Trouble With Your Zippers?
Your sleeping bag has a locking horseshoe zipper. These zippers are unique to Big Agnes sleeping bags. You may notice a little extra resistance when you are are unzipping your bag. Don't worry, that is normal! Locking Horseshoe Zippers have a special internal design feature that allows you to partially unzip your bag for ventilation without the bag splitting open all night. If you are having trouble getting into and out of your bag, use two hands and pull the top of your bag taut, clearing the draft collars from the path of your zipper.
How To Dry Your Bag
On the trail:
If your bag gets wet, drape it over your tent or string up guyline to let it dry. If your bag is damp or insulation is clumping, lay it out at lunch to dry out and restore loft. Don’t hang it from a tree or drape it on a bush- this can tear your bag.
At your home:
Dry your bag in a large, front loading commercial dryer. Use a no or low heat setting. Heat will melt the nylon and waterproofing on your bag. If your bag is down, throw in some tennis balls. They will gently break up clumped insulation, to re-loft your bag. Make sure your bag is BONE DRY before you store it. This may take a few hours. But it is worth it. Even a little moisture can cause mildew to grow in your bag. Once you take your bag out, hang it for a few hours. Make sure the down is not clumping in the bag. Clumping down means it is still wet and won’t keep you warm. Before you store: Shake the bag out really vigorously. Is it fluffy? Is the insulation evenly distributed? Then it is ready to be stored in its mesh storage sack in a cool, dry home.
How To Store Your Bag
Lay your bag flat or hang it in a dry, temperature controlled environment. Don’t store your bag in an attic, garage, or damp basement! Synthetic and down insulation can be damaged if compressed too tightly during extended storage. That is why your Big Agnes bag comes with a mesh storage sack. If you don’t have an area to lay or hang your bag it is okay to store it in the provided storage sack.
If it has been a while since you have taken your down bag out of the sack, hang it for a few hours and lay it out overnight before taking it out into the backcountry. This will help restore the loft. If you feel your down bag has lost a little loft you can put it in a dryer on no heat with tennis balls for 15 minutes. Remove the bag and shake it out. Hang or lay out the bag and allow it to loft for an hour.
Be sure to take any bag out of its storage sack every so often and give it some fresh air to prevent mildew. This is especially true if you live in a damp or humid environment. Mildew is not covered under warranty.
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