Down Fill Stinks

[highercountry]

Is it just me or has anyone noticed that new down seems to smell pretty bad these days.
I bought a new S2S bag a couple of years ago and it smelt sort of salty. I just put it down to humid weather and an unwashed body.
Last year I bought another S2S lightweight Traveller bag, it smells too. Again I thought it was me, hot weather again.
However, I've just taken delivery of a new EE quilt, haven't used it yet and it also stinks. Not super strong but still a noticeable salty smell.
All these products are filled with water-resistant down. Maybe it's the treatment product.
I've only ever had two other down bags in the previous thirty odd years and while they often became a little "festy" I don't think they smelt from brand new. It could be the older bags just had heavier coverings and I never noticed, I don't know.

[Franco]

No experience with that but sometime there are smells that are detected or noticed only by some people.
As a kid there was a type of vinyl that made me feel like vomiting yet nobody else in the family could smell it.

[highercountry]

I know what you mean.
Eleven years ago I gave up smoking. My sense of smell returned to the point of being super sensitive.
I was living in the Vic high country at the time. Everywhere I went I could smell fox and kangaroo urine. I could tell one from the other. Nobody else noticed a thing.
Still off the smokes and the schnozz has calmed down a bit, except for smelly sleeping bags.

[Moondog55]

It's possible that the down suppliers have started using more environmentally friendly cleaning processes and some of the waterfowl oil is still present
I noticed a horrible stink from my bag once when it got slightly damp after a wet and cold bivvie, it disappeared when the bag dried
It's a natural product after all

[neilmny]

Yes I noticed the same thing with my StS Trek 3 when I get a bit too hot. Smelled more like a wet chook to me but it seems to have settled down (no pun). I think some people are more sensitive to smells than others and I'd be one of those. Some deodourants and perfumes can knock me down from 3 metres away. Rather smell a wet chook

[highercountry]

Yeah, one of my smelly bags is a Trek3.
Well made, good value bag as it is.

[jdman]

Yeah, one of my smelly bags is a Trek3.
Well made, good value bag as it is.

Oh no, not good to hear the Trek3 is smelly as I've recently ordered one and are waiting for delivery.
Good to hear you find the bag well made though.

[highercountry]

Oh no, not good to hear the Trek3 is smelly as I've recently ordered one and are waiting for delivery.

Not really very smelly.
Mostly just noticeable when squeezing the air out to compress it in a stuff sack.

[neilmny]

Yeah, one of my smelly bags is a Trek3.
Well made, good value bag as it is.

Oh no, not good to hear the Trek3 is smelly as I've recently ordered one and are waiting for delivery.
Good to hear you find the bag well made though.

Not smelly normally or all the time and not that smelly when it has a hot sweaty body in it.
I really like my Trek 3, perfectly happy with it.

[markg]

I know one thing, the exped down mat I have used three times stinks too, when I am squeezing the air out of it to put it away.

[highercountry]

Reading around the web a bit it seems the problem is not uncommon.
Descriptions range from wet dog, duck, goose, to, in neilmny's case, chook.
I just think it smells salty. No big deal.
Most of my camping has been warm weather, coastal and humid. I'm a hot sleeper so it stands to reason.
Still, not expected in a new bag and I never noticed it in old bags.
The new EE quilt arrived at a time of high humidity too.
My Exped Downmat has the same smell come to think of it. It's not the UL variety, it has a built-in pump, but pumped full of humid air, rather than smelly breath.

[vicrev]

Down absorbs & retains odours .........

[Ellobuddha]

I had a Millet bag and it stunk from brand new. Was pretty bad. Luckily I was always really tired so it didnt bother me for long.....