Down Jacket Care!

[Ura-Ki]

I picked up a sweet Helly Hanson down jacket last winter and it's been awesome, all except for it shedding the stuffing through the outer shell fabric! Does anyone know of a legit treatment to stop this from happening? I have never had a down filled Jacket or sleeping bag do this before, so this is a new one for me! It's also supposed to be water proof ( yea, nothing ever really is) but after a few min in a heavy Oregon rain, it is soaked through! In the past I have used Nic-Wax wash in water proofing with other jackets, but never with a Down filled one!

Thoughts, ideas, recommendations?

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[bigbearbear]

The waterproofing on jackets will wear off after a while, even the most expensive jackets will do this. When water stops beading on your jacket, you can use a spray like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Gear-Aid-Rev...jacket+waterproof+spray&qid=1632809405&sr=8-5

Also, depending on the material used on the jacket, the waterproofing might be only for some light rain and not for heavy downpour. If you need something that will repel heavy rain, you'll need something made with Gortex Pro material. There are different types of Gortex so make sure you get the one that has the Gortex Pro on it.

In your case though, I think the jacket is toasted. If the material is coming out, it won't be waterproof no matter what, there are holes on it.

 

[CamoDeafie]

Goretex doesn't work as well as they claim to (from my own experience). Nothing beats solid plastic/vinyl/rubber/tarp fabrics with 4000mm head of water resistance. Polyurthane coated nylon, silicon coated nylon, rubberized canvas, plain vinyl.... all do better. Down jackets though... well it sounds like the coatings and seam sealant has failed?

 

[Hueco]

I've only ever had a few down feathers poke through my sleeping bag or jacket…not enough to ever worry about trying to stop it. My jacket is a ~10 year old Mountain Hardwear ghost whisperer …seems similarly built to yours. If it's just a feather here and there, don't worry about it - the jackets got plenty to spare.

If yours isn't waterproof, get a shell to wear over the top. Soaked through goose down is…miserable.

 

[CamoDeafie]

FWIW, my 40+ year old goose down sleeping bags from North Face, Hirsch Weiss/White Stag, White Stag and REI Co-op.. all retain their down better than the under 10 year old down throws from Double Black Diamond and Bed Bath Beyond

 

[The B]

if you have feathers coming through the shell material, there's absolutely no way it was ever water proof and sure isn't currently. most down jackets are NOT waterproof, as they're intended to be used as mid-layers under waterproof shell layers. it's entirely possible that your jacket originally had a DWR - Durable Water Resistant - treatment, which temporarily gives some materials the ability to shed water rather than absorb it, but that treatment needs to be rejuvenated frequently, and washing habits can EASILY defeat DWR treatments and make them expensively useless.

there's nothing you're gonna be able to do to stop feathers from poking through the material... but, while it's annoying, it's not hurting the jacket any. there are hundreds of thousands of feathers in there, you could lose a lot before it'd affect performance

HH makes good stuff... i have little personal experience with it, but as a sailor and a mountain climber, it's used often in both applications, and is basically "pro-level." as such, they PROBABLY have pretty good customer service and would be happy to help you figure out the exact model you have and what specific care it needs to keep performing.

 

[The B]

Goretex doesn't work as well as they claim to (from my own experience). Nothing beats solid plastic/vinyl/rubber/tarp fabrics with 4000mm head of water resistance. Polyurthane coated nylon, silicon coated nylon, rubberized canvas, plain vinyl.... all do better. Down jackets though... well it sounds like the coatings and seam sealant has failed?

except that you're going to get just as wet from condensation of your own evaporating body juices on the inside of the material as you would wearing something breathable but less waterproof... that's why WBMs (Waterproof Breathable Membranes) were invented

 

[Certaindeaf]

Cover it with iron-on patches.

 

[CamoDeafie]

except that you're going to get just as wet from condensation of your own evaporating body juices on the inside of the material as you would wearing something breathable but less waterproof... that's why WBMs (Waterproof Breathable Membranes) were invented

Ponchos. Rain jackets with pit zips and open bottoms. Suspendered coveralls and chest waders.

You absolutely can overload a WBM garment with so much moisture from both sides that it stops being breathable.

 

[The B]

Ponchos. Rain jackets with pit zips and open bottoms. Suspendered coveralls and chest waders.

