TOPICS & TIMES:
- Klaus Obermeyer ‘inventing’ the down jacket (2:40)
- What does a “fill-power” rating actually mean? (8:03)
- Duck down vs. Goose down (24:15)
- How down is different than feathers (30:21)
- Tips for washing your down!! (36:55)
- Animal welfare (49:40)
- The Responsible Down Standard (56:27)
- Down-proof fabrics (59:20)
- Trackmydown.com (1:06:04)
- The future of down (1:07:10)
Misconceptions about down are everywhere — fill power, proper care, and animal welfare are all often wildly misunderstood. So today, in part 3 of our “What You’re Wearing” miniseries, we talk to Matthew Betcher of Allied Feather & Down, a company that works with and supplies down for some of the biggest names in the outdoor industry. (There’s a good chance your down jacket is stuffed with Allied down.)
Matthew and I discuss down’s fascinating entrance into the outdoor industry; the physical characteristics that make down such a high-performance fiber; the myths about “fill power” caused by marketing strategies; why and how you should DEFINITELY wash your down apparel; animal welfare & the Responsible Down Standard; and much more.
Have a garment containing Allied down? Check out trackmydown.com to learn about where it came from.
Enjoying thegeeking out on gear, but attributingthe invention of the down jacket to Obermeyer or Bauer is just crude US parochialism. George Finch (Australian) is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the down jacket for technical outdoor use, commissioning an eiderdown jacket for the 1922 British Everest expedition, as well as inventing and using the first bottled oxygen system for climbing at altitude. Technical down garments were being sold in Europe for climbing and skiing for many years before Bauer “invented” the down jacket in 1936, and Obermeyer didn’t “invent” his version until 1947.