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It may have changed in the last few years, but I’ve always been told that synthetic insulation will eventually (sometimes quickly) lose its loft while down can be reinvigorated.
withered_preacher-
Cheers. That's good to know.
Sorry for going off on one.
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This. But that's usually for people who are constantly compressing and decompressing it i.e. backpackers. For the average person who is just using it casually, it should be okay. But yes, quality down will loft for decades to come and its loft can easily be restored. There are people rocking Western Mountaineering sleeping bags from the 70s, and supposedly Yvon Chouinard still uses a mummy bag he made in the 1972 as his primary sleeping bag:
hugo7
JB
In what way is it short term?
A jacket lasts as long as it lasts. The outside is synthetic and not recyclable. synthetic down is largely air, so the % of the jacket is negligible imo. Happy to be corrected though. Ultimately there are cases where plastic materials are just better, so what can you do?
In any event I tend not to worry about these things as I buy few clothes and use them for a long time.
Eg I bought my uniclo one second hand in 2015 (which I'm pretty sure is not 100% down anyway). I will still wear it for gardening or as a underlayer for other coats in the winter. It has several repair patches on it, but the elastic in the cuffs is starting to go, hence wanting something new.