Down from Nordisk is not only the lightest, warmest, most breathable and most packable insulation material known to man.
It is also:
We develop equipment for expeditions exploring the coldest areas of the world and therefore, all our products are filled with Crystal Down® – a selection of the absolute finest and most voluminous European down. A single Crystal Down® has a huge diameter of up to 4 cm and white fluffy ”arms” to entrap air and ensure optimal insulation. It takes up to 1000 pieces of Crystal Down® to reach just 1 gram of filling.
Nothing beats Mother Nature.
Down is the greatest, lightest and most natural insulation material known to man. Keeping waterbirds warm all winter and still light enough to fly, down are complex structures with thousands and thousands of super-soft, keratin filaments that grow radially outwards from a tiny centre.
Not only will down insulation keep you warmer and lighter than any synthetic alternative, it also compresses much better, leaving you warm, with more space in your pack and feeling light enough to fly.
Nature’s Own Choice
Crystal Down®
sleeping bags
Crystal Down®
men's jackets
Crystal Down®
women's jackets
Natural down has a tendency to collapse when wet, which occasionally has left down fanatics frustrated (and cold) in humid conditions. But not anymore.
DWR (Durable Water Repellent) technology prevents down from absorbing water, thus eliminating the one disadvantage clinging to nature’s finest insulation material. We refer to these hydrophobic down as Crystal Down Dry®.
We originally introduced this innovative down in 2014 and now use Crystal Down Dry® in a wide range of products including the Arctic range of high-end sleeping bags and the entire range of down filled rain jackets, empowering polar adventurers and weekend outdoorers alike to take on any weather conditions.
#StayWarmStayDry
Crystal Down® Dry
sleeping bags
Crystal Down® Dry
Men's jackets
Crystal Down® Dry
women's jackets
The red Y is your guarantee
that the down inside is always:
- An upcycled residual product from food production
- Certified by internal and international standards, such as the RDS, and the IDFL
- From birds with unrestricted access to healthy food, water, shelter and light.
- A European production
- From a flock with restricted and monitored density
- Handled and transported with care
Trace your Crystal Down®
Each product is marked with a special code that reveals the down quality and the origin of the down. The code is divided into sections that carry different meanings.
As an example, the code 800RP1PWKG955 divides into 800 | RP1 | PWKG | 955
800 is the fill power* – here 800+ cuin
RP1 means Region – Poland - Slaughterhouse no.1
PWKG is the bird code – here Polish White Gludzka Goose
955 is the down:feather mix ratio – here 95/5
* Fill power is also called loft and it is measured by laboratories under the supervision of the International Down and Feather Laboratory (IDFL) in Salt Lake City, USA.
Zolli has been sewing sleeping bags for us for more than 30 years. She knows everything about how to make the perfect sleeping bag!
Handmade In Germany
We insist on making the best possible sleeping bags with the smallest possible footprint.
The only way animal welfare and sustainability can go hand in hand with a world class sleeping experience is by owning the process !
This is why we craft every single down sleeping bag by hand in our own factory in Germany, using only upcycled and traceable European down – as we have done for 40 years!
A Y by Nordisk down sleeping bag is a lifelong 
- Erik. J. Møller, CEO of Nordisk
Down Sleeping Bags
Tension Sleeping bags
Fever Ultra
V.I.B. Sleeping bags
Nordisk Care & Repair
Prolong your product lifespan
A careful selection of sustainable materials and production processes is only half the journey to a truly sustainable product. Expanding the product lifespan is really the simplest and most obtainable way to ensure our pact with nature.
Repair service
In the unlucky case of breakage or damage to your product, we offer in-house repair service by our highly skilled machinists. Chances are, that it may be the same person who made your sleeping bag in the first place. Whether your product has a tear, needs a new zipper or simply needs a refill of down to restore the fill power, our repair service is a quick and highly qualified solution to your needs.
Get in touch with our specialialists
Wash service
Down products are often chosen because they are naturally light, airy and fluffy. But both down and technical fabrics are delicate and require special treatment to maintain its high natural quality. That is why we offer a unique wash and care service for all our products, making sure they will last a lifetime.
Let us wash your down jacket or sleeping bag
Using exclusively sustainable down is nothing new for us.
For decades, we have followed our own Ethical Down Code
to ensure animal welfare and traceability.
Of course, Crystal Down ® abides by the RDS – Responsible Down Standard, but our internal regulations still go beyond those required by RDS and the EDFA – European Down and Feather association. We invented these standards long before these certificates even existed.
But don’t take our word for it. All these regulations are recorded by the European Down & Feather Association (EDFA) and monitored and controlled by an independent third party, which is the International Down and Feather Laboratories (IDFL).
The World's lightest
We hold several world records for ultralight outdoor gear. Our superior down quality, plays an important part in keeping performance up and weight down.
What is down?
Contrary to common belief, down and feathers are not the same thing. In fact, the expression “light as a feather” would have been a much stronger statement if it were “light as down”, as down is much lighter, softer and better insulating.
Down – not feathers
Down is a cluster, a 360° fluffy structure with a soft core, a few sub-branches and a large number of fibrils that tangle to create insulating air pockets. Furthermore, down is ultra-compressible and has an extremely high recovery rate.
Feathers, on the contrary, form a quill, that break under pressure and have very low insulation.
Down filling will always have a small portion of small feather parts in a final mixture. This is measured by a percentage, e.g. 80% down/20% feather. The higher the down percentage the better the final insulation performance.
Crystal Down® is measured and labelled by high and straightforward EN standards. Crystal Down® reaches up to 900FP (fill power) in a 95/5 down feather ratio, as indicated on the inside label of the product.
Fill Power – the ability to trap air
Down are static masterpieces with a fill power (or loft) that resists a small amount of pressure but gives in under stronger pressure. This resistance power is enabled by the natural elasticity of the keratin inside the down.
Fill power is measured by laboratories under the supervision of the International Down and Feather Laboratory (IDFL) in Salt Lake City, USA. It is measured by putting one ounce (= 28 grams) of down in a standardised flask and loading it with a standard weight. The volume that the down retains under this weight is the fill power in cubic inches (CUIN), indicated on a scale from approx. 400 to approx. 950 CUIN.
The higher the fill power, the better the insulation.
Down is not just down
The best quality of down comes from waterbirds like geese and duck, in particular larger birds, simply because they carry larger down.
Nordisk Crystal Down primarily derive from a species called Koluda, which is a large type of goose. This ensures a high quality and large sized down clusters.
A single Crystal Down® is indeed fine as a crystal and has a large diameter of up to 4 cm and white fluffy ”arms” to entrap air and ensure optimal performance.
It takes up to 1000 pieces of Crystal Down® to reach 1 gram of filling!
Heritage of the red Y
For almost 40 years, Yeti has supplied athletes and adventurers with great design, high quality and that extraordinary feeling of lightness and comfort that comes with down filling of the finest quality available. Since 2008, Yeti has been owned and produced by Nordisk and in 2020 we took the final step to let the two become one united brand.
The iconic red Y, which has adorned Yeti products for decades, will continue to symbolize the quality and legacy on Nordisk down garments and sleeping bags.
