JC Penny puffer jacket underquilt.

[bowl-maker]

After reading a ton of posts, tossing out an idea or two, reading a bunch more posts and spending some hard earned cash on 8 JC Penny Puffers, I made some gear with 4 puffers that I hope will keep me toasty warm.

The TQ is 2 sleeveless jackets sewn together at the waist. One is folded towards the head opening and stitched to form a footbox and the other has two sets of sleeves (4 total) sewn in as wings (one set for width) and another set to add length. It covers up to my nose (I am 5'10") and weighs 24 oz. in stuff sack.

the UQ is made from one sleeveless jacket sewn to a frame made from scrap material and Climashield in such a manner to allow a complete jacket to be zipped in and serve as the top layer. It allows me to use the jacket as a it was intended and also as a layer to the UQ. The UQ measures 54" x 38" and weighs 32 oz. with DIY bishop bag (2 JC Penny puffer stuff sacks sewn together). The weight might seem heavy until you consider that 14 oz. of it is a jacket that can zip out of the UQ and be used for a jacket and also it's bigger than usual UQs.

The booties are made from one set of sleeves. I trimmed 3 sections from the cuff, outlined a sole (using a boot insole), stitched an outline and attached to the angled sleeve. I finished it with stretchy cuffs and added velcro to "clamp" on to strips of a Z Rest for the walks in the wee hours.

Overall it was a lot of work and a few burned up brain cells but the outcome was worth it. Both the TQ and UQ are at least 2 layers thick and in some places up to four layers.

Great job! What is the weight?

[mountain_man_mike]

Great job! What is the weight?

Thanks, the troop members went nuts over the gear last night.

The TQ is 24 oz. including stuff sack

The UQ is 32 oz. including DIY bishop bag, which may seem heavy until the jacket is zipped out to serve as a stand alone garmet. To me, that's what makes this UQ different from any other I have seen. The versitility is fantastic.

The Booties are 4.5 oz.

[MokoLoko]

Here's my finished 3 JCP jacket UQ!

Will be testing it this weekend. Thanks for the inspiration everyone! This is the first project I've undertaken with a thread injector and I'm proud of the result.

Moko

[Hammonkey]

Nice work moko, how many layers in that setup? Warm?

[MokoLoko]

It's just one layer. I plan on using it in conjunction with my xlite neoair for the cold nights. If I need more insulation I have 6 side panels leftover that I could fashion into an additional layer for any cold spots. The quilt as is still fits in one of the included JCP stuff sacks, anymore layers might require an upgrade.

Moko

[SnarkyJosh]

Just finished mine up last night. I used two 3XL jackets with a finished size of 68"L X 40"W. I followed Honey Badger's pattern, except I used a pair of the sleeves to make a curved taper at the corners. I saved the other pair to make booties.

I don't know if anyone else mentioned this, but my jackets had an uneven distribution of down. Instead of saving the two leftover front panels, I pulled the down out of them and put it into the two back panels. All the down from the leftover scraps was used in other places. I tried to get a fairly even loft throughout, and I saved the nylon material for future patch jobs.

Also, I dismantled the two jackets using MokoLoko's seam ripping method. This left me with a lot of ribbon that was in good condition. It may be hard to see in the picture, but I stitched it back over my ugly seams.



The dark green spots are Bondex pressure sensitive nylon patches. I had a few areas where I slipped with the seam ripper, so I wanted to test these patches for field use.

[Hammonkey]

Really nicely done, I love all the feedback it's giving me so many ideas for when I finish ripping the seams on mine. First JCP UQ with Overstuff, sweet! How many oz you think you added?

Would love to hear some weight/temp #'s?

[MokoLoko]

Can't comment on my UQs weight, I will test temp this weekend. Forecast says lows of 27 and 28. Mine still fits in the little stuff sack to give a packe size reference.

Moko

[the_lorax]

I don't know if anyone else mentioned this, but my jackets had an uneven distribution of down. Instead of saving the two leftover front panels, I pulled the down out of them and put it into the two back panels. All the down from the leftover scraps was used in other places. I tried to get a fairly even loft throughout, and I saved the nylon material for future patch jobs.

Also, I dismantled the two jackets using MokoLoko's seam ripping method. This left me with a lot of ribbon that was in good condition. It may be hard to see in the picture, but I stitched it back over my ugly seams.

Nice job. Redistributing the down and putting the ribbon back on the seams - you sir clearly have more patience than me!

[Honey Badger!]

Awesome UQ Snarky! love the sleeve idea. sewing all the small triangles was a pain. I have just started on my third one and I think I will do the same on mine. My fill level was pretty even throughout. I just wish the sewing had been. You never knew if you were ripping one or three seams.

The wife and I hit the trail weekend before last and took them down to 29 with a blue pad for me and open cell pad for her and stayed toasty warm.