Sleeping Bag to Over/Under Quilts

[zul]

What is the cheapest and easiest way to accomplish this? Certainly DIY will yield an option or two. What is the low cost summer option that can be purchased?

Thx.
zul

[titanium_hiker]

cheap: diy synthetic underquilt, keep your sleeping bag unzipped as a top quilt.

And the prices go up from there, but the weights might start to go down.

Another consideration: 3/4 might be cheaper and is certainly lighter.

TH

[myles to go]

Cheap is my middle name. I made a DIY UQ/TQ combo from a pair of 45° light weigh sleeping bads a got on sale for 15$ ea. UQ was a little more involved with shock cord and suspention but the top quilt was as simple as getting rid of the zipper and making a foot box . Saved some weight and size in the process of cutting these things up, they pack small and weight in at just over 3 lbs.together . This is my summer set up but I have camped in the 30's by adding a 1/8" GG pad and undercover.

[Just Jeff]

If you want cheap, go to Walmart (or other leading evil giant ) and get a sleeping bag of whatever weight you want, take it home and get ready to cut off the extra width with the zipper, and the hood.

Put your seam in before you cut, lay down with it and make sure you got the sizing right, then cut and finish the hem. Seaming it first is basically a must if you're using down, but still useful if it's synthetic.

Or just start with a hoodless bag for summer temps anyway...but you can always DIY the hood into a full-size option for sleeping in colder weather. Check out the JRB or BPL hoods for comparisons.

[rigidpsycho]

I just made an underquilt out of one of the children sleeping bags from Walmart. I used it for the first time this weekend and it worked out great. I will get measurements and pics later. As of right now my wife is in hospital, so it may take some time for me get everything done.

[Just Jeff]

Hope your wife gets better quickly.

[oldgringo]

If you want cheap, go to Walmart (or other leading evil giant ) and get a sleeping bag of whatever weight you want, take it home and get ready to cut off the extra width with the zipper, and the hood.

Put your seam in before you cut, lay down with it and make sure you got the sizing right, then cut and finish the hem. Seaming it first is basically a must if you're using down, but still useful if it's synthetic.

Or just start with a hoodless bag for summer temps anyway...but you can always DIY the hood into a full-size option for sleeping in colder weather. Check out the JRB or BPL hoods for comparisons.

Alternate plan "B": Twin size el cheapo quilts. Not very compressible, but then, neither are cheap bags.

[Just Jeff]

You know, getting some insulation and DWR from thru-hiker wouldn't cost too much more than a cheap bag, and you'd have high-quality lightweight and compressible insulation. Even better if you can find the DWR at Walmart and only buy the insulation from thru-hiker. Making a synthetic quilt can be about as easy as making a stuffsack...just a hemmed rectangle, really. Seriously...it's not that hard, and the quality would be better than a Walmart bag.

[chiefams]

I bought two neat sheets that I bought for $4 and I just gathered the ends with shock cord suspension for UQ and made a footbox for TQ. NO SEWING REQUIRED! These are both real light once you take out the weights, and I'm good with them down to 55*. Both stuff into size of small melon

EDIT: the price is much more expensive than what I paid. I got them from an offer from another member

[Trout]

One of the Indy Goodwills sells items by weight. I was given two LW sleeping bags for $1 each. I'll be cutting at least one of them up for a DIY. See if something like this is available in you area.