How To Shrink A Down Jacket – Step By Step

A down jacket is a large, padded jacket, typically made from synthetic fibers such as nylon or polyester.

These jackets are meant to be worn as an outer layer, and of course, to provide plenty of warmth when temperatures drop outside. 

However, the amount of warmth you can expect from a down jacket is proportional to how snug it fits your body. As a result, if your jacket is too large for your body, and has a loose fit, then you’ll want to see about shrinking it down for a better, tighter fit.

So how to do you shrink a down jacket? In short, to shrink a down jacket you can either seek tailor alterations or do it yourself with a sewing kit. You may also be able to reduce its size in the wash, but it largely depends on the material of your down jacket.

Of course, another way to make sure your down jacket fits snugly is to layer up as much as possible to fill out space between your body and the jacket. However, this method might leave you feeling a little on the warm and puffy side, and seems a bit unnecessary.

As a last resort, you could also get the jacket exchanged for a smaller size from the store you bought it at, or even reach out to the manufacturer and see if there’s anything they can do to adjust the fit of the jacket.

How To Shrink A Down Jacket

With that said, let’s take a look at each of the viable methods to shrink down your down jacket so you can see which one is best for your needs.

Option 1: Get It Tailored

Perhaps your best bet when attempting to reduce the size of a down jacket, is to take it to someone who really knows what they’re doing with clothes adjustments: the tailor.

Due to the padded-out nature of down jackets, they can be very challenging to adjust, so enlisting the help of a professional tailor would be strongly advised, should you take the adjustment by hand route.

Before getting too excited though, I recommend that you seek out a tailor near you and ask them what they can do for your down jacket.

There’s a chance that this isn’t necessarily their area of expertise, in which case you’ll have to either find another tailor who works with this style of jackets or try one of the other methods in this guide.

This is because the material of the jacket is made up of feathers, and as such is so light that sewing it can be a real pain. As a result, only tailors proficient in working with such material will be daring enough to attempt to shrink down your down jacket.

However, if you’re lucky, and they can adjust your down jacket for you, then great. Here’s what you can expect them to do. 

Typically, with a down jacket, the tailor will sew in the sides, since it would be a nightmare to tamper with the middle of the jacket due to its material. This might give your jacket a slightly different look, but if you really want that extra snug fit and warmth from your jacket, then I’d say it’s definitely worth it.

Something to bear in mind if you decide to go this route, and take your jacket to a professional tailor, is that it might end up being quite costly. This is due to the complexity of the fix, which as you can imagine, would take up more of their time and effort.

So at the end of the day, you’ll have to consider how much the down jacket is worth to you, and if you’re willing to pay a premium to get the fit snugger for your body.

You can’t put a value on being warm and cozy, so it’s definitely worth thinking about, but equally, you could probably buy a new jacket for around the same cost.

If you have a body type that you feel is unique and none of the off-the-shelf jackets are likely to be an ideal fit for you, then this might be your best bet for a quality solution.

Option 2: DIY

Bearing in mind the difficulty of the process as we brought up in the last section, this option may seem quite daunting. However, if you are a real prodigy at sewing, then you could definitely give this method a whirl. Especially if you aren’t too attached to the down jacket, you can at least attempt to reduce the size yourself to save yourself a good sum of money.

The most important thing to bear in mind if you attempt to have a go at modifying the down jacket yourself is to bring the jacket in from the sides. If you take a different approach and try to mess with the middle, as I mentioned earlier the result might be less than appealing.

You could also attempt to shorten the sleeves if your down jacket is too large. For this fix, experts recommend the use of a sewing machine, to make it slightly easier to pull off.

Shrink it down in the wash

While this solution may seem a little odd and may seem like it wouldn’t work for a down jacket due to the material, shrinking it down in the wash can actually prove to be a feasible option. 

You may also be afraid to chuck your down jacket in the wash for fear that it will lose some of its insulation or color, however, if you do it the right way, you will actually improve the insulation on the jacket and it’ll retain its vitality.

So, how should you wash a down jacket to shrink it down?

Assuming your jacket is made from polyester, which they often are, then contrary to what you may think, you’ll want to wash it in cold water.

Make sure you place it in a front loading washer if you have one since this will be less likely to cause damage to it during the cycle. You should also use some stain remover to ensure some of the muck gets removed from it. Run the wash once, and then again a second time without detergent, so that all the soap leaves the machine.

After you’ve done this, you’ll want to put the down jacket in the dryer and run it on medium heat until it dries out. This should lead to a reduced size in your down jacket and could be just what you need for a better fit.

However, keep in mind that the high heat could damage the feathers inside.

Once your jacket fits the way you want it and you don’t want it to shrink anymore after another wash, watch this video to find out how to preserve a down jacket with feathers.

How to Take Care of Your Down Jacket

Now that we’ve taken a look at the various ways in which you can shrink your down jacket and reduce its size, let’s talk about how you can best take care of it to help keep it in great shape, looking and feeling as good as the day you bought it.

Your down jacket is probably one of your outdoor staples, and as such, you should try your best to preserve its condition, and try to maintain its appearance and comfort. 

To do so, there are a few things to keep in mind. 

1. First, how often you should be washing your down jacket.
   • Depending on how often you wear it, you should always consult the instructions on the label, as washing it too often could break down the fabric.
   • However, if you don’t wash it in a long time, it could start to produce unwanted odors and brandish stains, so you should make sure you keep on top of that.
   • Always remember to throw your jacket in the dryer after washing it, to prevent it from getting clumpy.
     
2. Secondly, if you travel a lot with your down jacket in your bag, which I imagine you do if you enjoy the outdoors expeditions, then you’ll want to make sure that you hang it up when you reach your destination.
   • This is so that the insulation properties of the jacket function optimally, since compressing the jacket can hamper them slightly. If you’ve owned the jacket for a long time and you notice the insulation isn’t what it used to be, then it might be time to go out a get a new one.
     
3. Lastly, if you stain your jacket with coffee or something else, the best way to treat it is to clean it by hand.
   • As we discussed earlier, if you wash it too much you could damage the jacket, so try your best to keep on top of stains as best you can.
   • To store your jacket, make sure it’s dry, then hang it in your wardrobe like you would with any other jacket.