Pros/Cons Karo Step Topquilt

**MAD777** · 03-09-2015, 18:28

Originally Posted by NWAlabamaHiker

Thanks! I think this will help me out.
When you talked about the spacing between your baffles, I've got 8" openings on mine. 4" on each box corner. You said you suggested 6"? So do you think my 8" openings will be too big?

When the openings get too big, there's nothing to stop the down from migrating. It will naturally follow gravity and leave thin areas in the higher sections (which is over you in the case of a top quilt).

My quilt with the 4" gaps still allows me to move the down pretty easily by giving the quilt a few of shakes. It was just a bit tight to construct. I think that about a 6" gap would eliminate the construction challenges and still adequately contain the down, so that it moves only when you want it to.

**NWAlabamaHiker** · 03-09-2015, 20:19

Originally Posted by MAD777

I think that about a 6" gap would eliminate the construction challenges and still adequately contain the down, so that it moves only when you want it to.

Thanks! I'm going to redo my plans and see if I can make it come out using slightly smaller gaps. What do you think about 1' square boxes? I could still do 1' boxes and just make my baffles a little larger or I could go with larger boxes and larger baffles with smaller gaps?
What do you think?

**NWAlabamaHiker** · 03-09-2015, 22:48

Ok, so I went back and looked at my first design and I was badly mistaken! My gaps from one baffle to the next right beside it- left to right or up and down - was only 4" which meant that from the corner of one baffle, north and south, was only about 2" to the next baffle running east and west. So I decided this was much too close, so I've redone my plans making slightly larger "boxes" (1.5' instead of 1') and I slightly modified the lengths of my baffles (the gaps between will all come out to be right in the neighborhood of 6" from corner to corner. I think this is the design I will go with!

**heycorb** · 03-10-2015, 13:41

Go ahead and order 3 yards of each shell. You can use the leftover for a storage sack.

**NWAlabamaHiker** · 03-10-2015, 14:07

Originally Posted by heycorb

Go ahead and order 3 yards of each shell. You can use the leftover for a storage sack.

That's probably what I'm going to do. I had already about decided that I wouldn't be leaving myself much room for error if I just got 2 yards of each.

**Violent Green** · 03-10-2015, 18:14

In my experience, even a tightly spaced KARO baffle system has inferior down control compared to horizontal baffles. It will be even more pronounced on a baffled quilt as opposed to sewn through. I would recommend over stuffing your quilt if you can. Post pics when you're done!

Ryan

**NWAlabamaHiker** · 03-10-2015, 18:41

Originally Posted by Violent Green

In my experience, even a tightly spaced KARO baffle system has inferior down control compared to horizontal baffles. It will be even more pronounced on a baffled quilt as opposed to sewn through. I would recommend over stuffing your quilt if you can. Post pics when you're done!

Ryan

Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking my baffles are going to around 2.5" tall and I'm going to put in about 12 oz of 800 fp. Does that sound about right? Too much? Too little?

**MAD777** · 03-10-2015, 20:49

12 ounces sounds about right to me with 2.5" baffle height. That should get you into the lower teens.

**NWAlabamaHiker** · 03-10-2015, 20:50

Awesome! That's exactly what I was hoping for!
That should take me down (pun intended) to as far as I would likely ever go!

**Violent Green** · 03-11-2015, 07:45

Originally Posted by MAD777

12 ounces sounds about right to me with 2.5" baffle height. That should get you into the lower teens.

I would have to run the math to see where 12oz gets you. Either way, even if you needed to add some more down later on, the KARO style will make it really easy. Just rip about 6in of side seam, stuff and close.

Ryan