Puffer Jacket turns 100

Bushwalking gear and paraphernalia. Electronic gadget topics (inc. GPS, PLB, chargers) belong in the 'Techno Babble' sub-forum.
Forum rules
TIP: The online Bushwalk Inventory System can help bushwalkers with a variety of bushwalk planning tasks, including: Manage which items they take bushwalking so that they do not forget anything they might need, plan meals for their walks, and automatically compile food/fuel shopping lists (lists of consumables) required to make and cook the meals for each walk. It is particularly useful for planning for groups who share food or other items, but is also useful for individual walkers.

Puffer Jacket turns 100

Postby Overlandman » Wed 01 Jun, 2022 7:53 am

From ABC news

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-01/ ... /101114014

On the slopes of Mount Everest 100 years ago, George Finch, from Orange in the central west of New South Wales, revealed his latest invention to his fellow adventurers.
Whatever, Wherever, Whenever
Overlandman
Athrotaxis selaginoides
Athrotaxis selaginoides
 
Posts: 1566
Joined: Sun 13 Nov, 2011 5:22 pm
Location: Tasmania
Region: Tasmania
Gender: Male

Re: Puffer Jacket turns 100

Postby CraigVIC » Wed 01 Jun, 2022 8:45 am

The British commentary, haha, classic.
CraigVIC
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
 
Posts: 584
Joined: Tue 24 Oct, 2017 6:20 pm
Region: Victoria

Re: Puffer Jacket turns 100

Postby headwerkn » Wed 01 Jun, 2022 8:56 am

I wonder what the "fill power" equivalent of actual eiderdown is? Would be wonderful stuff in a modern down jacket, though I'd guess the price would be eye-watering.
User avatar
headwerkn
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
 
Posts: 617
Joined: Sat 09 Nov, 2013 3:50 pm
Region: Tasmania
Gender: Male

Re: Puffer Jacket turns 100

Postby crollsurf » Wed 01 Jun, 2022 11:01 am

headwerkn wrote:I wonder what the "fill power" equivalent of actual eiderdown is? Would be wonderful stuff in a modern down jacket, though I'd guess the price would be eye-watering.

Eye watering is almost an understatement. A lot of places selling goose down eiderdown quilts, so not eiderdown. I found this place that looks like the real deal:
https://icelandicdown.com/product/eiderdown-duvet/
AUD $6,231 for a warm Duvet!!!

They are a protected species, so the down is collected from nests, once the birds have left for the season.
User avatar
crollsurf
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2216
Joined: Tue 07 Mar, 2017 10:07 am
Location: Sydney
Region: New South Wales
Gender: Male

Re: Puffer Jacket turns 100

Postby headwerkn » Wed 01 Jun, 2022 1:48 pm

There's a great video on YouTube somewhere that explains the process of harvesting, cleaning and preparing the down for use. And yeah, terms like "laborious" and "highly limited resource" don't even come close...

What's crazy is that as a kid I remember my grandmother referring to our doonas/quilts as "eiderdowns". My eight-year-old brain of course just put it down to another weird old word my Nan used and didn't give it a second thought... but now I'm wondering if they were actually the real thing? I don't ever recall being cold at Nan's...
User avatar
headwerkn
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
 
Posts: 617
Joined: Sat 09 Nov, 2013 3:50 pm
Region: Tasmania
Gender: Male

Re: Puffer Jacket turns 100

Postby Franco » Wed 01 Jun, 2022 1:53 pm

I have seen people quoting something like 950-1000 fill power but I think this is the more correct version :
Our Eider Down is the finest available, anywhere in the world. It tests at approximately 700 fill power for loft. Yet, due to the its phenomenal density and cling it insulates at an amazing 1000+ fill power.


https://www.plumeriabay.com/info/eider-down.aspx
A good link about eider duck "farming"
https://icelandicdown.com/blog/2020/06/ ... mon-eider/
Franco
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2957
Joined: Thu 30 Oct, 2008 6:48 pm
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Puffer Jacket turns 100

Postby Avatar » Wed 01 Jun, 2022 1:56 pm

From my experience, what they used to call eiderdowns in 1960s Australia were heavy and filled with cotton waste wadding.
User avatar
Avatar
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 279
Joined: Sun 07 Jul, 2013 5:21 pm
Location: NE Melbourne
Region: Victoria

Re: Puffer Jacket turns 100

Postby Franco » Wed 01 Jun, 2022 5:08 pm

Avatar wrote:From my experience, what they used to call eiderdowns in 1960s Australia were heavy and filled with cotton waste wadding.

