Pinhead Sized Hole in Down Sleeping Bag

[johnw]

I did an overnight trip on the weekend and used my Mountain Hard Wear Phantom 15 for the first time. Brilliantly comfortable and light, but a bit too warm for this trip. But that's another story. When I was packing it after lunch on Sunday I noticed one or two down "feathers" escaping. On closer inspection I found a very small hole, maybe a pinhead diameter or less through which it was leaking. I unpacked it on returning home, but can no longer find the hole or any evidence of more leakage. So:

1. Can these things self-repair?
2. if I do rediscover the hole, what would be recommended to fix it?
3. Or should I just leave it alone, assuming there is no further leakage?

[Moondog55]

As the down is a natural product it may contain small quantities of tiny pin feathers, these do sometimes work their way out through the weave, not unusual and not something to worry too much about.
If you wake up in the morning and it looks like foxes have been raiding your hen-house then you have something to worry about
Personal opinion and only backed up by personal experience

[rogo]

I concur with Moondog. My down bag can "leak" a little overnight. My Western Mountainering down jacket sheds a bit of down. I try and work them back in or pull them thru. The fabric self heals, no need to panic about that too much.

Ro

[Orion]

From the Western Mountaineering website:

By its very nature, the shell fabric of a sleeping bag is porous. This is what allows the fabric to be breathable and as a result, it is possible for the small spines of feathers and down clusters to work their way through the fabric. It is important to realize that the fabric is not torn, but that the spines are passing in between the threads. The best maintenance in this situation is to reach behind the fabric and pull the offending down cluster BACK INTO its down chamber. The small space between the threads will close and reposition themselves. You may also gently massage the area to promote this "self sealing". Do not attempt to pull the cluster OUT OF THE BAG! Two things will happen if you do, 1) that cluster will be tangled with another cluster and it too will follow out of the bag in an endless fountain of down, and 2) the space between the threads will become larger and take longer to reseal.

If you do find a real hole, a small one, I've found that those nylon ripstop patches -- the self adhesive ones that you peel the backing off of -- work well. Cut it into a round shape so it is less likely to try and peel itself off. I had to apply about fifteen of these to a bag that was mysteriously punctured multiple times. The patches were durable, staying put for years and even after several washings.

[DaveGwy]

Good find Orion.
I've had a similar thing with my down jacket - My instinct was to try and pull the feathers back in and by gently 'shuffling' the "hole", re-align the material until the "hole" doesn't exist anymore.

[johnw]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like I may not have a problem, but if I notice any more escapees I definitely won't pull them through. The WM info looks good Orion, thanks for finding it.

[Franco]

Glad you sorted that out, but just in case...
for small holes, a mm or two, Seam Grip (or Tarzan glue) works well.
Franco

[johnw]

Glad you sorted that out, but just in case...
for small holes, a mm or two, Seam Grip (or Tarzan glue) works well.
Franco

Thanks Franco. The hole I saw was definitely less than 2mm. Glue was the first thing I thought of but wasn't sure if OK to use on SB shells. So that's good to know. If need be I can get Tarzans Grip all hours at the local supermarket.