STORAGE
Down can be stored partially compressed, but
it should never be stored in anything watertight. Condensation can
occur on the inside of a waterproof bag and result in mildew. All
Feathered Friends sleeping bags include a stuff sack and a 100%
cotton storage sack that will allow your bag to breathe, keep it
at loft and protect it from dirt. You can order additional storage
sacks directly from Feathered Friends for $12.00
Many people also hang their bags in a closet.
Store your bag in a dry place that has fairly constant temperature.
Do not expose the bag to sunlight except to dry. UV radiation degrades
the nylon and excessive heat evaporates the natural oils in the
down.
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SHIFTING THE DOWN FILL
The Hummingbird, Swallow, Swift, Snowbunting, Ibis, Widgeon, Eider,
Puffin, Penguin, Sandpiper and Condor models do not have side block
baffles, which allows you to shift the down either above or beneath
you to adjust the temperature range. If you roll over in your sleep
take that into consideration before you move all the down to one
side. Moving down requires a combination of pushing and patting.
Zip the bag out completely and lay it on a flat surface if you can.
Shaking the bag will not easily move the down; down shift while
you are in the bag is almost never a problem. The down can shift
entirely to one side, however, when the bag is washed. Don't
worry if part of the bag seems empty. A bit of patting and fluffing
the down will get back to its original shape.
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REMOVABLE COLLAR
Only the inner down-filled tube comes out, not the entire collar.
The easiest way to get the down tube back in the collar is to reach
all the way through the outer sleeve and pull the tube back through.
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CLEANING
Down bags can, and definitely should, be cleaned when they start
to accumulate oils. If your bag has started to lose loft, or the
fabric is badly discolored, it is time for the bag to be washed.
Body oils, hair oils, lotions and cosmetics are all acidic and will
slowly decompose down. Oils also contaminate DryLoft and Gore-tex
and heavy contamination may cause delamination. The down in your
Feathered Friends sleeping bag was carefully processed to the correct
oil/acid balance. We feel that both Down Suds and Thunder Down are
the best soaps for restoring down to its optimum oil and acid level
after use. An 8 oz. bottle will wash four bags and costs $4.95.
It is essentially the same soap used by down processors with some
added stain removers. Do not expect either Down Suds or Thunder
Down to remove all the stains. DO NOT DRY-CLEAN you sleeping bag.
Either wash the bag yourself by carefully following the detailed
cleaning instructions below, or have an experienced cleaner WASH
your bag using a special down soap. Feathered Friends offers a washing
service if there is no one in your area able to do the job properly.
Please call for details.
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RETURNS
Your Feathered Friends sleeping bag may be returned or exchanged
in unused, original condition for up to 30 days after you receive
it. Please take time to inspect the bag before you use it. If the
bag differs from what you've ordered, or has an obvious defect,
we will pay for return postage. If you cannot ship the bag back,
we can send a UPS call tag and a driver will retrieve the bag in
its original shipping box.
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GUARANTEE
All Feathered Friends products are guaranteed to the original owner
for his or her lifetime against defects in workmanship or materials.
We will repair or replace any defects at no charge. Repairs due
to normal wear, negligence or accident will be repaired for a reasonable
cost. You need not register your bag for warranty; merely record
the serial number printed on the "Penalty of Law" tag
at the foot of the bag before removing.
FEATHERED FRIENDS
For twenty years, Feathered Friends has made the finest sleeping
bags in the world. Our commitment to craftsmanship and quality extend
to every aspect of manufacturing, from the best materials and most
advanced designs to the finest down and painstaking sewing. We have
succeeded to the extent that Feathered Friends is synonymous with
quality with everyone from expedition climbers to weekend backpackers.
Feathered Friends sleeping bags have proven themselves from Mt.
Everest to the Cascades, from Patagonia to the Appalachian Trail.
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DETAILED CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS
Local Stains
You can spot treat stains soon after they occur with soap or cleaning
solvent. After time, stains will bond with the nylon and cannot
be removed without causing damage to the down. You can use solvents
to remove sap or tar. Try to move the down away from the spot you
are treating. Use an absorbent cloth on the reverse side, and use
many small applications rather than flooding the area and spreading
the stain. DryLoft and Gore-Tex do not require different treatment
than other fabrics.
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Dry-Cleaning Warning
At the risk of repeating ourselves, DO NOT DRY-CLEAN! Dry-cleaning
strips an excessive amount of oils from the down, and down will
not fully recover its loft after even one trip through the dry-cleaners.
In addition, dry-cleaning fluids remain in the bag for weeks; breath
tests can determine if someone has merely been inside a dry-cleaning
shop in the last week! We are sure you do not want to be zipped
inside a bag giving off carbon tetrachloride or perchlorethelene.
And worse, dry-cleaning usually does not even get the bag clean.
Exterior stains may be removed, but residue is left in the down.
Dry-cleaning clogs PTFE laminate pores and renders them non-breathable.
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Machine Washing
With down jackets or the Rock Wren liner bag, machine washing at
home is possible. Use Down Suds or Thunder Down in any machine.
Use no bleach or fabric softeners. Apply the soap directly to stained
or heavily soiled areas. Soak for 15 to 60 minutes, then run through
a normal cycle on gentle, with cold water. PTFE-laminate items will
have to be positioned nylon-side out in order to spin properly.
It is important to have the load balanced. When it is finished,
if you can squeeze out suds, rinse again. For larger bags, use a
font loading machine, preferably a double or triple load commercial
machine in a Laundromat. Again, soak if possible. Plan on running
through two complete cycles, the second time without soap to thoroughly
rinse all suds out of the bag.
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Hand Washing
Hand Washing is the safest of all. It would be difficult to damage
a bag in hand washing. However, it does require considerable time
and effort. Use a large tub or bathtub. Soak for up to an hour,
but not longer. You will have to work at getting all the down submerged,
since the weave of our nylon is so tight that it traps air. Gently
knead the bag from one end to the other, to ensure that all the
down is thoroughly exposed to the soap. Rinse several times in cold
water, then wring out all the excess water.
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Drying
Once the bag is cleaned, it is time to dry it. Wring all excess
water out of the bag. Use care when moving as soaked sleeping bag,
as the down weighing against the baffles is at its heaviest. It
is safe to put a PTFE-laminate bag into a large commercial dryer
set on permanent press or air fluff. The danger is too much heat.
If you feel the shell is getting hot, either select a lower temperature
or air dry the bag.
During washing, the down will collect in clumps. Periodically during
the drying process (at the end of each drying cycle or every few
hours if air drying) it is important to go through the entire bag
and pull apart these down clumps, distributing the down more or
less evenly through the bag. This only takes a few seconds, and
will ensure that the down dries quickly and evenly.
Feathered Friends sleeping bags are tougher than you might expect.
The tricot baffling we use is nearly as strong as the nylon shell;
and we use stronger but more time consuming tuck-stitch construction.
Problems in washing nearly always come from the shell catching in
the machinery or seams raveling out. You should not have the latter
problem with a Feathered Friends bag. To guard against snags, monitor
the wash closely.
Washing a sleeping bag is a somewhat time-consuming, though not
particularly difficult process. It is the most important element
in bag longevity. With regular washing, you can expect many years
of service from your Feathered Friends sleeping bag.
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