colored side for quilt, advantage?

[skar578]

What is the best color th ave on the inside of an underquilt? a dark color to absorb your heat into the insulation, or a light color to reflect your heat back to you. the outside would be a dark green (for easy drying too)

thanks

[warbonnetguy]

i don't think a light color does any good. if color actually even reflects any warmth, then the white insulation should do that.

[Coldspring]

If the inside of the underquilt didn't see any sunlight, I can't see that it would make any difference. Does it make a difference if you wear black or white thermal underwear? White reflects light better. Black absorbs heat from sunlight better. Don't know how many rays would penetrate that material, but surely black would be the way to go for the drying part.

[FanaticFringer]

The Jacks at JRB say "Light, subdued outer color for aesthetic appearance and reflective qualities and a black inside for warmth retention and to facilitate field drying.
It can be switched around for those that cant stand that purdy green color.

[GrizzlyAdams]

The Jacks at JRB say "Light, subdued outer color for aesthetic appearance and reflective qualities and a black inside for warmth retention and to facilitate field drying.
It can be switched around for those that cant stand that purdy green color.

ah, "light subdued" and "aesthetic appearance". That's how to describe the purdy green. Words escaped me in the past.

Grizz

[Just Jeff]

Sunlight is only one heat source - your body gives off heat, too...and it can be reflected or absorbed just the same. You just don't notice it as much.

Question seems to be - do you want your quilt absorbing your heat or reflecting it back at you?

Personally, I don't think one can feel the difference between shell colors based on the heat difference. Too many other factors have a greater impact that it's just not important.

The difference in how fast it dries in the field on a sunny day, as JRB says, may be noticeable though. Who wants to test it?!

[Coldspring]

Sunlight is only one heat source - your body gives off heat, too...and it can be reflected or absorbed just the same. You just don't notice it as much.

Question seems to be - do you want your quilt absorbing your heat or reflecting it back at you?

Personally, I don't think one can feel the difference between shell colors based on the heat difference. Too many other factors have a greater impact that it's just not important.

The difference in how fast it dries in the field on a sunny day, as JRB says, may be noticeable though. Who wants to test it?!

Heat can be transferred through conduction and radiation. The color of the material has no affect on conduction from the heat of your body, which is what happens during the night.. During the day, when there is light, darker colors will absorb more radiation and store more heat, which can be conducted back to you for a brief period of time, since these materials don't have a lot of mass. If you set up your quilt in the evening, just before sunset, it isn't going to make much difference in keeping you warm at night, but if the sun strikes you early in the morning, it surely wouldn't hurt. Personally, I think a very dark chocolate brown would be the way to go, since they wouldn't show dirt as bad as pure black. A dark camo pattern might be even nicer.

[kohburn]

if you want reflective then you'd need to line it with a perferated space blanket or something else like temptrol

[headchange4u]

I decided to make my quilt all one color:black. It's going to be a pretty thick quilt (~3+" thick) and I figure black would help to absorb heat from both sides of the quilt. Plus I don't want to mess with different colors of thread on the top and bottom

[warbonnetguy]

an uq isn't in direct contact with your body, so there will be some radiant heat tranfer as well.