Top Quilt Length Confusions

[silentorpheus]

So as the title says, I'm a bit confused as to the length of most topquilts, and the difference between 'regular' and 'long', as pertains to a real person. Sorry if this gets number heavy ...

Here's an example for ya'll. I'm about 6'2" = roughly 74" tall. I made a TQ out of 1.1 nylon and fleece, with a layer of CS insulation. It's around 78" long (after hemming) and has a drawstring foot box. With the bottom cinched up, getting into it laying out but not hyper-extending my knees to make them their extreme full length, I can pull the quilt up easily to my forehead, and with my legs slightly bent (if I roll slightly to my side, as I like to sleep) I can get completely under/inside the quilt. That's with a 78" quilt. And I usually sleep with a blanket/quilt tucked under my chin, not pulled up over my head anyway.

Most of the cottage gear makers stick to this 78" TQ measurement (I assume that's where I got my length idea - don't remember it was a while ago) but call this 'regular' size, and suggest that it is good for people 5'11" and under. That's 71", and leaves 7" of wiggle room. For me at 74", that still leaves 4". The 'long' versions usually seem to add about 6-7 inches or so, bringing the 'long' quilts to a hefty 84-85", good to 6'4" or 6'5" as per suggested specs. At the suggested max height range, this would give you a generous 7-8" of wiggle room/extra length.

I realize that every person is shaped different, and there needs to be a little bit of generalizing and standardizing when it comes to measurements. Understood. And there's also I suppose the thought that generally people that are taller are also proportionally larger in other ways than those that are shorter - again, generalizing, since you can have someone tall and pencil thin, and someone short and broad.

So therein lies my confusion. I'm roughly 4-5" over the recommended "good up to this height" specs on most regular size quilts, but just looking at the raw specs, the regular should give me plenty of room to spare anyway. At first I thought that perhaps the cinched drawstring style footbox would eat up some length - which I'm sure it does. But like I said, my 78" quilt with footbox cinched still gives me full coverage when laying fully extended. But if that's where the difference is calculated, does getting the same quilt with a sewn in footbox then negate the need to get the 'long' quilt?

Alternatively, I'm using synthetic, and loft is not as much an issue ... so perhaps with down quilts, the loft steals a bit of the length from the overall size of the quilt, and were one to expect it to reach it's full stated length, it would be stretching and compressing the down, limiting full loft potential. This I can't speak to, since the only down quilt I have is an underquilt.

So I guess I was just hoping for some thoughts and clarification from others. Long quilts add extra length, at added expense and extra weight. Is it necessary? Is it worth it? I mean, if you're over 6'5" or 6'6" I'm sure it is. But at 6' or 6'2"? And if any of the gearmakers have the time or inkling to give some insight into how they decide on their lengths, that would be awesome too.

In the end, the reason I ask is because I'm looking to make myself a new synthetic 2 season, and then eventually buy a down 3 season, and I'm just not sure what size I need, or why.

Thanks, all.

[Peter_pan]

So as the title says, I'm a bit confused as to the length of most topquilts, and the difference between 'regular' and 'long', as pertains to a real person. Sorry if this gets number heavy ...

Here's an example for ya'll. I'm about 6'2" = roughly 74" tall. I made a TQ out of 1.1 nylon and fleece, with a layer of CS insulation. It's around 78" long (after hemming) and has a drawstring foot box. With the bottom cinched up, getting into it laying out but not hyper-extending my knees to make them their extreme full length, I can pull the quilt up easily to my forehead, and with my legs slightly bent (if I roll slightly to my side, as I like to sleep) I can get completely under/inside the quilt. That's with a 78" quilt. And I usually sleep with a blanket/quilt tucked under my chin, not pulled up over my head anyway.

Most of the cottage gear makers stick to this 78" TQ measurement (I assume that's where I got my length idea - don't remember it was a while ago) but call this 'regular' size, and suggest that it is good for people 5'11" and under. That's 71", and leaves 7" of wiggle room. For me at 74", that still leaves 4". The 'long' versions usually seem to add about 6-7 inches or so, bringing the 'long' quilts to a hefty 84-85", good to 6'4" or 6'5" as per suggested specs. At the suggested max height range, this would give you a generous 7-8" of wiggle room/extra length.

I realize that every person is shaped different, and there needs to be a little bit of generalizing and standardizing when it comes to measurements. Understood. And there's also I suppose the thought that generally people that are taller are also proportionally larger in other ways than those that are shorter - again, generalizing, since you can have someone tall and pencil thin, and someone short and broad.

So therein lies my confusion. I'm roughly 4-5" over the recommended "good up to this height" specs on most regular size quilts, but just looking at the raw specs, the regular should give me plenty of room to spare anyway. At first I thought that perhaps the cinched drawstring style footbox would eat up some length - which I'm sure it does. But like I said, my 78" quilt with footbox cinched still gives me full coverage when laying fully extended. But if that's where the difference is calculated, does getting the same quilt with a sewn in footbox then negate the need to get the 'long' quilt?

Alternatively, I'm using synthetic, and loft is not as much an issue ... so perhaps with down quilts, the loft steals a bit of the length from the overall size of the quilt, and were one to expect it to reach it's full stated length, it would be stretching and compressing the down, limiting full loft potential. This I can't speak to, since the only down quilt I have is an underquilt.

So I guess I was just hoping for some thoughts and clarification from others. Long quilts add extra length, at added expense and extra weight. Is it necessary? Is it worth it? I mean, if you're over 6'5" or 6'6" I'm sure it is. But at 6' or 6'2"? And if any of the gearmakers have the time or inkling to give some insight into how they decide on their lengths, that would be awesome too.

In the end, the reason I ask is because I'm looking to make myself a new synthetic 2 season, and then eventually buy a down 3 season, and I'm just not sure what size I need, or why.

Thanks, all.

Some of us cottage gear makers have been at this a long while.... When determining length ... remember/figure... loss to the forming of a foot box 6-8 inches depending on shoe size....Body shape, round will take off an inch or two, really round 3-4...Length required to go back to ground/hammock over the shoulders 6 or so...And you do not want to pull the quilt tight at any point or you will compress at that point and induce a cold spot... Thus a good planning factor for 78 inch TQ is 5-10 or 5-11...

But when you are building just for you, figure to your body specifically... the above points of consideration still apply... insert your own estimates for data.

Pan

[kayak karl]

my 4 top quilts are JRB. all long except for one. got it mixes up with Maple one time and it was way too short. im 6-3. so it must have to do with how you sleep. i don't bend my knees.

[silentorpheus]

Thanks, Pan, for weighing in on this. I assumed that if there was a reason, it might be more evident in a down quilt, and less apparent in a DIY synthetic. And from what I remember of you Karl at the NJ winter hang, you're a similar build as me, so that helps out with my thinking too.

In the end we're talking an extra ounce or so, and $20-30 extra dollars, so it's not a deal breaker. Just more exploring my own curiosity than anything.

Though still curious, as pertains to my DIY plans, if having a sewn in footbox but still having the quilt be 78" will be enough, since you don't lose that extra 6-8" Pan talked about to forming the cinched end. Hrm ...