water resistant down

[wayno]

http://gearjunkie.com/hydrophobic-down-sleeping-bags
Holy Grail? 'Hydrophobic' Down Insulation by Sierra Designs

January 15, 2012

The company backs off just short of saying “waterproof.” But a new down-insulation treatment used in a line of to-be-released sleeping bags and jackets from Sierra Designs is being touted as “revolutionizing” the category.

Called DriDown, the magic water-resistant fluff is regular goose or duck down insulation covered in a secret polymer chemical of which the company gives no details. It is applied to “individual down plumes” that are touted to keep dry longer in the presence of water, be it rain, melting snow, or a down sleeping bag accidently dropped in a creek.

sierra designs dridown sleeping bags.jpg

Magic inside? Water-resistant down insulation sleeping bags

Though synthetic insulation like Primaloft has been widely embraced in the outdoors, down is still the gold standard for its warmth-to-weight ratio. But synthetic insulations trap heat when they get wet, whereas normal down clumps and flattens, killing its heat-trapping power and making it all but useless.

dry down.jpg

Beaker test: Sierra Designs demos its water-resistant down

Sierra Designs hopes to change the equation with the new sleeping bags and down jackets, including men’s and women’s jacket models. The sleeping bag line includes the likes of the Zissou 0 HI model, which will weigh about 3 pounds and cost $299 when it comes to market in June. It is a zero-degree winter bag with 600-fill down.

The company says DriDown resists water to a large extant, but it is not waterproof if submerged or soaked. If it does get wet, Sierra Designs said it will dry much faster than old-fashioned, untreated feathers.

sierra designs dridown jackets.jpg

DriDown-based jackets

In total, there will be five sleeping bags in the line and at least four jackets. The bags will use a 600-fill down that’s treated with the magic polymer stuff. In June, the line will debut at REI stores and on REI.com, the “first-to-market” partner for the launch.

Here at GearJunkie we’re longtime fans of down, though we always resort to synthetic insulation if the trip might be wet. With the DriDown line, maybe this will be less of a concern. We can’t wait to zip one of the bags up and go to bed for a test outdoors, no matter what state of moist, wet or dry our bag is in after a long day in the outdoors.

—Stephen Regenold is founder and editor of www.gearjunkie.com.

[Franco]

Brooks Range presented a jacket with similar claims.
Their version is called Down Tek but could be sourced from the same place..
http://www.trailspace.com/blog/2012/01/ ... ojave.html
Franco
Here is the link to Down Tek
http://down-tek.com/home/

[wayno]

hey someone put their down jacket through a DWR wash and let me know if that has the same effect he hehe

[Franco]

No it isn't the same nor similar technology.
It is based on nanoteck , so possibly from the NanoGroup based in Antwerp.
Franco

[JohnM]

Bugger. Just when I was happy and content with all my gear...

[wayno]

Bugger. Just when I was happy and content with all my gear...

yes the vendors know when you are happy with your gear, then they pounce with more new techno stuff...