Yes, a doona but should be obvious by now that we are not discussing the generic term but the down from the Eider ducks.
Franco
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2957
Joined: Thu 30 Oct, 2008 6:48 pm
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Puffer Jacket turns 100

Postby Avatar » Wed 01 Jun, 2022 6:38 pm

Answering this:
What's crazy is that as a kid I remember my grandmother referring to our doonas/quilts as "eiderdowns". My eight-year-old brain of course just put it down to another weird old word my Nan used and didn't give it a second thought... but now I'm wondering if they were actually the real thing? I don't ever recall being cold at Nan's...
User avatar
Avatar
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 279
Joined: Sun 07 Jul, 2013 5:21 pm
Location: NE Melbourne
Region: Victoria

Re: Puffer Jacket turns 100

Postby Franco » Wed 01 Jun, 2022 7:27 pm

Avatar wrote:Answering this:
What's crazy is that as a kid I remember my grandmother referring to our doonas/quilts as "eiderdowns". My eight-year-old brain of course just put it down to another weird old word my Nan used and didn't give it a second thought... but now I'm wondering if they were actually the real thing? I don't ever recall being cold at Nan's...

Sorry, I missed that comment.
yes some did use that as a generic term the way they use hoovering using a Dyson.
Franco
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2957
Joined: Thu 30 Oct, 2008 6:48 pm
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Puffer Jacket turns 100

Postby headwerkn » Thu 02 Jun, 2022 9:39 am

Franco wrote:[i]Our Eider Down is the finest available, anywhere in the world. It tests at approximately 700 fill power for loft. Yet, due to the its phenomenal density and cling it insulates at an amazing 1000+ fill power.


Thanks Franco, that's pretty amazing. Just imagine a UL sleeping quilt filled with the stuff! Shame you'd have to sell both kidneys ;-)

I suspect dear old Nanna was using the term eiderdown as a genericised term and said blankie was indeed full of something far less exotic... but she was good at hanging onto stuff that was very old from decades/generations before, so maybe. Not sure if genuine eiderdown was ever 'affordable' to commonfolk back in the 'olden days' before concepts like sustainability became a factor.
User avatar
headwerkn
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
 
Posts: 617
Joined: Sat 09 Nov, 2013 3:50 pm
Region: Tasmania
Gender: Male

Re: Puffer Jacket turns 100

Postby Franco » Thu 02 Jun, 2022 1:57 pm

headwerkn wrote:
Franco wrote:[i]Our Eider Down is the finest available, anywhere in the world. It tests at approximately 700 fill power for loft. Yet, due to the its phenomenal density and cling it insulates at an amazing 1000+ fill power.


Thanks Franco, that's pretty amazing. Just imagine a UL sleeping quilt filled with the stuff! Shame you'd have to sell both kidneys ;-)

I suspect dear old Nanna was using the term eiderdown as a genericised term and said blankie was indeed full of something far less exotic... but she was good at hanging onto stuff that was very old from decades/generations before, so maybe. Not sure if genuine eiderdown was ever 'affordable' to commonfolk back in the 'olden days' before concepts like sustainability became a factor.

It would be tragic if it were the genuine article and someone ended up trowing away that old thing..
When I was growing up in Italy folk were getting rid of that old solid wood furniture and copper pots to replace them with Formica and aluminium. much lighter and well.. more modern.
Searcing for some old info about Nunatack selling Eider down fill I came across several comments from "experts" about how goose down is better than duck , in threads asking about the Eider down.
Franco
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2957
Joined: Thu 30 Oct, 2008 6:48 pm
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male


Return to Equipment

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google Adsense [Bot] and 15 guests