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  1. #1
    Senior Member SteelToe's Avatar
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    Top Quilt Baffle Pattern

    I've heard that functionally, baffles aren't really required for top quilts, their flat lay atop you ensuring down doesn't move around that much.

    But it seems to me that a baffle-less quilt would require a lot of down manipulation every time you pulled it over yourself. Is there a preferred baffle setup for top quilts, from an ease of use perspective? I'm thinking some large Karo-style baffles (i.e. not sealed at their ends) that extend horizontally, keeping down from migrating down to the feet every time I roll it forward or lift it up.

    Thoughts?

    TCB
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  2. #2
    Senior Member Deadphans's Avatar
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    Re: Top Quilt Baffle Pattern

    I feel that baffles are an important aspect of a top quilt. They help ensure that x amount of down will be in the specific area of your body for more efficient heating.

    I do have a down comforter I use in the winter for my bed and even that has baffles, albeit a very strange pastern I can't really describe lol. And that's for indoors. Personally I wouldn't want to take the risk of not having baffles when outdoors, if nothing else, for ease of use so i'm not fussing with the down.

    I have no experience with Karo baffles, but my lateral baffles I sewed in my diy tq work just as intended.

    Good luck to you, its do much fun creating your own gear.
    "In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy." -D'Signore's, Tide Mill Farm, Edmunds, Maine.

  3. #3
    Senior Member SteelToe's Avatar
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    "my lateral baffles I sewed in my diy tq work just as intended."

    Sweet, that's what I was hoping to hear. It makes sense they'd work better seeing as there's no arc differential going on like on the UQ, and would form smaller chambers than long-ways baffles. Hopefully I can get them sewed on tonight

    By "karo" baffles, I really mean leaky baffles . They will go all the way across (or almost) but they won't be sewn to the sides of the quilt. After seeing how difficult it is on my UQ to move down around through <2"x2" openings, I don't expect the quilt to function much differently than a true boxed-in design (also worth mentioning is I'm using the quilt-body fabric leftover for baffles, since I'm too cheap to spring for dedicated noseeum baffles ). I've had enough of sewing three-way corners on the UQ to last two lifetimes.

    TCB
    www.hammockforums.net --I get it!

  4. #4
    Senior Member Deadphans's Avatar
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    Re: Top Quilt Baffle Pattern

    Oh that must have been a pain working with the down in less than 2" opening

    One thing...would using
    the left over quilt fabric as baffle walls inhibit air flow significantly enough to reduce the loft of the down? Although quilts with no baffles loft great. Just trying to see if there would be any effects of air flow within the quilt.

    I just don't know as all my quilts with baffles utilize netting
    "In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy." -D'Signore's, Tide Mill Farm, Edmunds, Maine.

  5. #5
    Senior Member SteelToe's Avatar
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    After messing with the stuff, I honestly think noseeum is functionally downproof. I was surprised when I was handstuffing the quilt, how unlike a fluid the stuff is. It's more like flour; with agitation, you can sift it, but otherwise it clumps up and clogs easily. I can't see any amount of agitation allowing down to move through noseeum sized holes in significant quantities, though. The solid fabric baffles do seem to inhibit airflow some movement inside of the quilt, so it's probably marginally easier to pop the thing if you smack it hard enough for some reason. Probably a tad harder to dry out, too, which is probably something I need to pay attention to more with a +3" like mine

    I filled the quilt using a cut-down long automotive funnel, and a wooden dowel smaller than the opening to agitate the fluff in a downward motion, which helped it work its way into the quilt easily (I think I only lost about a cup of down at the most, out of 16oz ). I was hoping to squish the down throughout the quilt through the small openings I left unsewn in the baffles, but it was quite a bit of work to move it about --good when you're finished, but a pain to get there

    Oh, the worst part of filling the quilt wasn't the down manipulation; it was doing the deed in a closed +100degree garage with zero air movement. It's been a while since I've been that uncomfortable in the heat down here

    TCB
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  6. #6
    Senior Member FLScouthanger's Avatar
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    Just a thought... If you do not have no-see-um for the baffles, consider using sheers (think the light, wispy, see through curtains). They allow much more airflow that the shell material. Plus they are pretty cheap and readily available (Wally World).

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