down hanky
11266 SE 21st Avenue
Milwaukie, Oregon 97222
How come?
I left my Ohio college in my senior year after the Kent State massacre and hitched a ride to Seattle where we started making down sleeping bags for friends and relatives. Our target customer was friends who wanted something they couldn't find at that time: product that took full advantage of down’s ability to loft more than commonly understood. Most down bags in those days were over-stuffed (still are). Ours were radically cut and lightly filled for use in the high, dry mountains of Idaho and Wyoming during the summer - or as liners inside another bag during colder treks.
The name? That I attribute to Doug Paige, Idaho Outward Bound instructor who - upon waking one morning up Goat Creek in the Sawtooth Mountains - opined: “This sleeping bag is so light, it’s like sleeping underneath a down hanky.” And so they are; and so it is.
common threads
Down — Nature’s original blanket. We use 850 fill power exclusively. We use natural grey color intentionally. The translucent nylon coverings of our products allow the down to show through. That’s a thing.
1.1 Ounce Nylon Ripstop — Just like the original "parachutes were made from. (Interesting fact: most ripstop nylon is commonly known as “parachute cloth”, but ours is actually made for sewing parachutes. Certified PIAC44378T4 - a Military Spec for parachutes!) Our version isn’t dyed - on purpose. It saves water in the dyeing process (color is thirsty) and allows the down to be seen. An honest esthetic.
Individually Hot Cut — Instead of a regular knife or scissors, we use a hot cutter to cut each item and seal the edges to make sure no fabric even “runs” or unravels. It’s an extra step, but we’ve always done it that way. So there. We’ll just keep it that way.
aesthetic & ethics
Always making. Always looking for ways to let materials honestly express themselves.
One-at-a-Time — This is a small craft shop. We don’t have massive inventories stockpiled from factories in Asia. We make each item in our workshop to order. We pay a fair, living wage that we pass along to you as an opportunity for you to participate in keeping it fair - here in the United States. We aren’t fast, but we are careful.
so they say…
"All my friends will want one, because they are unique." — Andrea Spiritos
"This is why I know you are my dad. This is exactly how I’d do it." — Evan Murphy
"The baby pictures convey a sense of how lightweight these are - but you have to experience it to believe it. " — Daniel Baker - textile expert
Care and Feeding
We purchase our down from the folks at Allied Feather and Down and they are the experts in cleaning down and explaining why that’s important. Their website is full of great information on how to make your product last and last.
https://alliedfeather.com/downcare/
We have used and highly recommend their Down Wash product. Why not buy it from the folks who know what they’re doing?
https://alliedfeather.com/shop/
Life-Span
Care is pretty simple: never store a down filled product the least bit wet or damp. If you have ANY doubt, put it in a no-heat dryer with a clean tennis shoe or a few tennis balls (to re-loft the down) and make sure you put it away DRY.
Cleaning a down filled product should not be the least intimidating. Because all our seams are hot-cut one-at-a-time, they will not unravel. Hand washing is essential. Remember, unless you have subjected the item to hard use, you are probably mostly cleaning the outer surface fabric. Our fabrics have a water-repellent finish, so it takes a while for the item to “wet out.” Be patient and gentle. Down is a natural product and contains natural oils being a natural product. Keep that in mind: never use any detergents that are often designed to remove oils.
Drying: gently squeeze as much water from the product as you can without getting overly zealous. Then again, put it in a no-heat dryer with the requisite tennis balls.
See: Care and Feeding
40 years and counting…
The saying used to be that feather merchants from Europe would sell you down that had been in someone’s comforter for over a hundred years.
I have no idea if that’s true, but here is a photo of the original Down Hanky Vest that I made nearly 40 years ago. True, the fabric is a bit discolored (dirty?) But the goose down (in this case 700 fill-power grey goose down) is still doing it’s job after all these years.
naturally resilient & stong