Eiderdown

1. What does good, CLEAN Eider down cost per ox.?
2. Is it 1,000+ fill?

Did you get your hands on a duvet and harvested some from that, or did you find a by the ounce source?

From what I've read, your 700fp is probably a pretty close guess. If you make something with it, maybe Richard N would be willing to do some thermal testing on it. I've always wondered if it was worth the price.

Ryan

http://eiderdown.com/files/IDFL_09-111615_report.pdf

;)

it would be very interesting to test and use this holy eiderdown in real world conditions in jacket thats half eiderdown and the other half a good quality 800+ fill down …

to see if theres any truth to the myth … or if its really hype

perhaps back in the earlier part of the last century when down 500-600 fill was considered good quality, eiderdown would have been da bomb

but with modern down fills …. perhaps its all hype and snobbery?

just like wine, art, and certain brands

;)

With all of this duck down flying around, it is no wonder that Eric's dead bird is dead.

–B.G.–

I would love to hear if the hype about Eider down is real. Sounds like Unicorn hair.

Is it naturally water repellant?

Yes, Miles is correct to say that the loft is approximated from the clingy down fibers. In actuality, I believe it is only 750-800fp. The clingy nature of the fibers lets small amounts to form a sheet, though. The more even layer of down is warmer than goose down (that can settle and shift in the baffles, leaving cold spots.)

Is it any warmer? I don't know. I believe it is more effective in a garment, quilt or bag than goose down per weight because it would resist settling. Perhaps, because the air that was trapped in the down was more constrained, ie, more "dead air". Loft was never that great. A bag from goose will appear larger, but not really be any warmer.

Loft, it must be remembered, is only one measurement of insulation.

About 40 years ago, it used to be that goose down was a byproduct of the goose meat industry. The countries that ate a lot of goose meat were the countries that sold the most goose down. (it makes sense)

Now, I don't know what they are doing. If high fill power goose or duck down is so valuable, maybe the meat will become the byproduct of the down industry. However, I don't know how goose meat compares to eider duck meat. It's probably a cultural thing.

–B.G.–

I read a couple of articles that indicated that goose down is still a byproduct of the goose meat industry. The articles I read seemed to indicate that the current rise in price and scarcity of goose down was because of 2 factors. -The fall in demand for goose meat, and the rise in demand for down caused by TNF and others turning down into fashion, thereby increasing the price due to rising demand and falling supply.

So I wonder where the break even point is. Just like with oil shale, tar sands, fracking, etc. When the price of oil gets to a certain price, then the more expensive oil sources become viable. At what point is goose down a standalone product that can exist without demand for goose meat?

One supply issue might be left out: lower supply due to Avian Flue.
And further, due to more and more Chinese turning away from duck meat, meaning a decline in the supply of duck down, meaning a refocusing of interested parties to other sources of down incl. goose down which might explain partly the increase in price of goose down.