Synthetic VS Down Insulation

Being vegan means that we abstain from the consumption of any and all animal products (or byproducts). But how does that affect our gear choices? In one simple way: we opt for synthetic fibers rather than animal fibers like down or wool.

If you don't pay a whole lot of attention to your gear then you're likely to find animal products hidden in there somewhere. Likely your lofty insulation layers (puffy, sleeping bag/quilt) are made of down and your beanie, gloves, socks, and base layers have some percent made of wool if not all. Your shoes may even contain leather or suede, but most long distance backpackers will have already made the decision not to wear leather because of its weight and water retention.

Let's start with insulation.

Down is popular because it's highly compressible and lightweight. Pound for pound it's the warmest insulation available. Unlike synthetics, however, it loses its insulating properties when it gets wet and takes a long time to dry out. Down tends to cost more since there's relatively more labor required in producing down. It's also near impossible to clean and requires special care; most cleaning practices will destroy down's loft.

Synthetics, on the other hand, are somewhat water resistant and dry out extremely fast. A really important quality to have if you'd like to not freeze to death in the winter on the AT. Synthetics are still extremely light, especially as insulation technology increases, and not all that much heavier than down. For example, the Montbell UL Down Jacket weighs in at 7.6 ounces, while the Montbell UL Thermawrap weighs in at 8.4 ounces. That's a weight difference of less than an ounce for the same insulating capabilities.

What is down exactly? Contrary to popular belief, down is not "made from feathers". Down is actually the fluffy undercoating that ducks, geese, and other waterfowl depend on for warmth. Most conventional down practices are abhorrent to say the least. Force feeding, live plucking, and eventual slaughter to become foie gras (food made from the liver of a force fed duck or goose). Nonconventional down is somewhat less bleak, but still tragic. Patagonia's statement on "100% Traceable Down" is completely transparent, stating:

The eggs produced at parent farms are transferred to other farms, where hatchlings are raised for their meat. We audit these farms to ensure sound animal welfare practices. Down is a byproduct of the food industry, and the down we buy comes exclusively from slaughterhouses. After the down is collected from geese that have been killed for their meat, we follow it through washing, sorting and processing facilities to ensure proper traceability and segregation from untraceable down. We continue our audits all the way to the garment factory, where we make sure our down is kept apart from that of other brands, and used only in our clothing. It’s a lot of work. But this is how we ensure every bird whose down we use has been treated humanely.

In the same paragraph that they use the words "animal welfare" and "treated humanely", they reassuringly explain that "down is a byproduct of the food industry, and the down we buy comes exclusively from slaughterhouses". I won't go into too big of a tirade, but I will never understand how slaughter can be "humane". Read the entire statement here.

It might weigh less and compress more, but even in the best of scenarios, down cannot be acquired without the slaughter (and possibly, torture) of animals. No thanks, I'll stick with synthetics.