Information about Down Feathers
- For the record label, see Duck Down Records
Down offers excellent thermal properties, and has good lofting characteristics. This means that the down traps small pockets of air efficiently. The small pockets of air provide the thermal barrier. Down has the added property that it can be packed into a very small space.
For outdoor equipment, down is considered to be the single best insulating material available due to its light weight, compressibility, and heat retention. Down insulation can be quite expensive, so alternatives, known as synthetic insulation, are available. Synthetic insulation types generally cost less and are usually not as lightweight or as compressible as down. However, synthetic insulations work better when wet and are easier to dry, whereas down insulation does not work well at all when wet and takes a very long time to dry out. Thus people who expect a significant amount of rain when camping will either bring a down sleeping bag with a water-resistant shell, or a bag with synthetic fill.
Down insulation is rated by fill power, measured as the number of cubic inches displaced by a given ounce of down (in3/oz). Higher fill-power downs will thus insulate better than lower fill-power downs of the same weight. Insulation in most outdoor equipment ranges from about 400 to 900 in3/oz (230-520 cm3/g). Down rated 500-600 in3/oz (290-360 cm3/g) is warm enough and light enough for most conditions, and 800-900 in3/oz (460-520 cm3/g) fill is used for very lightweight and/or very cold-weather gear.
When wet the thermal properties of the down are virtually eliminated, making it a worse insulator than most equally wet synthetic fills. Compressed down is also a very poor insulator, and thus sleeping bags insulated with down require the use of a sleeping pad to provide insulation from warmth that would otherwise be conducted into the ground.
Down can be collected in a variety of ways. Birds which provide the feathers may be used for other purposes, for example to provide meat. Some birds are killed solely for their down, while some birds (particularly some geese) are periodically live-plucked of their breast feathers. Some birds, such as the eider duck, line their nests with down, and such down might be harvested safely after the young leave the nest.
Animal welfare groups consider the collection of down to be a painful procedure and cruel, particularly since birds must undergo down collection repeatedly.
See also
External links
Duck Down Records is a hip hop record label, famous as the home of Hip Hop collective Boot Camp Clik. Duck Down was originally established as a management company in 1994, then officially established as Duck Down Entaprizez in 1995 by rapper Buckshot of Black Moon and his business
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Aves
Linnaeus, 1758
Orders
About two dozen - see section below
Birds (class Aves) are bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate animals.
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Linnaeus, 1758
Orders
About two dozen - see section below
Birds (class Aves) are bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate animals.
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Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. They are the outstanding characteristic that distinguishes the Class Aves from all other living groups. Other Theropoda also had feathers (see Feathered dinosaurs).
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thermal insulation can refer to materials used to reduce the rate of heat transfer, or the methods and processes used to reduce heat transfer.
Heat is transferred from one material to another by conduction, convection and/or radiation.
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Heat is transferred from one material to another by conduction, convection and/or radiation.
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A jacket is a lightweight, sleeved thigh- or waist-length coat that may be worn by anyone, as jackets are now made for children, adults, the elderly, and even infants. Some jackets are fashionable, while others serve as protective clothing.
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Bedding refers to the materials laid above the mattress of a bed for warmth. Bedding excludes the mattress, box spring and bed frame. Down materials are often used for warmth in bedding. To seek bedding means a person will retire for sleep, to his or her bedding.
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additional references or sources for verification.
* It contains a trivia section.
Please help [ improve the article] or discuss these issues on the talk page. A pillow
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* It contains a trivia section.
Please help [ improve the article] or discuss these issues on the talk page. A pillow
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A sleeping bag is a protective "bag" for a person to sleep in, essentially a blanket that can be closed with a zipper or similar means, and functions as a bed in situations where it is impractical to carry around a full bed. Its primary purpose is to provide warmth and insulation.
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Fill power is a measure of the loft or "fluffiness" of a down product that is loosely related to the insulating value of the down. The higher the fill power the more insulating air pockets the down has and the better insulating ability.
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ground pad, sleeping pad, sleeping mat or roll mat is a simple device often used in conjunction with a sleeping bag. Its purpose is to provide padding and thermal insulation.
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Meat, in its broadest definition, is animal tissue used as food. Most often it refers to skeletal muscle and associated fat, but it may also refer to non-muscle organs, including lungs, livers, skin, brains, bone marrow and kidneys.
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Goose (plural geese, male gander(s)) is the English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than geese, and ducks, which are smaller.
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Animal welfare is the viewpoint that animals, especially those under human care, should not suffer unnecessarily, including where the animals are used for food, work, companionship, or research.
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Powder down is a special type of down feathers. They occur in a few groups of apparently unrelated birds and thus are probably evolutionary homoplasies. These down feathers differ from the usual down as they are exceptionally fine and produce a dust between the frons.
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