Goose Down Advice Needed

[David K]

I’m torn between buying a nice quilt for a few hundred $ or buying an old but well cared for 12 degree 700 fp (34 oz) down bag for $100 and cannibalizing it.  Either I’ll cut it apart and sew it into a quilt, or take out the down and make myself a better 30 degree quilt and use the rest of the down to overstuff my FF pillow.  My question is:

How much weight would I save if I bought new 800-850 fp down and used that instead to make my own quilt?  How much is the differential in weight between 700 fp and 800/850 for say a 20-30 degree quilt?

If the down has been well cared for and washed regularly and dried appropriately does it matter that it’s almost a decade old?

How hard is it to create a vertical baffled quilt with attachments to convert it into a sleeping bag and a drawstring closure at the bottom?

[Paul McLaughlin]

If you can get your hands on the old bag then you can judge for yourself about the condition of the down. Does it feel lofty and resilient, or a bit tired?

Unless it is in excellent condition there’s going to be big difference. If it is in excellent, like new condition, then you can do the math. Pick a fill weight – lets say 12 oz of 850 – and calculate how many cubic inchesthatcomes to, then divide  that by 700 and you get how many ounces of 700 you need to equal the 12 of 850.

[David K]

Thank you.  It’s over a decade old and definitely not in new condition.  Not bad condition, but definitely used.  And I don’t really want to spend the $100 on an experiment.  I guess I’d prefer to buy it new for that money which shouldn’t be too much more.

[Author]

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