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  1. #1
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    Comforter as base for UQ?

    I've got a line on a King size down comforter that I hope to turn into an Underquilt for my HH Deluxe Explorer.
    Am I missing anything that would make this a nightmare?

    Thanks,
    Oak

  2. #2
    Senior Member RTR's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oak View Post
    I've got a line on a King size down comforter that I hope to turn into an Underquilt for my HH Deluxe Explorer.
    Am I missing anything that would make this a nightmare?

    Thanks,
    Oak
    Well it would deff be a nightmare to carry if you where Backpacking. But for Car camping it would be good until the weather turned bad. The comforter would not stand well to rain as far as staying dry. You could also use the down in it to make a new UQ out of some 1.1 Syl, but I have read in other posts the down used in bed comforters is usually less down than it is straight feathers which do not have an equal R value nor do the compress as well. It will work just not as well as a JRB or Speer style UQ in multi situations.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    I made an underquilt from a synthetic king sized comforter. If you are looking for the gram weenie, super performance set up yeah it is not a real good option. But by the same token I carried it on short backpacking trips, (which are all I am capable of right now) and it was quite serviceable. A lot of it depends on what you are willing to accept in terms of the sacrifices you have to make. It was cheap.. ($5) and it did the job. Actually is it lighter and takes up less space than a sleeping bag mod I made for an underquilt. But the suspension was not done right and now it would be a pain to retrofit. So you make the choices you have to make and live with the sacrifices you have to make and do the best you can with what you got.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

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  4. #4
    slowhike's Avatar
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    Yeah, the shell & liner materials probably are not going to be as light as you would like to have in the long run for one thing.
    And if they are cotton, they will absorb & hold moister like nobody's business.
    Chances are that the down is not of the best quality (having a lot more feathers than down), but... it still could be used... at least temporarily.

    If I were going to use it, I would decide on a smaller quilt size, hem & cut it down to size.
    I too will something make and joy in it's making

  5. #5
    Senior Member fin's Avatar
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    FYI, a twin size down comforter exactly fits a JRB BMB. I know this because I picked up one on clearance with a polyester cover, sewed a new shell for it, and it stretches exactly from one end of the JRB all the way to the other.

    Ditto on the weight, however. This is great for backyard or car camping, but I wouldn't want to carry it any long distance. But it works great, and was extremely cheap to make. I just had to add a draw string channel on each end. I'll post pics this weekend - I'm planning on sleeping in the backyard after the in-laws show up!

  6. #6
    slowhike's Avatar
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    Here's a makeshift underquilt I did for a friend on a car camping trip when he decided he wanted to spend his second night in a hammock rather than on the ground<G>... It's an acrylic blanket.
    I too will something make and joy in it's making

  7. #7
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    Thanks for the replies.
    It definitely will be a stopgap until I can come up with the $$ for a JRB, but I'm thinking of canoe tripping instead of backpacking right now, so I won't have to carry it very far. I'm heading to northern Maine the second week of October. I'll play with it prior to then, maybe I'll be able to double it up for extra warmth. I don't know how/if it will work out. I haven't figured out how to get around the bottom opening of the HH yet, but these kind of challenges are part of the fun.

    Oak

  8. #8
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    If you hang the UQ like JRB says to hang theirs it will work fine without a slit. You can just push it to one side. it's pretty easy to do.

  9. #9
    New Member mike_ff's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by slowhike View Post
    Here's a makeshift underquilt I did for a friend on a car camping trip when he decided he wanted to spend his second night in a hammock rather than on the ground<G>... It's an acrylic blanket.

    So how well did the acrylic blanket work? What was the temp.?

    Mike

  10. #10
    slowhike's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mike_ff View Post
    So how well did the acrylic blanket work? What was the temp.?

    Mike
    As best I can remember, the night time lows might have got down to upper 40s, but I can't say for sure now.
    I believe he used a full length thermarest & a sleeping bag as a quilt & I believe he stayed warm.
    I too will something make and joy in it's making

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