Synthetic to down underquilt conversion

[SuperJunge]

I have an eno ember, yes and eno underquilt say what you will, but I have loved it so much. My only modification was putting 2 parka zippers on the edges to make it a pod which has worked wonderfully, I have taken it down to the 40's with nothing else comfortably. My new challenge is that I will soon be going to college in the cold state of michigan, and I will still want to hammock camp. I want to convert my current underquilt from synthetic to down insulation, but I am rather nervous about the process. I'm confident with my sewing abilities, but down is an entirely new element for me. My main interest in doing this is to get the same packability that I have now, with a hammock pod that will go comfortably into the 20's. It's not really a matter of money, just want to reuse what I already have, and if it saves me a few $ then I'm all for it. Anyone have any experience with this? Or perhaps someone who would be willing to do the job?

[VictoriaGuy]

Your plan is to remove the synthetic insulation and then re-use the shell with down fill?

[genixia]

Are you sure the fabric is down proof? And are there baffles or is it sewn-through construction. I fear that even if those two issues are resolved, that you'll have moisture issues - the inner layer is plain ripstop, but the outer is silnylon. You're going to drive moisture into the quilt and when it hits the outside layer it will condense there and will not be able to escape to the outside. Your down will get more damp each night until you get a day warm enough to dry the quilt out through its thickness.

[SuperJunge]

Victoriaguy, yes that's my theory, I have heard of it being done with sleeping bags before, so i would guess that underquilts are a similar task.

Genixia, I have the old version of the ember, not the current version, so both walls are ripstop and are tight enough to be down proof. It is sewn through, but I have the sewing skills if necessary to put in no see em baffling if necessary.

[gmcttr]

I don't see this working out at all. You will have to rip all the seams out and basically start from scratch.

The even greater deal killer problem I see is that for 20* temps, you will need at least 2.5" baffles with the filled channels/pockets in between lofting on up around 4". Assuming there is any differential cut on the existing shells (outer shell cut larger than the inner shell), it will be minimal for the existing thin synthetic insulation. The result will be that the "new" down insulation (regardless of baffle height) will be smashed close to the thickness of the existing insulation and provide little if any additional warmth. Short version...a lot of work for nothing.

Do yourself a huge favor, buy new materials to make a new UQ and only use the ember as a general model if that is the style you want.

[squidbilly]

#1 what gmcttr said, especially if you are confident in your sewing skills.

[Tendertoe]

Like others have mentioned you're going to end up pretty much starting from scratch anyways.

The bulk of the cost in making a quilt is the down so my thought would be save what you have. Start truly from scratch with raw materials and you'll end up with 2 quilts. You can share with a friend, you can make a winter quilt from scratch and thereby have 2 quilts for different weather conditions, etc.

[e_2]

Like others have mentioned you're going to end up pretty much starting from scratch anyways.

The bulk of the cost in making a quilt is the down so my thought would be save what you have. Start truly from scratch with raw materials and you'll end up with 2 quilts. You can share with a friend, you can make a winter quilt from scratch and thereby have 2 quilts for different weather conditions, etc.

Ditto and +1 on the "share with a friend". If you like what you have, don't destroy it... just use it for the right season. Michigan isn't cold all the time.

[genixia]

What they all said! You can save about $30 and waste hours of your time ripping seams to end up with one less optimal quilt, or save hours of your time, spend another $30 and end up with 2 quilts, each optimised to a purpose. It seems to me that with sewing skills, the sewing can be fast, but ripping seams is always time-consuming.

Decisions, decisions...

[Rolloff]

Much better off with a shell from Underquilts.com. Even if the material is down proof, once you finish ripping all the stitching, it certainly won't be. Synthetic quilt and bag construction differ quite a bit, from that required by down fills.