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Down and Feather
All text summarized from the Downmark website |
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Down:
- Consists of clusters of filaments growing from a central quill point without a quill shaft. It looks much like a dandelion pod.
- Down is the light, fluffy undercoating that geese, ducks, and other waterfowl have to keep them warm.
- 3 dimensional structure allows it to make thousands of air pockets, which insulate incredibly well.
- Land fowl such as chickens and sparrows do not produce down.
- Along with down, water birds grow several types of feathers.
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ŠThis image is copyrighted by Downmark The Down Association of Canada
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Small Flight Feathers:
- Found among the larger flight feathers and form part of the flying surface of the wing.
- Quite small and found on the wing and tail area of the bird.
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ŠThis image is copyrighted by Downmark The Down Association of Canada
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Larger Flight Feathers:
- Straight, flat feathers with a hard quill shaft running from one end to the other with a series of fibers joining together into a flat structure on each side of the shaft.
- These feathers are found on the wings and tail.
Usually chopped up to use in lower quality pillows & featherbeds. |
ŠThis image is copyrighted by Downmark The Down Association of Canada
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Body Feathers:
- Grown primarily for protection.
- These feathers are found over the entire body of the bird.
- Body feathers have a bend or curve to the shaft giving them a spring which makes them suitable for use in featherbeds and feather pillows.
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ŠThis image is copyrighted by Downmark The Down Association of Canada
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Properties of Down
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Loft:
- Loft is the number of cubic inches one ounce of down will fill under specific conditions:
- The larger, more mature the bird, the higher the loft of its down.
- A loft test is done in a Plexiglas cylinder of a standard size, under exacting conditions of specific temperature and humidity, with a sample of precisely one ounce of down.
- There is a disk of specific weight that sits on top of the sample to simulate the load that the covering fabric exerts in a finished item. The highest loft to be consistently tested is 800.
- This illustration shows the loft of different grades of down. Each tube is the same size and filled with 1 ounce of down. It is easy to see that a higher quality, more mature down fills more space for the same weight. This explains why a high quality down product will be much lighter and at the same time much puffier than a lower quality item. It takes much less of a high lofting down to fill a product, be it sleeping bag, pillow, etc.
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ŠThis image is copyrighted by Downmark The Down Association of Canada
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Density:
- This describes how dense the fibers of down are at its center.
- The denser the down, the better it traps air, and the better insulator it is.
- High density is found only in very mature downs.
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Breathability:
- Down has a remarkable ability to wick away moisture.
- It allows water vapour to pass right through it, keeping the sleeper comfortable, with none of the clamminess that is often felt with synthetics.
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Cleanliness:
- High quality downs are carefully washed, rinsed and dried, using machinery developed for this specific purpose.
- Special sanitizing processes are used to ensure the down is hypoallergenic.
- When this process is complete the finished product has a very high level of cleanliness.
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Down and Feather Quality
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Down:
- Many things affect the quality of a down product.
- Generally, the best down comes from larger, more mature birds. When age and maturity are equal, goose down is better than duck down. However, down from a mature duck is better than down from an immature goose.
- Down from immature birds not only tends to have poor lofting ability, it also tends to collapse in a relatively short time, because its fibers are so fragile. A duvet made with a mature down will be warmer, lighter and puffier. It will last much longer than one made with immature down.
What makes down such a good insulator?
- Each ounce of high quality down has about 2 million fluffy filaments that interlock and overlap to form a protective layer of still air that keeps warmth in and cold out. It is these tiny pockets of air trapped by the down fibers that actually do the insulating. The more mature the down, the greater number of air pockets there are for more efficient insulating.
- Loft is directly related to insulating power. Because of its resilience, you can scrunch down up or flatten it out, and all it takes is a good shake for it to fluff up and bounce back.
Why is down superior to synthetics as an insulator?
- Down gives approximately three times the warmth per ounce as synthetics. Far less down is needed by weight than other fillings, which means a much lighter, but warmer product. Synthetics mat and clump together in time, leaving empty cold spots, while down continually relofts, and molds itself to the body. Down also has the marvelous ability to breathe and wick away perspiration.
How long will down last?
- When cared for properly, a high quality down will last for generations. Down Association members have recovered down duvets, several decades old, with fillings which were still in very good condition.
Does colour have any relationship to quality?
- Colour does not affect the quality of a down at all. White down is generally preferred because it can be put into light coloured coverings without showing through. Eiderdown, for instance, is dark brown. Again, quality is determined mainly by the maturity of the bird.
Does climate affect the quality of down?
- Climate doesn't affect the quality of the down, but it will affect quantity. A bird in cold weather will not grow bigger down to stay warm; it will simply grow more down to stay warm. Quality itself depends on the maturity of the bird.
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How are down and feathers processed?
- Down and feathers are carefully washed with special processes, rinsed, dried and then separated into different grades by blowing. This is done in a separator consisting of several large bins. The largest feathers, which are the heaviest fall into the first bins, followed by
medium, then small feathers. The large, mature down is next, followed lastly by the immature downs. The careful cleaning and grading process must be properly done, in order to permanently eliminate odors, and to ensure permanent lofting of the down. |
ŠThis image is copyrighted by Downmark The Down Association of Canada
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Why do down products vary so much in price?
- You may find a wide range of pricing for down products. There are many factors which affect the quality, and therefore the price. An inexpensive product will be filled with immature down, which will provide little warmth, and will most likely collapse after relatively little use. Shortcuts in the cleaning and processing will have been taken, and this will often lead to odor problems. The Down Association of Canada has also found that a substantial number of inexpensive offshore products have contained high percentages of feathers, rather than down as promised on the label. Workmanship and design are generally inferior on cheap products. Overall, a "bargain" is usually a waste of money. A quality product will certainly cost more, but it will be warm and cozy and last for many years. Something that costs more but lasts 10 times as long is a much better value.
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A partnership in quality & reliability for over 25 years!
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