitched to protect the thread from abrasion and wicking moisture. Vertical, or nearly, vertical wall baffling controls down with a minimum of weight. This configuration is used on all of our sleeping bags. A slight slant is built into some of the baffles to make it easier to secure at the edges. Many companies do not bother to do this. When filled with down the chambers have essentially vertical walls. Slanted baffle configurations, including trapezoidal baffles provide more surface area for down, however, we have concluded that they are not worth the extra weight. Merely placing baffles closer together is more efficient. A lengthwise cross-block baffle runs opposite the zipper and is used to keep 60% of the down permanently distributed on the top of the bag. It is used only in the Expedition bags, under the assumption that while sleeping you will not be rolling over in these bags. Our other bags are left with fully open channels, keeping your backside warm when you roll over and allowing you to shift down to the top or bottom according to your sleeping habits. This is contrary to an increasingly popular industry practice of adding more cross-block baffles. We find this usually hides underfilled chambers, and while it would appear to offer more down control, it merely reduces versatility. Our draft tubes and SnaGuard stiffener are sewn flat against the zipper for an efficient seal. The Penguin, Snow Goose and Snowy Owl have double draft tubes. The convex/concave draft tubes of the Widgeon Series and Expedition Series bags are the functional equivalent of double draft tubes, but at less weight. In a top quality garment or sleeping bag you should expect nearly perfect stitching and finishing. Thread should match fabric strength and stitches should be sewn closely and tightly. The end of every seam should be backtacked to hold the thread securely. We do all this even on the seams that you do not see. Baffles and shell fabric are tuck stitched and sewn on the inside. With fabrics, all raw edges should be eliminated. Nylon will unravel if the edges are not stabilized. Suprisingly, most manufacturers consider this to be too time consuming. Every piece of fabric we use is either hot cut or overlock-stitched on every edge--details you would not notice until your seams came apart. We take extaordinary care in the sewing of all our products. You will not find higher quality anywhere. Our lighter bags and full zip bags do not have a down filled collar as a standard feature. Adding a collar can push the temperature rating 5°F lower, sealing the neck area efficiently even if you do not pull the hood closed. Because a fluffy collar can be too warm in milder weather, we recommend the removable collar for lighter bags. Fabric and Materials we Use Our goal is to make products of the highest quality possible. Higher fill power down saves you weight and has a longer life than lower quality, low fill power downs. Carefully sorted, processed and washed, it has minimum breakage and retains the naturally occuring oils which protect it from moisture. The harsh washing and mechanized sorting methods often used for down of lesser quality can damage the down and strip it of natural oils. Furthermore, most down is a by-product of geese raised for food; it comes from young, undeveloped birds. Only breeder birds kept alive from year to year provide mature, fully developed down. Down becomes stronger and loftier as geese mature, increasing its volume to weight ratio as the down clusters increase in size. This mature down constitutes only a tiny percentage of the down available, demanding a higher price and coming in limited quantities. Wholesalers sometimes use this "mixing stock" to raise the fill power of lower quality machine-sorted downs. All our bags and come standard with 850+ fill goose down which meet our stringent quality standards, tested by our supplier and by an independent certified lab for fill power, composition and purity. 2) 800+ Fill Standard in our garments and sleeping bags. The special care taken in raising the geese, hand selecting the down, and expert processing results in exceptionally large, strong down clusters. These mature down clusters fill higher volumes and maintain loft better because of their superior strength and greater size. All our 850+ fill down is tested by the International Down and Feather Testing Laboratory, an independent lab in Salt Lake City, Utah according to strict standards. In order to be declared "850+ fill" each sample must be tested several times and posses a mean value that exceeds 850 fill power. We have always insisted on offering the best down we could find in the world. We are extremely pleased that we can now provide better down than any we have seen in years. This down has tested as high as 900 cubic inches per ounce! The high thread count taffetas we use are downproof by construction. That makes them much softer than the lower thread count nylons our competitors use that must be highly calendered. We use the 1.3 oz 30 denier fabric for the inside shell of sleeping bags,. 4) Nano We use our Nano fabric, treated with NanoSphere®, on our lightest weight garments. The permanent NanoSphere® treatment gives it a high water resistance and allows for natural self-cleaning. EPIC by Nextec takes a revolutionary approach to fabric protection. Instead of coating the finished fabric, the process encapsulates each individual fiber with a silicon treatment. This results in fabric that is highly water repellent, highly breathable, and much stronger as well. We have chosen a 1.3 oz. Microfiber polyester to use as the base fabric. With the EPIC by Nextec encapsulation the total fabric weight is 1.9 oz./yd.. The fabric is amazingly soft, and allows better lofting than other fabrics of the same weight. Because the polyester fibers are completely encapsulated, the fabric is inherently hydro-phobic and absorbs only a tiny fraction of the water that an equivalent nylon shell would. The end result is a jacket or bag that dries very quickly. This two layer PTFE gives superior waterproof performance while achieving higher breathability than any other waterproof/breathable coated or laminated fabric. All other waterproof/breathable fabrics are based on, or contain, polyurethane. Expanded polyurethane is inherently less breathable than expanded PTFE. The polyurethane also attracts water (hydrophilic), and so the film absorbs water vapor before it can pass through the membrane. The water must be re-evaporated before it can escape, and once the heat source that drives the evaporation is removed, your body heat in other words, the film retains moisture. The shell of a jacket or sleeping bag can hold one or two ounces of water and still appear to be dry. eVent film stays dry. Moisture escapes directly and immediately. The pure PTFE of eVent also resists the microscopic cracking that causes hybrid films to lose waterproofness. Check out the eVent website for more information. |
||||
|