Smelly down sleeping bag?

[Ryan C]

Ok, I know this is kind of a strange problem but it is bothering me a little.

I got a new Marmot Helium 15*F bag at backcountry.com for a good price. It has been used for about 4 nights in backyard testing, thoroughly aired out, and stored in the cotton sack. Something that I have noticed is that it has kind of a funky musty smell. It is not unbearable or anything but noticeable up close.

I started to think maybe the problem was me but my W.M. Summerlite has never smelled weird after a couple weeks of use this year.

I saw a thread on White Blaze (Appalachian Trail forum) about a guy who had a wet-dog smelly Helium but it went away.

Has anyone else had a smelly Marmot bag or have any thoughts? I will be using it on a trip next week so exchanging it is not a solution right now.

[James Marco]

Contrary to popular opinion, it is OK to wash down multiple times. The oils in the feathers do not normally wash out. If you plan on washing every couple weeks of use, I would suggest 1/4-1/2 the amount of soap recomended. If you have a good washer, one without an agitator and with adjustable spin, you can use it. Top load or otherwise. I would suggest you avoid a commercial washer…these can build up detergents from regular laundry detergents. Hence, they will ruin down after a few washings. Make sure they are clean, if you are going to use one. I would suggest a clean bathtub, instead.
Rinse it a few times after washing to make sure the soap is removed. DO NOT lift or wring it. I am sure you have heard this before, just reiterating to be sure.

Water does the washing. Soap only helps mixing any oils, dirt and grime with the water. It actually takes very little soap to wash down. You are just cleaning off body oils, salts, and other dirt.

Now for the actual difficult part, FOLD it carefully into quarters. Then roll it to
sort of dry it out. Unroll it and do it again. Then once more, lifting the bundle into the dryer. On LOW or AIR dry, dry it for a full hour before checking it. Add a couple/three dryer balls and dry it, checking for clumps. Again, reiterating just to be sure… Down is heat tollerant. The synthetic shell may not be.

The bad news is that most smells, not all by any means, are caused by some of the dirt and moisture spoiling. In very bad cases, it could be the down. The bacteria, mold, fingi, or whatever usually release acids that can cause the down to loose the natural oils bonded into the the proteins of the feather. (Much like a finger nail.) The process of food digestion this way is called external digestion. All these little critters need some form of water to live. Even if you cannot feel it, it *must* be there to have a musty odor. Smell is a trigger, for me. It tells me to wash and dry my bag ASAP. It also tells me that the bag is damp, or was packed damp. After two or three weeks on the trail, mine smells a bit funky, too. I don't use a liner, but I do use a clean base layer at night. …Well, as clean as it gets… But, there is usually no way to dry a bag as well as I can at home. Soo, it just stays that little bit damp all the time. Even air drying in the sun, does not do it. An hour or two in the morning and/or at night is not enough and is not always possible. 'Corse, we get a lot of rain and humidity in the ADK's.

The good news is, that this is not something to be overly concerned about. Most dirt is confined to the shell, not into the down. If it smells a little, wash it and dry it. Often enough, it just takes a good drying when you get back to make sure it is dry enough to store it. Bags are not the best for storing it. Hanging a bag is *much* better. A good down bag is usually resistant to most stuff. Dirt, salt, and body oils leave a much more conducive environment for critter growth than the down.

Anyway, this is my guess, as always, from long distance. You have the bag right there. Good Luck and Merry Christmas!

jdm

[Ryan C]

Thanks for the useful input James. With it being brand new and less than a week of use, I would not think it needs washed yet but who knows. A couple other people smelled it and did not find the odor bad, just kinda "chemically" and may just be the synthetic fabric. I'll use it in the mountains next week and evaluate the odor severity afterward.

Washing a down bag is something I have never done but will keep your recommendations in mind when doing so.

[Bob Gross]

"Rinse it a few times after washing to make sure the soap is removed. DO NOT lift or wring it."

If you do the washing and rinsing in a bathtub, then you need to remove the bag afterward. Use an ordinary plastic laundry basket. Move the wet bag into it, and then you can lift it out of the bathtub. You can park that outside in the sun to let it drip, and then begin the drying process.

If you wash and rinse in a bathtub and try to lift the wet and heavy bag out by hand, you stand a chance of damaging the stitching in the baffles.

–B.G.–

[Serge Giachetti]

so you might be breathing onto the shell fabric more. I'm running into this with my new katabitic sawatch (super lofty!) Mine is smelling a little like a wet dog right below the collar. it could be some strange combination of new material or DWR combined with condensation from the breath. Not sure. I might tie a small chord around the chest just to just to keep my breath away from the bag when I don't need the extra loft.

You could start washing your bag regularly, but it would probably be a supreme hassle. Washing/drawing a down bag is an all day affair.

cheers

[Bob Gross]

"You could start washing your bag regularly, but it would probably be a supreme hassle. Washing/drawing a down bag is an all day affair."

It is much easier to breathe outside of the bag.

–B.G.–

[Jerry Adams]

This is sort of obvious, excuse me, but

hang it up and let it air out for several weeks

Outside would be best if you have a dry place

[Will Newton]

Ryan, this is absolutely unscientific, but I've owned a Marmot Lithium, WM Megalite, and MB SS Down Hugger. The Lithium got fairly seriously funky after two nights of camping in MI winter; none of the others ever smelled as bad, as fast. I think it's the user, not the bag — in that I was clearly sweating into it enough to wet out but not wet through the interior surface or compromise the down — but there may be some quality to the Marmot fabric or treatment that promotes oil or bacteria interaction? Was a nice incentive to learn about VBLs. These days I use a liner to be on the safe side, even if it's warm enough for a VBL to be overkill.

Perhaps worth writing Marmot about? Their CS dept has been reasonably responsive in my experience.

I second the votes for washing — down wash, low-temp dry lofted with tennis balls, watched like a hawk to avoid overheating. It will, indeed, take all day.

[Ryan C]

Got back this evening from a short trip in the Appalachians. The Helium did not get any funkier but did notice the smell more around the collar as Serge noticed. The Marmot bag does not fit as well as my W.M. and the bottom of the collar seems to drift up on me through the night causing me to breath more into it. The rest of the bag still smells the same though. I don't think a liner will fix the breathing situation.

Interesting observation on different bag brands William. I think an unscientific funk smell trend may be developing here.

After some debate and testing, I am starting to reconsider the W.M. Apache. The Marmot seemed like a good idea with a puffy down jacket for very cold temps (used it to single digits comfortably) but turned out to be way to roomy for warmer temps. My legs stayed warm but my torso got chilled from drafts due to no draft collar and not being able to cinch the hood down due to breathing into the fabric. The Apache would seem to fix these problems and not have the funky smell! Anybody want to buy a lightly used Helium lol?

[David Lutz]

I had a similar situation with a RAB bag. In, fact, I might have bought it at Backcountry. Can't remember for sure.

It had the same smell you describe. I let it air out during the day for a few days and it went away.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

After every backpacking trip I spray Febreeze Antimicrobial fabric freshner inside my sleeping bag. Works very well.

[James Marco]

Yeah, that is another option. However, it does nothing for the dirt and oils. And any smelly stuff makes me wonder about bears and taco's.
jdm

[Leigh Baker]

I'm just curious, is your bag a newer one with the Membrain? Or an older model without? Could it be the DWR causing it?
I'm asking because I just got a great deal on an older model from backcountry…it's lighter than the newer ones with the Membrain :)

Leigh

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