All the wonders you seek are within yourself.
All you need advice and stories for your sport, delivered straight to your inbox (every month).Nothing more.Nothing less.
P.S: You will enjoy this.
As a seasoned trekker, you indulged yourself by treating yourself to a nice feather down jacket. As a novice trekker, you’ve opted for feathers and down that will keep you warm while out hiking. Whether you’re one or the other, your goal is to keep your padded jacket as long as possible. Follow our advice to enjoy your jacket for many years to come!
READ MORE.jpg)
In general, it’s not recommended to wash a down jacket too frequently. Indeed, looking after products containing feathers or down sometimes ends in disaster: feathers don’t tolerate water well and clump together when wet. We’ll explain how to avoid that!
The key word is: VENTILATION! The down needs to be ventilated or agitated at all stages of the washing process.
Here are 4 steps to properly wash a down or feather padded jacket:
- Pull up the zips of the down jacket and put it in the machine
- Add 2 or 3 tennis balls (ideally already a little worn to avoid losing the yellow threads) and other clothes in the drum of the machine
- Start a cycle at 30°C with your usual detergent (smaller amount than usual) or a special down detergent which preserves its insulating characteristics.
- Rinse twice and set to a very delicate spin cycle to avoid creating clumps of feathers
- The best method: the tumble dryer!
Put your jacket in the dryer along with 2 or 3 tennis balls and some clothes, then run 2-3 gentle drying cycles. Between each cycle, shake and tap the jacket to break up any clumps that have formed.
- No dryer?
No problem, you can hang your down jacket to dry on a drying rack, but you’ll need to shake it and turn it over regularly to avoid balls of feathers forming! Dry it in a dry place at room temperature (not on a radiator… as you’ll see! ).
Let's face it, a down jacket that isn’t waterproof in the beginning cannot become waterproof! On the other hand, it’s quite possible to reactivate its water-repellency, that is, its property to be hydrophobic and not absorb droplets on its surface.
Here's how to reactivate the water-repellency of a down jacket:
- Washing: follow the instructions above
- Impregnation: use a water-repellency liquid reactivator in a basin of water (30°C and 15 minutes of soaking) or in a machine (softener tray, delicate cycle 30°C).
- Activation: it’s done by applying heat either in a tumble dryer (follow the instructions above) or on a drying rack (follow the instructions above), occasionally using a hair dryer with gentle heat.
The way you store your down jacket will also contribute to its longevity. It’s very common for feather padded jackets to fold away into their own pocket or in a separate pouch, but you should NEVER store your feather products compacted, at the risk of reducing their thermal properties over the long term. This also applies to vacuum storage bags.
Of course, you can compact your down jacket for the duration of a trek. But, for the long summer months, it's best to put your product on a hanger and let it expand. This way, your feather padded jacket retains its loft and therefore its heat!
What to do if your down jacket has a tear in it? Let’s be clear: a small loss of feathers is quite possible without there being a specific hole. The feathers sometimes manage, despite our best efforts, to pass between the assembly threads of the garment.
Here, it would be more a question of a snag among the branches or caused by a rock.
- Do you want the repair to be inconspicuous, pretty neat even?
If the fabric isn’t too thin, take the time to sew up the hole with a thread the colour of the outside of your jacket.
Beware: if you sew, don’t pierce the other side of the jacket, as this will create a thermal bridge and so reduce the performance of your jacket.
- You’re short of time and have no sewing skills?
The sticky repair patch comes to your rescue: cut a round-edged rectangle one or two centimetres larger than the size of the snag, glue it to the clean, flattened fabric and it's done - you're good to go!
You’re now ready to enjoy your feather padded jacket for a long time to come!
Feel free to share with us in the comments which parts of the world you have enjoyed the warmth of your down jacket the most! And of course, your washing tips if you have any others.
When you join our subscribe list, you get access to the best of sports inspiration, tips, stories and more to practice your sport. Just One Digest Per Month (Promise)
Winter Thermal Wears to Keep Your Loved One WarmWinter is here!!! And, so are we. We have come up with some excellent winter thermal products to keep you and your loved ones safe this winter. Read Now!
.jpeg)
How to choose a winter Jacket| Best Winter Jackets | DecathlonLearn how to choose a winter jacket that helps you survive & thrive in cold and freezing weather conditions. Check Decathlon’s top picks of winter jackets.
5 Good Reasons to Walk Even in WinterEven if it's harder to motivate yourself to go walking when it's cold, the following 5 good reasons to keep walking in winter will change your mind!
Please subscribe here
