I've made a few things over the past month, figured I oughta share them!
First off is a lighter (1.1oz silnylon) version of the big red 1.7oz sil tarp I made earlier this year. 144" ridgeline to cover my Explorer or Safari and satin edging for... well, looks, really. I also happen to kinda suck at rolled hems, haha. It may not be UltraLight, but it's at least KindaLight!
You may notice the scrunched-up bag on the ridgeline - that's a bag I came up with (although I'm certain I'm not the first to do it, it's pretty simple) that I call a TarpTube. The suspension lines are enclosed in separate pockets to keep them accessible and keeps the hardware away from the tarp fabric. It also acts like a double-ended Bishop bag for easy setup and takedown. It's made from the same 1.1oz sil as the tarp, so in case of being packed away wet it'll help keep the tarp from soaking its surrounding pack items.
Third is the one I'm most proud of so far, it's a 3-season down-filled underquilt that I've nicknamed the Fusion. It was developed using the DIY Differential Cut Calculator I created for measurements and fill calculations, and I'm happy to say that all the measurements worked out perfectly. The quilt was built using the following parameters, you can punch the numbers into the calculator to see the particulars if you're interested.
Length: 77"
Width: 49"
Baffle Height: 2"
Max Chamber Height: 3"
Number of Chambers: 14
Down Fill rating: 750FP
No overstuff
Handily, the required outer shell width was 66.7", which worked very well with the Olive Brown DWR 1.1oz ripstop (1sts) from DIY Gear Supply which had a raw width of 68" - perfect for a small hem to get to to the necessary dimension. The inner shell was Olive Green 1.1oz ripstop (2nds), again from DIYGS along with everything else that went into the quilt aside from the down, which was sourced from Feather Industries in Ontario, Canada. Final weight of the quilt is ~28oz.
As my first foray into underquilts or down, it was a huge learning experience and, as with all my other DIY projects, I've also gained a deeper appreciation for the folks that do this stuff professionally.
All the new gear got its test run this past weekend in the mountains of Banff while car camping with friends (sadly, not all my buddies are into backpacking yet). The kids from the site next door were totally fascinated by the hammock and had a great time trying it out. The poor dad now has three kids begging him to buy them hammocks!Temperatures got as low as 10C (50F) with a good thunderstorm, but it was toasty warm and dry in the Safari with my 20-degree GoLite TQ on top. Result! We'll see how well it keeps me warm later in the season as overnight temps start to drop in September.
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