48 year old down sleeping bag

[War Eagle]

As long as we're reminiscing about keeping warm in the cold, a college roommate of mine "back in the day" in Colorado had only a motorcycle for transportation - even during bitterly cold winter weather. At a military surplus store, he found an old heated flight suit (lightweight insulated coveralls but with heating wires running throughout it) - kind of like a wearable electric blanket. He rigged an adapter to power the heating wires in the suit from his motorcycle's electrical system, and he could drive all over the place in those cold Colorado winters toasty warm on his motorcycle. Maybe if Camping World would offer a modern version of that heated flight suit for cold weather camping, more of our northern neighbors could camp throughout the winter months, albeit with a big battery pack on your back or dragging an electric cord behind....

[Al and Cindy K]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Nothin' says lovin' like an ol' Coleman oven.

Sorry, I couldn't resist, it just rolls off the tongue!

..........

I like that Mike. Ya think my wife would mind if I got in touch with the girl who had the mate to that White Mountain bag? Just to see if she still has any use for it, you know?

[Timber Wolf]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

For years, every time I went camping, I cursed Sir Edmond Hillary.
He was the celebrity Sears used to endorse the six-person dome tent I bought. It had a rain fly that formed a small swimming pool at the top, which grew to Olympic proportion during the night.
I recall climbing out of the tent at 4AM, in my underwear, in the pouring rain, and tugging at the rain fly that was crushing the tent under the weight of glacier cold water, and I remember when it let go. It was like standing under Niagara Falls.
Ah, back to nature.

Yes but, that is a lot more interesting story than: "I got a good night's sleep".

[lrb945]

even worse than the rain fly shower! on our way to yellowstone and the tetons in the fall, we stopped at Herter's to buy a tent. typical of the time in our lives, we could not afford both tent and rain fly. the first night we set it up, of course, it rained, and rained and rained. there were 4 people, 2 dogs and all of our gear in a tent with a waterproof bottom that extended 12" up the sides. it was an unbelievably cold swimming pool. good thing down floats....

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by lrb945

even worse than the rain fly shower! on our way to yellowstone and the tetons in the fall, we stopped at Herter's to buy a tent. typical of the time in our lives, we could not afford both tent and rain fly. the first night we set it up, of course, it rained, and rained and rained. there were 4 people, 2 dogs and all of our gear in a tent with a waterproof bottom that extended 12" up the sides. it was an unbelievably cold swimming pool. good thing down floats....

It's unfortunate that tents can't be erected upside down! Or maybe they should just make the top out of the same stuff as the bottom...?

I wish I could have been there, with a video camera, when Glenn took his shower. lol

[RV Rabbit]

I used to do a lot of trips on my motorcycle...had all my stuff in a big duffle bag:clothes, sleeping bag, tent etc...one day it rained quite a bit...I found a campground after dark and set up my tent by the light of my motorcycle headlight...got everything set up and it started to rain hard...tent wasn't helping much, it was leaking in on the floor...so I put my sleeping bag in a couple of big plastic garbage bags, put my rain suit on, and crawled in the tent and went to bed...not a real pleasant or comfortable night, but I stayed pretty dry...part of the joys of camping...

[lrb945]

good times!!

[ZachO]

I'm sorry, but every time I see this thread title my immediate reaction is picturing a slightly older person lying on their back, having just taken a fall on a patch of ice...

48 year old down!

[CASITA BANANA]

I still have my father's Eddie Bauer down bag that I'm pretty sure dates from 1964. I use it my Casita to this day.

[DavidG]

ZachO, if I Pictured a 48 year old person lying on their back, I would be picturing a much YOUNGER person ! David in Fresno and Sonora

[ZachO]

I took a minute to come up with how to phrase that...which is why I went with "a slightly older" person.

[james kent]

Early camping was done in the back yard using dads old sleeping bag that came home from wwii. The liner was a course itchy wool thing that scratched you all night long in your " tent" made of card table and old blankets. Great for a nine year old in th 40's. In about 1952 I graduated to my own bag that I took to Boy Scout camp. The bag has long ago fallen apart but the varying bag is still around. My last bag was/ is a down filled nylon one that I used with a Hennesy Hammock. It will fit into a compression sack and take up about two cups of space. The old scout bag rolled into a large sausage that was larger than your clothes bag and probably weighed in at 15 pounds or better. It took two boys or more to carry the canvass bell tent and another to bring the massive centre pole. My little sack and hammock are less than 5 pounds when added together. Something I really needed as age crept up on me.
Hmmmmmm! Maybe it's time to have a yard sale.
Jim


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[lrb945]

one thing occurs to me as i relish all the stories that have been shared here is that we're all still camping. i think we're born with it.

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by james kent

... My last bag was/ is a down filled nylon one that I used with a Hennesy Hammock. It will fit into a compression sack and take up about two cups of space. ...
Jim

I thought the down filling would crush and clump, and become useless, if heavily compressed. How is it possible to get it that small and have the down still fluff out afterward?

[Glenn Baglo]

No problem with compression.
And, contrary to what many believe, Do Not Dry Clean ( according to the instructions ).
Machine wash on delicate. Do not bleach. Do not use fabric softeners. Tumble dry on low.

[james kent]

.....And then shake well to fluff the down back to introduce an airspace between the feathers.


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[Glenn Baglo]

You can also toss a clean sneaker ( or similar hard rubber object ) in the dryer, with the sleeping bag to help fluff it.

[Mike Magee]

Wow, good info, thanks.

In that case, I'll take 1 down jacket, extra dry ... shaken, not stirred. Preferably in olive.

[Hazel in Sk]

I would like to downsize some of the camping 'stuff' we have. However, we have grands whose parents have little camping gear for them to use. They don't take them camping - we do! They use our aged MEC tent - a Northwind. We supply the sleeping bags, self inflating air mattresses and endless food cooked on our stove in our pots. Also lifejackets, fishing gear, sometimes an old windbreaker or raincoat. When they fit our clothes they borrow cheerfully. The gear is all stored in our house and dragged out every summer. Other than for the grands we have no use for most it - we graduated to a wee Trillium.

[lrb945]

hazel--me, too! the son has already appropriated my 6 person tent , since "you have a trailer, now, and won't be needing it, right?" i just got all of my down bags and thermarests of various vintage back from him after a trip the family took last fall. once again, proof that buying quality is wise. not once, when squeezing out the $$ it took at the time, did i envision children and grandchildren as beneficiaries of all the gear! who knows? maybe even great-grands someday!