Grüezi bag insulation for sleeping bags
Grüezi bag stands for innovative outdoor products with natural insulation that offer a unique sleeping environment and outstanding sleeping comfort.
How wool and down work
Humans have been using wool for centuries to protect themselves from the cold. The reason for this is that wool provides warmth while simultaneously creating an excellent climate. Furthermore, wool provides warmth even when damp and naturally neutralizes unpleasant sweat odors.
Wool can absorb up to 30% of its own weight in moisture through its capillaries and release it back to the outside in a controlled manner to prevent evaporative cooling. This not only effectively regulates moisture but also helps regulate body temperature.
That's why we feel so comfortable with or under wool.
Grüezi bag uses exclusively mulesing-free wool from Alpine sheep for its insulation: robust, natural, biodegradable, and renewable.
Nothing insulates as well as down. The fine structure of down traps a great deal of air. This trapped air insulates and protects against the cold. If the down becomes damp and loses its fluffy structure, its insulating properties are significantly reduced. Down works best when dry.
By combining highly insulating down with moisture-resistant wool, we have developed unique insulation products that combine the advantages of both natural materials.
DownWool
DownWool consists of 70% RDS-certified down and 30% wool from the Alpine region.
The combination is perfect. Nothing insulates as well as high-quality down. The 30% wool content makes all the difference. Wool absorbs moisture from the air and perspiration, keeping the down dry and retaining its insulating power even in high humidity.
The advantage over pure down insulation is the noticeably better climate and the insensitivity to increased humidity, without the use of ecologically questionable impregnations.
Furthermore, the temperature range for products with DownWool insulation, where you neither freeze nor sweat, is significantly wider, and thus feel perfectly comfortable. Incidentally, DownWool is only a few grams heavier than pure down and yet packs just as small.
DownWool is made from 100% renewable natural raw materials and is manufactured without the use of chemicals, using a purely mechanical process. DownWool is produced near Regensburg, Bavaria. This is also where we have almost all of our DownWool sleeping bags filled.
The down complies with the Responsible Down Standard, which guarantees that Grüezi bag does not use down from live-plucking. The wool comes from sheep raised in species-appropriate conditions in the Alps. Animal welfare is particularly important to Grüezi bag.
Products with DownWool insulation are easy to care for and machine washable. However, it's important to use a down-friendly detergent when washing. After washing, the sleeping bag should be thoroughly dried and aired. Like any down sleeping bag, it should not be repacked until it is 100% dry.
DownWool Hybrid
Unlike DownWool insulation, the DownWool Hybrid construction is not a mix of materials. With DownWool Hybrid insulation, the down and wool are used separately in different chambers.
The DownWool Hybrid construction is used in Grüezi bag winter and expedition sleeping bags with a required comfort temperature well below freezing.
100% goose down is used in the chambers closest to the body. We also place a layer of alpine wool over these chambers. This way, the highly insulating down is encased in a layer of alpine wool.
This construction has the advantage that the moisture that builds up in the sleeping bag does not condense and freeze on the outer material as usual, but is absorbed by the alpine wool and then released into the colder ambient air outside.
The main advantage is an excellent sleeping climate and the fact that the down stays dry and fluffy, thus continuing to provide excellent insulation. This even at temperatures well below -15°C.
Alpine wool
Unlike down, wool provides warmth even when damp. Therefore, we recommend our Alpine wool insulation especially for regions with high humidity and for campers and motorhomes.
In Grüezi bag clothing, alpine wool is used especially in areas where you sweat more, such as under the arms.
Due to the slightly higher material weight and lower insulation performance compared to down, products with pure alpine wool insulation are suitable above freezing point.