Cattails - A free alternative to down?

**KerMegan** · 03-04-2010, 11:08

Originally Posted by jeremyduncan

Kermegan, did you try washing and drying your quilt or hat? I have seen the fluff from cattails you are talking about and it just seems like it would disintegrate quickly. I could be very wrong, though. I hope I am.

There are cattails all over the place here and I love making gear on the cheap.

I have not wash/dried the two CTdown projects, but the quilt went back into the dryer for a fluff cycle and managed to shed a noticeable amount of fiber into the lint basket..though I will admit to using taffeta and not a known downproof fabric.

I will stuff more fluff this weekend and give it a wash/dry to see what happens.
I think the CTdown is eminently do-able, it just is not as ultralight as bird down for gear, but the cost/benefit ratio is hard to beat.

KM

**pndwind** · 03-04-2010, 16:36

put it in the oven to dry it out,
I think scotchgard is flammable.
Poooof.....

**DeeGore** · 03-07-2010, 13:31

This is my first diy project. Mostly for sewing practice and trying out cattail insulation. I put one baffle cutting this thing in half horizontally. It takes a little more work to get it to fluff up than down. I think an underquilt might get pretty heavy. There are about five heads in this facemask. Not bad at all for the price. It is nice and warm.

**pineapplenewton** · 03-07-2010, 22:13

this thread is amazing. i don't mean to be a broken record but someone should make a full uq and give reports on weight and warmth. if your considering this just think if it dosn't workout you can always fill it with the stuff from the bird.

**dgmyrs** · 03-08-2010, 17:01

I am working on a 2/3 underquilt. I have half the karo step baffles sewed onto one shell (so many baffles). Unfortunately, I also just started work on my first DIY hammock, so my time is divided. I have a hard time focusing on any one thing for very long.

I plan to weight the shell on the underquilt before filling it, and weight afterwards. And if I don't like the results, I will do just as you said, replace it with down.

**pineapplenewton** · 03-08-2010, 21:40

thats good news that a project is started. if this works it may just be the perfect solution for me

**OrionFyre** · 03-09-2010, 07:52

I've been meaning to post here.

Shortly after seeing the thread I spoke with an old friend. He grew up with his grandfather "on the reservation" who still did a lot of things "the old way"

He had heard about the cat tails being used as insulation, and invited me over to his house. He pulled out a few of his winter camping items: A sleeping bag he's taken down to 0dF, he was 'chilly' and figures the bag has a rating in the single digits or +10. He's also got a jacket and insulated pants and booties his granfather sewed up for him as well. He figures he's taken the whole thing down to 10 below and been plenty toasty. It is heavier gear than if it were some high quality 800fp down. But for the cost of fabric and some of grandpa's time with the sewing machine he figures he saved lots of $$$

And he did have a bag that he took on a high lat. trek with friends that was even warmer than the one he's got now. He slept through a night where the wind picked up and the temperature dropped to nearly 30 below. "woke up in only my skivvies vaguely remembering taking everything off because I was too warm" Said he was also "the only one who got more than an hour's worth of sleep"

I asked about the best way to dry and he said that laying them out on the middle rack of the oven to dry is the best way since you can do so many at once.

He also indicates if you have the patience, or a grandfather who has no problems spanking you, you can pick through the fluff and selectively increase the "fill power"

and "if you think dryer lint with a touch of vaseline is a good fire starter..."

Once they start popping up around this area he's offered to help me make an U/Q to beat all U/Q. . . "whatever underquilts are..."

**KerMegan** · 03-09-2010, 08:21

now that sounds like the kind of friend to cherish! let us know how it goes. KM

**OrionFyre** · 03-09-2010, 10:48

And by "help me" I think he meant he'll give me encouraging words of support.

Conversation went like:
"Hey I was reading about some people online using cat tail fluff as a down alternative in quilts and sleeping bags... read some stuff online how the native americans used it as insulation as well, was wondering if you knew anything about it?..."
"...."
"you there?"
"..."
"hello."
"..."
"hmm"
"shut up and let me finish this horrible flashback i'm having."
"the war?"
"no. grandpa and his **** cat tails... used to send me out to pick hundreds of them at a time...."
"so you've heard about it."
"christ man, Some guys have night terrors about the war. I wake up in beads of sweat in the middle of the night screaming from nightmares about that stuff... its bad news man... bad news..."