I read your sticky post about a summr quilt that could be used in conjunction with the Potomic. Any news?
It sounds like a perfect 4 season solution; MacKAQ in the summer, Potomic in the spring & fall, and both together in the winter.
I read your sticky post about a summr quilt that could be used in conjunction with the Potomic. Any news?
It sounds like a perfect 4 season solution; MacKAQ in the summer, Potomic in the spring & fall, and both together in the winter.
MrPrez said he was thinking of making it... I don't know if he has done one yet.
If he does make one, he should give it a little more insulation than the Thermodrape offers, so it can work by itself in the high 40s and low 50s. I have to add 1/3 yard of WarmWindow to be comfortable in that temp range.
Together with the KAQ, it works very well!
- MacEntyre
"We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
www.MollyMacGear.com
Did you add a Heatsheet to your thermodrape? Is a VB useful with a KAQ? If so, perhaps a Heatsheet layer would be useful
I'm still new to this and will be doing my first hang this weekend. I'm taking a windshield screen and my Big Agnus insulated pad to play around with to learn how cold, if at all I get. Then the week after I'll be hanging for a week at summercamp with my son. It's mid-summer so the temps will be mild bu it can get cool up in northern Wisconsin.
My hope is to get a sense of how much insulation I'll need for the fall and winter season. I have narrowed it down to the KAQ and JRB UQs. The KAQ is a little more affordable and an add on MacKAQ would provide the full flexibility for all seasons. That seems a more logical approach.
The Thermadrape is a space blanket vapor barrier with a thin layer of insulation. The vapor barrier works very well with a KAQ.
If MrPrez does make a MacKAQ, I'll be interested in how he prices it. Basically, the Thermodrape KAQ is a KAQ with minimal insulation, so it saves little labor in creating it. The sewing is the same.
I'm glad I made one, but I wonder if it is practical for non-DIYers...
Last edited by MacEntyre; 06-15-2009 at 16:55.
- MacEntyre
"We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
www.MollyMacGear.com
The issue is finding an insulation that can be used and acquired in quantities such that continued production would not be an issue. I still think this is a good idea and would be an excellent warm weather UQ as well as an add-on to the winter weight quilt.
I have been thinking about how one could be made which would be simpler than sewing a Potomac KAQ <----takes about 10 hours for me to sew from start to finish!
You need a Thermodrape or other space-blanket-like material that does not need an outer lining. Cut to a pattern, bind the edges and install a simple suspension. IIRC, FishingFinn has done one like that.
- MacEntyre
"We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
www.MollyMacGear.com
Mmm... These last few comments made me think of my laptop pad I use while commuting by Laplogic. It has a reflective material sandwhiched to a aerogel insulation from Aspen Aerogel. The stuff as used on the Mars Rover entry vehicle. Their SpaceLoft product appears a bit stiff, but a note on their site indicates they have other flexible blanket material.
I wonder if LapLogic's technologies could produce a laminated blanket that would out perforn the ThermoDrape and only require edge binding and suspension. I would guess that they most likely proces large sheets for their lappad products.Other Available Materials
Aspen Aerogels, Inc. produces several series of flexible aerogel blanket materials for thermal insulation, energy absorption, and fire protection. Please contact Aspen Aerogels, Inc. for additional information on these products.
BTW, I have the T55 Chinook and it works great. It uses a different material than the aerogel, but they don't give much info other than it's from Russia.
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