I have a decent 5* (synthetic fill) adult-size mummy bag. It's too long for my 5-0 wife. I like the foot box that's on it but I guess the hood is more important. So does anyone have any advice on shortening this thing? I've never sewn (injected thread?) into anything that was already stuffed before so any insights are greatly appreciated!
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So many trees, so little time...
my take would be to ask a sewing shop to do it if you never sewn at all... the thing is that you can't really sew the outside and the inside if you don't want any cold spot... if your wife is like my girlfriend you really don't want any cold spot at all cost
chris
why should I have a rock, a root or anything else hurting my back in camping?
If you value her company in the outdoors, buy her a bag that fits her and is appropriate for the conditions you plan to encounter. Cut corners somewhere else.
Srsly.
Dave
"Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton
Thanks Chris. I'm comfortable taking on the sewing. I've done a lot of basic stuff. I guess my question is: Do I need to just cut the fabric, pull out the fill, sew and restuff? Or can I shortcut it?Originally Posted by moimeme_81
Yes, I would certainly welcome the insights of the masters! (and anyone else's insights too)
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So many trees, so little time...
+1 on what OG said. I've tried a few times to modify items for the wife/kids and it rarely works out well in the end. They somehow always look at it as hand-me-downs instead of being frugal.
As a trial run you can stuff a pillow into the footbox to take up the extra room (more insulation too). Depending on the taper of the bag hacking off a foot will leave a huge new footbox unless you restructure the rest of the bag. Good for comfort but possibly bad for warmth.
I'm kind of in the same boat with a nice 20F Kelty a friend gave me. It's too hot for me to use most of the time, way too bulky to backpack anyway, but too nice to hack up for an UQ (even though it was free). I'd like to do something similar to make a kids bag so let me know how it works out.
If this is for kayaking/backpacking and you're trying to save weight and bulk then just get a new bag. You'll both be happy you did.If it's a descent bag you can unload it here or on e-bay for a reasonable price to help offset the price.
not too hard to do, but long to do!
measure how much to take off
remove zipper
anywhere near the middle of the bag mark off where and how much you need to remove, less 1inch per side for sewing allowance, cut sew, reinstall zipper, cutting it to the right size, the important thing is taking your time, measuring twice, making sure to mark the lines square, separate the bags inner and outer shell to sew and have fun
good luck
...Or... you could keep the High Quality Warm Sleeping bag, leave the wife at home and bring the taller girlfriend who fits into the sleeping bag like a glove...
Kidding of course. Because I have met you both, it was a funny thought!
...my $0.02
Assuming it is a differential cut mummy bag you are taking on a major task. Trying to keep the footbox reasonably comfortable without cold spots is going to be the problem. There is a lot of blind stitching that is best done during the construction of the bag. To replicate it you would most likely have to completely deconstruct the bag. Huge PITA.
This is one of those cases where I think the modification would be more hassle than it's worth. If the extra length is causing that much of a problem take along some heat packs, throw them down into the bag before your wife crawls in and let them take care of the left over space.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but there's another consideration: sleeping bags are sized s/m/l, and the hip and shoulder girth varies accordingly. Cutting down a regular sized bag to fit a munchkin (her maiden name was Keebler, right?) will result in a voluminous mummy bag that will no longer be good to 5*. Also, there are bags that are sized to fit women.
Dave
"Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton
We were just talking about this subject on another thread! Here's Sandykayak's comment and my idea to shorten a "too long" sleeping bag:
Quote:
Originally Posted by sandykayak
Mine is also new and I've toyed with selling it, but I don't want. My problem is that I have the Large (need the space around!), but it is soooo long.
I'd love to chop about 12" off the bottom, but I'm scared of messing up the bottom of the zipper.
Sandykayak: I had the same problem with a down Big Kazoo bag I bought at the North Face discount warehouse in Oakland CA. The price was too good to pass up but it was soooooooo long for me (made for the 6'+ types) that my body couldn't warm all that space up! I couldn't sleep warm in 30 degrees and the bag is rated for 20! So I took a rubber band, unzipped the bag and, from INSIDE the bag, grabbed a handful of fabric and down from the foot and wound the rubber band around it. It made a ball of down INSIDE the bag which took up space and made it extra warm AND it made the bag shorter and easier to warm up with body heat. WORKED LIKE A CHARM! And no cutting--completely UNdoable! Good luck!
"Pips"
Mountains have a dreamy way
Of folding up a noisy day
In quiet covers, cool and gray.
---Leigh Buckner Hanes
Surely, God could have made a better way to sleep.
Surely, God never did.
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