Fixed Baffles

By “fixed” baffle I think you mean sewn-in baffles. And as I understand it most bags have this so what is unique about what you’re asking?

Try LL Bean, Western Mountaineering, Feathered Friends, Eddie Bauer, etc.

“Fixed” baffles still allow the down to shift to the top or bottom.  I’m trying to find a bag where the down cannot shift.  I have called several manufactures and so far, they all allow their product to shift to either the bottom or the top, depending on how the user prefers to use it.

I’ve always thought the ability to shift down between the top and bottom is a stupid idea. How does one ensure the down is evenly shifted throughout the length of the bag eliminating cold spots?

if you don’t put in enough down it will shift more

If you overfill by 30% then you still have to fluff it up and redistribute occasionally, but not so much.  If there’s a top side and a bottom side, like a conventional sleeping bag the down tends to shift to the bottom more.  If it’s like a jacket with sideways baffles maybe it doesn’t shift quite so much.

If you have a sideways baffle on the side to separate top and bottom that helps.

I’ve always thought the claim you can shift down to the bottom was just marketing spin, to rationalize not putting enough down in each baffle : )

“If you have a sideways baffle on the side to separate top and bottom that helps.”

That’s what Tim is looking for.

ahhh… that makes sense

I made a quilt

I noticed that sometimes there was not a lot of down on top so I was cold.  Just had to make sure and occasionally fluff it up and make sure there was plenty on top.

Then, I put in a sideways baffle and it’s much better now

“I’ve always thought the claim you can shift down to the bottom was just marketing spin, to rationalize not putting enough down in each baffle : )

Perhaps.  I routinely shifted down in my WM Megalight…from bottom to top in cold weather and vice versa in warm.  I loved that ability and thought it made the bag much more versatile.  Moved to quilts long ago, but loved that bag.

Call Nick at Down Works in Santa Cruz. He has a wealth of knowledge. He’s been making down gear for 45 years. He and his wife make excellent custom bags, as well as selling WM and other bags.

Side block baffles work reasonably well, the older technique is the double layer sewn though into squares with each square offset and the space between layers also stuffed with a little down. My personal preference is for equal insulation all over and for centre zips; the short distance from the centre zip to the side block baffle does a good job of controlling down movement