Insultex Questions

**SwinginIt** · 07-13-2012, 10:07

I'm looking to make a lightweight summer UQ from IX. My plan is to do a single layer with an M50 outer shell. That should do the trick when it's really hot out then as temps drop I can add an insert to boost the rating. I'm not looking to take it to freezing temps, I have a down UQ for that. It's just for warmer weather when it doesn't make sense to carry a 20oz UQ.

My questions are, does that seem like a good idea? Has anyone tried using just one layer?

What is the weight per sq yd? The only info I found was on a site that said a single layer would keep a person warm down to some ridiculously low temp so I have to question the accuracy of their info.

What is the clo/oz?

How necessary is it to have an outer shell?

Is there something better that I could use instead of IX?

**MAD777** · 07-13-2012, 10:34

The weight is about 1.35 oz/sy.
It won't keep you warm to the advertised rate, but many hangers have successfully used IX As an underquilt

**FLRider** · 07-13-2012, 11:08

Yeah, the advertisement is...a little misleading. As best I can figure it, the -13 F figure is the amount of warmth added per layer when subtracting from 70 F, not as an absolute temperature.

It jives with the ~30 to ~40 F figure most folks give for a lower limit on a three-layer IX underquilt (70 - [13 * 3] = 70 - 39 = 31 F). It might be a little overrated at -13, but that's unfortunately normal for manufacturers of synthetic insulation (see the Thinsulate claims about being better than down for the weight as an example).

Anyway, I hope that the summer underquilt goes well for you!

**SwinginIt** · 07-13-2012, 11:57

Ok so it is lighter than Climashield then. Does that mean as far as synthetics go it's the lightest option? Yeah I immediately called bull$@!# when I saw that claim. Your explanation makes sense FLRider, gotta love misleading advertising.

What about my other questions?

**Brute1100** · 07-13-2012, 14:24

Tagged for interest...

**dejoha** · 07-13-2012, 14:46

I have one of the original MacEntyre IX UQs and I use it often in the summer. My wife took it to Havasupai just a few weeks ago and it worked great. In the spring I had condensation problems with the IX on a backpacking trip. It chilled me a little, but I stayed warm enough to sleep well.

I often use the IX UQ indoors when I don't need much insulation, but having something is nice. It's a good summer quilt. Mine has two layers, I believe (inner/outer).

**BillyBob58** · 07-13-2012, 15:20

Originally Posted by FLRider

Yeah, the advertisement is...a little misleading. As best I can figure it, the -13 F figure is the amount of warmth added per layer when subtracting from 70 F, not as an absolute temperature.

It jives with the ~30 to ~40 F figure most folks give for a lower limit on a three-layer IX underquilt (70 - [13 * 3] = 70 - 39 = 31 F). It might be a little overrated at -13, but that's unfortunately normal for manufacturers of synthetic insulation (see the Thinsulate claims about being better than down for the weight as an example).

Anyway, I hope that the summer underquilt goes well for you!

Hey, you may be on to something there with that way of interpreting the rating of minus 13F, which has always seemed preposterous. But I ran some tests one time. I am sure they were not very scientific tests, because there were so many things I could have done wrong and variables not accounted for. For some reason, my tests with 2 layers did not add much. But 2 different times, I put 2 water bottles side by side in the deep freeze starting with room temp water. One bottle was completely surrounded with either 1 layer or 2 layers of IX. I forget how long I left the bottles in the freezer. Maybe an hour or more, not sure. I was trying to leave them as long as possible without freezing them solid. Then I would take them out and measure the temp difference.

Two different times I measured ~ 16F difference with one layer. When I tried 2 layers, I did not find it to be much better, but I attribute that to I probably made some error doing the test. Someday, I will get the energy to repeat these tests.

**SwinginIt** · 07-13-2012, 17:34

Originally Posted by BillyBob58

Hey, you may be on to something there with that way of interpreting the rating of minus 13F, which has always seemed preposterous. But I ran some tests one time. I am sure they were not very scientific tests, because there were so many things I could have done wrong and variables not accounted for. For some reason, my tests with 2 layers did not add much. But 2 different times, I put 2 water bottles side by side in the deep freeze starting with room temp water. One bottle was completely surrounded with either 1 layer or 2 layers of IX. I forget how long I left the bottles in the freezer. Maybe an hour or more, not sure. I was trying to leave them as long as possible without freezing them solid. Then I would take them out and measure the temp difference.

Two different times I measured ~ 16F difference with one layer. When I tried 2 layers, I did not find it to be much better, but I attribute that to I probably made some error doing the test. Someday, I will get the energy to repeat these tests.

Was there a small gap between the layers or were they up against each other?

**charley** · 07-13-2012, 18:05

I have a 2 layer IXTQ and 2 layer IXUQ that I use to about 46*F. They both have light nylon coverings. I also have a second IXUQ that when added to the others will get me down to about 34. That's close to 13 degrees per layer. If I had done a better job of baffles and differential cut they may have gotten me a cpl degrees lower. They pack lighter and are a bit warmer than my poncho liner top and under quilts.

**uncle_ray_ray** · 07-13-2012, 18:06

I made a double layer of IX with 1.1 nylon for a summer's UQ and TQ ... they are light, and will do the job in the warmer days. Problem is that IX doesn't compress that well, and you wind up consuming a fair amount of space in your pack because of it. It's also a bit on the clammy side for an UQ, but it will keep the breeze off of you for sure.