You absolutely can overload a WBM garment with so much moisture from both sides that it stops being breathable.

thats where the DWR coating on the face material comes in - so long as the DWR treatment is effective, water won't wet-out the face material and it'll continue to breath. and whether the inside is wet or not, as it's water molecules that wick through the material, not water vapor saturated air, as is common misperception (the term "breathable" is kind of a misnomer and is probably responsible for the broad misunderstand). yea, if the face material wets out, the "breathability" will be greatly reduced, but not eliminated - you're still going to be drier than if wearing straight up PU raingear. especially since thick rubber/PU raingear is harder to keep warm, and the colder the material the more vapor will condense on it.

so just make sure to wash and dry on high heat regularly, reapply DWR once the (otherwise clean) material starts to wet-out, and it'll "breath" just fine.

 

[CamoDeafie]

There's a reason no one makes Goretex ponchos or tents/tarps (bivy bags don't really count here) I'm just saying for the purposes, a poncho or similar will do 10000 times better over the down vest in the Oregon rain, especially if one does moderate activity. I actually looked around for Goretex anoraks, they don't exist.

 

[The B]

There's a reason no one makes Goretex ponchos or tents/tarps (bivy bags don't really count here) I'm just saying for the purposes, a poncho or similar will do 10000 times better over the down vest in the Oregon rain, especially if one does moderate activity. I actually looked around for Goretex anoraks, they don't exist.

yea, ponchos are pretty handy... wearing one over some goretex pro pants n jacket would probably keep one as dry as human technology likely permits

 

[TorchRedTulsan]

Goretex doesn't work as well as they claim to (from my own experience)

There are a lot of options when it comes to Goretex. From the number of layers in the fabric, to the denier weight, to the actual product line (Active, Shake Dry, Pro, etc). Additionally, as mentioned above, the DWR will wear off with age and use which will eventually diminish performance. Which version of Goretex are you using and how old is it? I've had excellent experience with my coats that range from everyday casual, hiking, and skiing.

I actually looked around for Goretex anoraks, they don't exist.

This is an excellent brand out of Norway. I have 7 jackets from them and they're my go-to brand. One of a small handful of companies who offer Goretex Pro

Norrøna lofoten Gore-Tex Pro Anorak for Men

Made in recycled Gore-Tex Pro fabric and carried out in a unique parkas design, the waterproof, windproof, and premium Gore-Tex Pro Anorak for men is a jacket made for ultimate freeride protection.

www.norrona.com

Popular, high quality brand out of Canada. I'm looking at replacing my everyday jacket with one of their Goretex Pro Lite jackets, but it might be overkill

Shop

arcteryx.com

Backcountry Tabernash GORE-TEX INFINIUM Anorak - Past Season - Men's - Clothing

Buy the Backcountry Tabernash GORE-TEX INFINIUM Anorak - Past Season - Men's online or shop all Clothing from Backcountry.com.

www.backcountry.com

Spyder Snap GORE-TEX Anorak

Read or share reviews of the Spyder Snap GORE-TEX Anorak or shop similar Insulated Jackets

www.evo.com

Men's Burton GORE-TEX Pillowline Anorak Jacket | Burton.com Winter 2022

Shop the Men's Burton GORE-TEX Pillowline Anorak Jacket along with more winter jackets and outerwear from Winter 2022 at Burton.com

www.burton.com

 

[CamoDeafie]

The MSS woodland bivy sack.. and my dads issued woodland Goretex suit, not sure hoe old but he got them right before his retirement in 2000. Rarely worn since then and still not that great compared to a poncho or a M65 field jacket

 

[TorchRedTulsan]

Thoughts, ideas, recommendations?

Gear Aid actually makes a down specific cleaner. It cleans the jacket and restores loft.

Revivex Down Cleaner

Wash down jackets, vests and sleeping bags at home with Revivex Down Cleaner and restore loft to its original fluffiness and warmth.

www.gearaid.com

As The B mentioned above, "waterproofing" a down jacket is achieved by applying a DWR coating to the fabric. There are spray on and wash in options but, be aware, they've had to change the formula of DWRs due to environmental concerns and they're not as durable as they used to be

Regarding losing feathers, I was in the same boat with my jacket and sleeping bag but, after contacting the manufacturer (Feathered Friends here in Seattle), they assured me that some feather loss is normal and nothing to worry about