Yes, as much fun as I've had making things from synthetic insulation. I would say that to get to 10F easily and not have to manage a ton of extra bulk, you'd want to get an overstuffed down quilt or two.
Otherwise, you'd layer a bunch of synthetic insulation(s) and then manage the bulk to temp ratings issues. Depends on how much you hike, and what your pack weight goals are, I suppose...
I'm about to start making an overstuffed down multi-quilt in these same colors, woodland camo and black. Now that enough people have made down quilts before me, I feel fairly comfortable following their posted directions and making my own. (What a great site!) Right now I'm saving my money to buy the down, which is way too expensive, but I think is ultimately the way to go...
"Civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities." - Mark Twain
“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” - John Burroughs
yeah, I'm from northern Minnesota by birth and breeding. It rarely gets down to interestingly cold temps here in Illinois. By experiment I know how to get to 25 degrees now. Looks like I'll have to wait a while before the chance comes along to try 15 degrees.
Grizz the former eskimo
i got down to 17* the other night with my climashield torso length uq. it was 10oz/yd of xp.
So, what does that work out to for total weight of the quilt counting shell? How many sq yards did you need? But it just covers your torso, so I guess I'd have to double it for full length. What, do use a pad for your legs?
Last edited by BillyBob58; 11-26-2007 at 20:35.
"Civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities." - Mark Twain
“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” - John Burroughs
it weighs right at 16 oz. this includes a removeable pair of draft tubes that go at the ends. they weigh about 3/4 oz for the pair. the suspension was not on it when i weighed it just now. it's basically adds about 20g worth of shock cord, and a cord lock, maybe 2.
i'm 5'10" and it covers from the top of my neck to about 5" past my crotch. it's about 39" wide at the shoulders, and tapers toward the ends. took 2.5 yds of fabric, and 4.5-5 yds for the 4 layers of 2.5 xp insulation.
i have a 60"x1/8" thick ccf (narrow too). i double it and put it under my legs. i also put my jacket under my knees to elevate them, which no doubt insulates them more as well. the pad is narrow and thin and rolls up pretty small, and weighs only 3.5 oz. i have a sit pad around camp, and some ccf if i have to go to ground. i can unfold it all the way when i reach the limits of the quilt.
the quilt only has one permanently attached layer. the rest can be added/removed (quilt loops) based on season/temps. as a single layer summer uq, it only weighs 6-7 oz.
Last edited by warbonnetguy; 11-26-2007 at 21:22.
i consider myself a cols sleeper as well. it was below 20* all night long, i woke up a few times an was warm, when i woke up at 7:00, by back was barely cool, and i could have gone right back to sleep. i plan on doing some more testing, so i'll let you know about lower temps, i do feel like i could possibly go a few more degrees before i was uncomfortably cold though.
i also have just made a sil shell for it, i would like to see how much warmth this adds, i also came across some material called a heat sheet, it is reflective like a space blanket, but soft and quiet, it is thin, and it is laminated to about a 1/32" of ocf. since i can access the inside to add/remove layers, i could also add this or other reflective material. it is a vapor barrier so i might only be able to use it in conjunction with the sil shell, otherwise the insul might get wet.
yo WBG-
you might have a look at the insul-bright stuff and let us know how that works. I think it would suit your design of slipping layers in and out of a shell pretty well. I'd be interested in what you have to say about it, anyway.
I'm going to try pairing a layer of it with a layer of the insulation that Wiggy uses (I got a Wiggy poncho liner which will be dissected in the interests of hammock science).
Grizz the mad scientist
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