Down VS Synthetic (Sleeping Bags on Big Walls)

I know the golden rule over the years has been Synthetic but I want to see what folks have to say about this in 2023 as most of the discussions I've found on the topic are a bit older. I would think keeping a down bag dry wouldn't be that hard if you have it in a weather proof stuff sack, bring a bivy bag, and or have a shelter/ledge with a rain fly. I recently bought a synthetic quilt and tired it out in the haul bag and hated how much room it took up. I've seen some opinions floating around that it's really not the end of the world to bring down so I'm fishing for more opinions. What do we think? Also if you have an opinion of jackets weigh in as well. Thanks!

I think it depends on forecast and route. I was on a wall in a relatively light rain last spring, and absolutely everything got soaked despite having a fly with our ledge and a bivy sack. Issue was that even a light rain made water funnels which sometimes ran directly on top of you. If we had down bags and could not bail I could see things getting dicey quickly. As it is, we continued on after a soggy night.

In my experience, rain flies and bivy bags help but it's next to impossible to keep down dry on a wall when it's really raining. I hear you about how non-compressible synthetics can be, BUT I bought a Patagonia nanopuff jacket recently and am blown away by how warm and compressible it is. Dries fast too I've found. I'd love a bag made with that stuff.

I have researched this.  

I spoke with Brandon Adams - the Yosemite climbing ranger - a few years ago. He told me that these days - assuming you have a bivy sack and a proper portaledge fly - down is ok to bring on the wall. I have always HATED my synthetic sleeping bag because it is too big, a total pain in the ass to stuff back in its compression sack, and the damn thing never kept me warm anyway. Modern portaledge flies keep you dry. Make sure this is the case with your fly. My D4 fly kept me completely dry under the waterfall of Waterfall Route! You can't get into a wetter place than that!

I used to bring proper Goretex top and bottom up on the wall, and I have led the occasional aid pitch in the rain wearing top and bottom. But for the most part, if it's raining and you are not under the shelter of an overhanging wall, then you will be hunkered down in your ledge anyway. So in truth, a raincoat is not all that important. Far more important is your ledge fly and bivy sack.

Brandon Adams is a member of this forum and may see this and reply.  If not, you can message him directly. 

Cheers, eh? 

Very Cold and dry regions like Baffin—maybe down.  Everywhere else: risky.  

As Pete has noted, the corner pocket fly design (no drawcord), and superb PU5000 fabrics, first implemented on D4 ledges, are significantly better than the prior state of the art. Other Portaledge makers will hopefully click in eventually (though I still recommend synthetic bags, as condensation is also likely in the tight quarters of a good lightweight Portaledge).

"Significantly better" = f*cking amazing!!  

This is me UNDER the waterfall of Waterfall Route. The forecasted 0.1" of rain turned out to be a full inch. Horsetail Falls opened up in full spate, and there we were right at the top of 3. While my partners Ryan Sheridan and Paddy McRedmond were on their knees bailing water out of their Metolius ledge, I was sitting here in total comfort, completely dry. I didn't even feel the need to put my digi camera into a Ziplock bag - I just clipped it into the ledge above me under the fly.

I never thought to take a video, because it would have been terrifying, impressive, and thunderous! I was worried about my partners, and as soon as the waterfall let up, they grabbed all their wet gear, and we scurried to the free employee clothes dryers. I didn't bring anything down to dry, because nothing got wet.  

John Middendorf makes GREAT stuff!!  

If only this were more widely available.

Jacob Ireland wrote:

If only this were more widely available.

Well I'll be buggered. Did knott know this!