Old Sleeping Bag becomes New Underquilt

**Ga_Mtn_Man** · 10-23-2012, 06:01

I had a great sleeping bag from the 90's that would keep me warm and toasty in the teens. As I got older I was not able to handle how tight it was around the shoulders, so it went in storage as an extra gear item.

Recently I was going on a hike in NC where the temps would hit upper 30's and I was trying to work out a good sleep system for my ENO. I came across this old bag and decided to take a chance. I have a friend that can sew really well and she helped me cut it down to 46" width, and shock cord and channels on the ends, and tabs on the sides to help hold it snug. It worked great and I was nice and toasty. I even added a pick of my dog enjoying the warmth. He was waiting for us to build a morning fire before he would get up.

Comfy

**SLCpod** · 10-23-2012, 12:12

Looks Good!!
I like the two lines over your ridgeline. I am going to make an underquilt from an old bag of mine as well. Your pics start turning the wheels in my head.

**natureboy68** · 10-23-2012, 16:48

Very nice! What length did you go with?

**Otter1** · 10-23-2012, 16:57

Way to re-use and save $! That poor dog sure looks miserable

**aschurr** · 10-23-2012, 17:41

Great idea...thanks for the helpfull idea

**old4hats** · 10-23-2012, 18:55

Do the lines over the ridge line get in the way of getting in and out? I have a UQ made from a comforter which is heavy enough to want to sag a bit and I haven't tried this method as I figure I'll get tangled up in it.

**DivaB** · 10-23-2012, 19:01

Originally Posted by old4hats

Do the lines over the ridge line get in the way of getting in and out? I have a UQ made from a comforter which is heavy enough to want to sag a bit and I haven't tried this method as I figure I'll get tangled up in it.

Usually we'll do mitten clips and each side clips independent of the other onto the ridgeline. When you want to get up, you simply unhook one side. The OP used S biners so its pretty much along the same idea of unhooking one side before getting in or out. It's I nice feature to add to any UQ for those really cold nights when who don't want any extra air leaking out the sides when you go to roll over.

**Ga_Mtn_Man** · 10-23-2012, 20:42

Originally Posted by natureboy68

Very nice! What length did you go with?

The length is roughly 72", maybe a bit less. I had the width cut down to 46" to help with compacting into a bag. It's not too awful bad. Worth the fact that it's warm.

old4hats- Do the lines over the ridge line get in the way of getting in and out? I have a UQ made from a comforter which is heavy enough to want to sag a bit and I haven't tried this method as I figure I'll get tangled up in it.

I have the side tabs attached with shock cord over my ridge line. Just tight enough to hold it up against me and still have some breathing space. I use some simple S biners to attach and disconnect quickly. No problems at all.

I am extremely satisfied and plan to really test how low it will allow me to go.