Down comforter UQ

[OutdoorDad]

I had a king size down comforter that was getting old. It WAS white, but over many, many years it has stained. I took it, shook all the feathers to one half and sewed it. Now I essentially have a massive UQ with (I'm guessing) about 5 inches of loft. I'm taking it out Friday for a trip, and hopefully it works great. It's supposed to get down to the low 30's. Thanksgiving weekend I'm going on a 3 night trip. So if there's any alterations or adjustments I can make them after this trip. It's supposed to be in the low 20's that weekend.

Has anyone else ever made an UQ the way I did? What were your thoughts?

[old4hats]

It sounds bulky but cozy. Let us know how it works for you. My guess is that CBS will not be a problem at all.

[FLScouthanger]

Just curious... How are you going to attach it without any alterations before the trip?

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

I'd like to see some pics, my wife and I have thought about this idea on many occasions but the weight is what kills it. You should be plenty warm. I used a puffer jacket for a diy uq that took me down to 10 deg. Fahrenheit. and that did not have 5 in. of loft.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrR4QfrTqiY <--- this is the puffer jacket uq

[pinemountainpetie]

I done this exact same thing for my UQ, but i sewed it inside some coated ripstop....Its a bit heavy....but oh so warm!

[OutdoorDad]

Ok. I'm back to report that the trip was great. I didn't get to set up till 9pm (give or take) and didn't realize that I was RIGHT beside a graveyard, but the only time i woke up was to adjust the UQ a little tighter.

I only had 1/8" shock cord and wasn't sure it'd stand up to the weight. I took some advice from another hanger and instead ran para cord through the UQ. I looped it over my marlin hitch on one end and the other end I spooled the shock cord three time around my hand and tied it to itself. I looped the shock cord spool over the other marlin hitch, then attached a caribener to the loop and the para cord to the caribener. It worked great. I needed the strength of the para cord to hold up the weight. It Is relatively heavy. But performance wise, a great idea. I woke up at 4:30 to walk to the tree stand (deer hunting). I was really toasty, and all I used for a top quilt was a fleece sleeping bag liner that I left partially zipped for a foot pocket. When I got out in the morning air I about froze instantly! It was in the high 30's Saturday morning.

This weekend I'm going with my cousin on a multi day hunt and we'll hang the whole time. I'm loaning him my Moskito hammock. I don't have another UQ made yet, but it have a zero degree sleeping bag for him. I'll set up my rain fly the same way, attached TO the ground with doors pulled shut. If we hang one over the other we should keep a lot of heat inside.

I'll take more pictures this weekend and upload them. I'm always bad about taking 2 or 3 and no more. And I will take some close ups of the shock cord loop and attachment style.

[OutdoorDad]

FLScouthanger, I had already folded over the edges and sewn them so that I could pull shock cord or para cord through. Hind sight, the 1/8" shock cord would have stretched way too far. The down comforter fabric is heavy! The cord would have possibly broken under the weight, and that's no way to wake up when is freezing. Ha ha! I don't think I'll make any alterations to it this year. I was considering pulling the down and putting it into a DIY case, but I've heard horror stories about the feathers going everywhere. I even experienced a little myself when I cut the comforter in half after I'd sewn it. (Can't get ALL the feathers to fall to the other side). And once there's an as cape route, they will get all over the room.

[Rain Man]

... I was considering pulling the down and putting it into a DIY case, but I've heard horror stories about the feathers going everywhere. I even experienced a little myself when I cut the comforter in half after I'd sewn it. (Can't get ALL the feathers to fall to the other side). And once there's an as cape route, they will get all over the room.

I cannibalized an old sleeping bag. My solution to the "escaping down" problem was to soak the bag in a big container with down-wash. Once wet (and it was DIFFICULT to get the down thoroughly wet), I'd just grab a handful, squeeze excess water out, and stuff it into my DIY UQ, which I needed to wash and dry once anyway.

Rain Man

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