900 Fill Down

Have a look at PHD in the UK. They use 900 EU fillpower down in a lot of their stock and custom gear. I think 800 EU down is equivelant to 900 US, so i guess 900 EU must be around 1000 US?

I think their is some debate as to whether their is any significant difference between previous 800 and current 900 fill down as the testing process has changed. Someone who knows a great deal more than I should probably chime in here, but if you do a search here you may find some information about it.

After some research, I've read that most companies that claim their products have 900 fill, it's actually more like 850 or 860 fill. Technically speaking, Western Mountaineering bags are all 900 fill, but since they are honest, they label it as 850 fill to be more accurate.

I have an off topic question, is Nunatak the only company out there that does custom quilts??
Because if that's the case, their prices would make a lot more sense.

They're the only large company I'm aware of that does custom down quilts. There are people on this site that can do one for you though.

Hey Sid, if you want the best down, ask Tom (from Nunatak) to use his "Eider Down" in your quilt. I'm pretty sure he's the only guy offering it…IIRC, it is an additional charge of $125 per ounce. Yes, that is per ounce…in ADDITION to the standard cost. I really wonder if anyone has ordered it before.

I think 900 and 800 fill down are the same. The new testing standards allow you to dry and "fluff up" down before testing (or something to that effect) which I believe yields a slightly higher number. In other words, down that was labeled as 800 or 850 5 years ago would rate at 900 if tested today.

At least that's how I understand it but I could be wrong.

Holy Moly! Is it possible to farm these ducks? :)

What kind of fill-power are we talking here?

Wow, I guess I better sell one of my kidneys if I am to ever have an Eider Down quilt. Why does Tom bother to even offer it at that price? I can't imagine anyone spending that kind of money on a quilt or bag.

Chris,
who are the people on here that are able to make me a quilt?

6 months ago, I had a lengthy phone visit with a Marmot customer service guy. I asked him why my 3 y.o. Hydrogen had "900 fill" on the tag, but that the current model is stated to be just 850. He said that they couldn't consistantly be certain that all down for the 900 series bags was in fact 900. Some batches were maybe 860, others 885, and some even surprised them at being 925+. So they decided to be safe and call it 850, knowing that all batches would rate at least that. He also mentioned that I could call back and give him the batch number printed on the tag, and that they could find the test results for that batch. I did this, and here are the results for my 3 Marmot bags:

2005 CWM-EQ 900 fill: actual=850 fill
2006 Hydrogen 900 fill: actual=880 fill
2007 Helium EQ 850 fill: actual=850 fill

I believe that 2007 was the year that they stopped calling those bags "900 fill," and they switched the stated fill power rating to 850.

Whether there really is a functional difference between 850 and 900, I don't know. But I do know that each of my bags are good to maybe 5-10 F below Marmot's stated temperature rating. Well, OK, I've not actually taken the superb CWM-EQ down to minus 40 F, but at -20 F I had to strip down to my shorts and T-shirt and get rid of the body warmer that I had at the foot of the bag. I love geese!

Sid – I think Chris is referring to Tim Marshall…

http://tmoutdoors.webs.com/

I didn't even know he had a website up – I'll post a link from the quilt I had him make me.

Sid, you can't go wrong with Tim – top notch gear and great to work with. Check his prices before ordering from Nunatak…of course, Nunatak stuff is beautiful aswell.

Direct from Nunatak website.
"Listen up, all you ultra gear heads. You thought you had everything? Well, Nunatak can now bring to market, on a limited basis, the ultimate fill for any of our down products. But it comes at a price. Read on…

Think Classic Eider Down. The revered, the rare. A unique wild down. Grown under Arctic tundra conditions. Down so fine, so incredibly light, that loft and volume and fill weight have a new standard, an eider down benchmark… The quality is top notch, the loft is amazing as time has tested, and the finished bag or jacket is a one of a kind.

Our supplier gently hand collects this amazing product in the wild, directly from the nest, without disturbing the bird, in portions so small that it takes weeks to get enough to fill a bag. Certified genuine Eider Down from extreme Northern Canada, minimally processed, very unique.

Why would you want Eider? Warmth, loft, lightest possible weight, durability, and yes, prestige, are just a few of the reasons that comes to mind. Make up more yourself. Because certain things in life can't be logically justified.

Should you get it? Well, can you afford it? Because of its rare nature and painstaking collection process, the price of this stuff is extraordinary. We add a $125.00 surcharge per ounce of down for the exclusive privilege to own this one of a kind sleeping bag or jacket. Per ounce, remember?. That means, for example, the humble Ghost in size medium will go from $307.00 to $1187.00. Perfectly reasonable.

"I can't imagine anyone spending that kind of money on a quilt or bag."

Heck, backpacking is a really cheap hobby compared to many that like specialized gear and have the means to purchase. I won't go into how expensive women's jewelry tastes or drug addicts habits are, but a top of the line custom quilt would be cheap in comparison.

I would still like to know the fill-power???

"Because certain things in life can't be logically justified."

I believe I've just found my new motto.

"Heck, backpacking is a really cheap hobby compared to many that like specialized gear"

Yup. Look at what folks spend on amatuer cycling, boating, skiing blah blah blah. And keep in mind that a good quality down bag can last a lifetime if properly looked after. Try THAT with a mountain bike!

Of course, with the eider down you have no idea what fill power you are getting.

I listed an eider Back Country Blanket in response to a thread about most expensive gear ever purchased. At about $2800 it was on my wish list only.

I'm not sure that the standard fill power measurement (which is the volume in cubic inches of one ounce of down compressed in lab conditions) would give an accurate measurement. It works for goose down because the different fill power ratings are all the same product: apples to apples. For some reason the down of mature eider ducks is denser and warmer than that of geese and the same lab test might not reflect that. (Too bad Roger is off in Switzerland – he'd correct me on this.)

I've slept under an eiderdown comforter once, in a hotel in Austria, and I remember that the thin comforter was amazingly lightweight and super warm. I recently saw once advertised at $12,000 for a king size quilt.

I kidded Tom Halpin about the eider option. I thought it was a gimmick, but he said there's an occasional order. If I had one I'd be worried about each feather that escaped, and I'd probably request the heaviest shell fabric and thus lose some of the weight saving. But this is still only dreaming.

If I was a multimillionaire, I'd buy a few of them! In fact, I would have the best of everything customized. My backpack kit would cost as much as $50,000, if that is possible.

Look at all the kids working at fast food that can afford to modify their cars with $10,000 stereos, turbochargers, and 20" wheels. It's not ridiculous to offer the eider down.

According to this site the fill power of eider down is about 700 http://www.eiderdown.org/eiderdown-uses.html
But since the eiderdown have little hooks that make them stick together in a cluster the overall effect is warmer than the fill power alone…
This picture of two women cleaning the eider down illustrates the effect of the down sticking together http://lanan.no/gallery2/arne-nevra/L_nan+dunv_r+0151.jpg.html
Lots of beautiful pictures of eider ducks and nothern Norway here http://www.lanan.no/english/image-gallery/

The site where I found the image also sells eider down duvets… 140 cm x 200 cm with a kilogram of eider down is priced at about 46.000 NOK (roughly $8200 at todays exchange rate!)
Eider down is supposed to be the very best and it's certainly priced like that!