awesome quilt, smelly down.

The people have to know … down is… made out of birds! Oh my God, its made out of birds!

Sorry, just channeling Charlton Heston. I've had a new down quilt (kind of mid to lower end) where there was some sort of chemical either in the down or the material that made me itch for a while and then finally went away. I'd say air it out for a week or so. It may be that it hasn't had much total air time since it came off of the chicken…eh.. goose. If that doesn't work it wouldn't hurt to wash it – good practice.

Didn't the TV Batman have some anti-chicken spray on his belt? That might work.

I have never had that issue with any of Tim's quilts, drop him a mail and he will sort you out.

I had the same thing with my HammockGear quilt. Adam offered for me to send it back and he'd replace or re-fill it, but the smell had become less noticeable with time. It's still there, but not enough to bother me.

I received my Enigma last month and has 900 hyperdown. I noticed a interesting aroma out of the box but nothing put-offish. I stored it flat on a rack for a few weeks to air out. I had it out last week on a overnighter and and forgot all about it as there is no noticeable smell to me now.

I absolutely dig this quilt!

I've had a down bag before "REI" variety and it doesn't smell at all.

I'll continue to air it out and see what happens.

It doesn't bother me but it is noticeable and well… smelly!

My Marmot Helium bag had a slight "dead" smell when it was new. It faded quickly.

I like the odor. Smells "outdoorsy".

"I like the odor. Smells "outdoorsy".

LOL. There is always one person. However I also admit to feeling a kind off fraternal connection with the geese when lying outside in a down bag. Not sure THEY would see it that way themselves, however.

I got an EE quilt from Tim last year that did not have that smell. I received my new EE quilt a couple of weeks and did notice the same "animal" smell you did. Used it first time this weekend and it seems to be dissipating a little, I'm airing it out now and expect that will help.

Me too. I love the quilt (seriously this thing is awesome) but did notice the smell. Kinda smells like wet dog a little bit… Does seem like it's reduced quite a bit after a couple nights, though. Not really noticeable putting it in its storage sack today.

For what it's worth, my Feathered Friends bag had the same issue the first night out. Could still smell it a bit afterwards when the nights were a little damp, but it went away.

I'm sure the smell will go away — just an excuse to use the quilt more! :)

It might be the duck down vs goose down? Likely there are more oils left in the down/feathers of the duck down, for whatever reason(s).

While it might not smell so great (if it is extra levels of oils), it will improve the moisture handling properties of the down, it is the ducks natural and original DWR after all.

My wife and I are having the same issue. We have used the quilts on 4 trips, and each trip our tent still smells a little like wet dog from the down. Hopefully it will fade as time passes, and we love the quilts. If the smell doesn't fade, I guess we will get used to it.

My new one (with the smell) is goose down. I believe my old quilt also was goose.

Maybe hang quilt loose, for several weeks. Maybe in the wind and sun.

You could wash it but that would be a shame for a number of reasons.

There are a lot of references to smelly down filled products on the web. Sounds like a batch of down that wasn't cleaned properly. It's sounds like the best options are to wash it or return it.

I found this FAQ on a down quilt web page. Intereing stuff on the tests for down cleanliness:

http://www.down-feather-bedding.com/faq.php#5

……..5. Why do some down filled products on the market have and odor to them?
Products that have an "odor" are made with down fill that has not been cleaned properly. If a product has an odor, it is not truly “hypoallergenic”, even though some companies will claim it to be. Many companies simply spray chemicals onto their down fill and claim that they are “hypoallergenic”. These chemicals just mask the allergy causing dust mites and do not last forever. The only real way to get a true hypoallergenic down fill is to thoroughly clean the down. (See also "Turbidity and Oxygen #)

7. What is the Oxygen Number?
The Oxygen Number is a well know test for determining the cleanliness of the down and feather material. This test is a little more scientific to perform, but works just like the turbidity test.
The oxygen count test determines the amount of foreign organic matter on the surface of the down and feathers. To qualify as “clean” the oxygen number must be less than 10. The test is actually determining the chemical decomposition of the down filling material.
The maximum North American industry standard is 10mg/100g sample of down.

"It might be the duck down vs goose down? Likely there are more oils left in the down/feathers of the duck down, for whatever reason(s).

Justin,
It's not readily apparent to me why duck down would have any more natural oil content than goose down. Ducks and geese are related waterfowl whose habitat and diet largely overlap.

Could you explain your reasoning?

del

Not because of any innate direct difference between ducks and geese, but because of market reasons. Duck down (with the exception of Eider) historically has always been significantly cheaper than goose, and goose considered higher quality (not necessarily the case always, but its been a strong, persistent market and consumer perception). Also, I think a higher percentage of duck down comes from China than other places.

The combination might have led to less average care and thoroughness with washing/cleansing duck down vs the pricier/higher status/reputation goose?

Certainly its not unusual to find smellier, lower cost duck down, such as the infamous Walmart Ozark brand duck down bag.

I'm sure that some manufacturers DO wash their duck down well and thoroughly, but perhaps some generalizations can be made? I don't know, but was wondering especially since this issue with EE seams to only cropped up since they switched to using also duck down).

With that said, I have a duck down quilt from EE, love it and don't notice any strong smell.

So just spitballing then.

It would be nice if Tim came on here and gave his take. I just got a quilt for my wife and it definitely has an odor. The quilt I bought several years ago has no odor. I asked her if she wanted to return and she decided she could live with it. Seeing the note about possibly out-of-spec down has me wondering if I do need to bring this up directly with Tim.

Justin, good explanation of why duck might smell more than goose, appreciate the insights. However, it doesn't actually address the issue raised — at least in my case, it is my new goose down quilt that smells. It was my former goose down quilt that didn't. Both from EE. Both goose.

Others who have noticed the smell, which type of down did you get, goose or duck?

"Others who have noticed the smell, which type of down did you get, goose or duck?"

I got duck. It smells a bit like a wet dog to me.

i got the duck down a well.

I remmeber a while back using a down pillow at a hotel? or my parents house that smelled a bit like feathers.

Again, its not unbearable, just… noticeable…

I bought an EE with 850 Downtek goose down, and it smells a bit like wet dog. Not bad enough that I feel like bringing it up with Tim, but noticeable. Hope it goes away. The quilt is perfect otherwise, and I don't really want to wash it if I don't have to.