Quilts

[Omaha_Ace]

My aunt (who I am hiking with in a month) is a master quilter - it's what she does for a business. I would like to hire her to make me a super lightweight, packable backpacking quilt for use in to 30-50 degree range.

What kind of materials would be best suited to this, and where do I go to buythem? Pros-n-cons of ripstop nylons vs silnylon vs cuben and different fill materials - down vs synthetics? Are there pre-made sewing patterns out there? I was thinking an interlocking hexagon quilt patern would be strong and allow for decent quilt thickness?

Or point me to a thread where this has clearly already been established and I'm just being a tosser...

[garlic08]

Are you originally from England? I haven't heard an American use the word "tosser"--just my somewhat raunchy British friend.

The quilt has to be breathable so forget Cuben. Down vs synthetic is an old argument that will certainly not be solved here. The best answer I've heard is that down is always better until it isn't.

I believe backcountry down quilts need baffling--you don't want to stitch right through the insulation as in bedding quilts. For inventive baffling with down, look at enLightened Equipment quilts. I just bought one last year and I'm a quilt convert.

Ray Jardine sells kits and designs for synthetic quilts.

I'm not a sewing person so no help here on where to get supplies.

[FarmerChef]

There are a few questions that you can and should ask prior to beginning. These will affect the pattern and design of your quilt. For instance, do you want down or synthetic insulation? A rectangular or tapered cut with footbox? What kind of weight to strength ratio do you want?

There are many great threads on these topics on the web, especially among hammock hangers. Check out hammockforums.net and thru-hiker.com for articles. Thru-hiker also has quilting materials like M90 fabric shell (nylon) and Apex insulation (synthetic) and 800FP goose down, just to name a few. There are other places to get material too like bearpaw wilderness designs (bearpawwd.com) and zpacks.com to name a few I've used.

I've sewed 2 giant 2 person quilts using a simple design and quilting that have worked great. But I'm nothing close to the skills of your aunt who could probably sew better than me with one armed tied behind her back and her eyes closed I'm sure you'll wind up with a great quilt!

[Omaha_Ace]

There are a few questions that you can and should ask prior to beginning. These will affect the pattern and design of your quilt. For instance, do you want down or synthetic insulation? A rectangular or tapered cut with footbox? What kind of weight to strength ratio do you want?

There are many great threads on these topics on the web, especially among hammock hangers. Check out hammockforums.net and thru-hiker.com for articles. Thru-hiker also has quilting materials like M90 fabric shell (nylon) and Apex insulation (synthetic) and 800FP goose down, just to name a few. There are other places to get material too like bearpaw wilderness designs (bearpawwd.com) and zpacks.com to name a few I've used.

I've sewed 2 giant 2 person quilts using a simple design and quilting that have worked great. But I'm nothing close to the skills of your aunt who could probably sew better than me with one armed tied behind her back and her eyes closed I'm sure you'll wind up with a great quilt!

She can do pretty insane stuff, for sure, so I'm guessing the main challenge will be picking the right materials and letting her have at it. Stuff-size/packability is more important than total weight to me. Water resistance is more important than strength. I'm thinking a trapezoid that tapers down to a footbox would be nice.

[Omaha_Ace]

Are you originally from England? I haven't heard an American use the word "tosser"--just my somewhat raunchy British friend.

Nope, not British - just like their off-color language better - tosser, spanner, bollocks, wanker... I watch a lot of Top Gear (the real one, not the US catastophe...)

[FarmerChef]

She can do pretty insane stuff, for sure, so I'm guessing the main challenge will be picking the right materials and letting her have at it. Stuff-size/packability is more important than total weight to me. Water resistance is more important than strength. I'm thinking a trapezoid that tapers down to a footbox would be nice.

My apex quilt is huge, almost as big as a comforter on a bed. It stuffs down to the size of a small watermelon or large honeydew depending on how you like to see it. I don't have a compression sack or it would probably go even smaller than that. I'm not sure you'd want to stuff goose down to far down or you might lose some loft over time?

[Just Bill]

My rules of thumb; West of the Mississippi- down, east synthetic. Above 30 or 40 degrees- the amount of down needed is so minimal that it tends to develop cold spots and the weight savings is minimal. A single quilt made out of APEX insulation needs no quilting if careful, for a bombproof one you can quilt on 2' centers if you like, or if your Aunt is a baddie she can quilt the sheets 2' on center or so and offset the material so you don't have sewn thru cold spots (inner liner gets one piece of insulation on right side, outer gets one on the left). I'm 5'10, about 200 pounds and a tosser (American- toss in my sleep). I went with a 58" top, 84" length and 52" foot. I sewed the bottom 30 inches of the side together and put in a drawstring foot box so I could adjust temps better. I also added 1/2" webbing every 8" up the sides if I ever want a shoelace style lace-up. I am a warm sleeper and went with APEX 2.5, I would call it safe to 50 with a hat on, acceptable at 40 with clothes and shelter to block wind. I don't sleep, but it's not fatal at 30. You can buy Apex 5.0 (ounces per yard) if you think the 2.5 is too light. I use M50 for the shell. The finished quilt is 11.375 ounces. Thru-hiker.com is the source for all these materials. Sil-Nylon can be used, especially if you wash it a few times first to reduce clamminess. You can get seconds at Quest Outfitters for $7yd. As mentioned, CF or other coated materials create a vapor barrier. Some folks consider that an advantage in a cold weather bag- but a huge drag in your temp range. Even if you choose down, M50 is a downproof material and one of the best available at .7 ounces per yard. It has a DWR coating you can wash off if you find it clammy, but most folks have no issue. .7 ounce mosquito netting or .51Cuben can be used for baffles. Zpacks sells all the materials needed, as does quest.

[Omaha_Ace]

My rules of thumb; West of the Mississippi- down, east synthetic. Above 30 or 40 degrees- the amount of down needed is so minimal that it tends to develop cold spots and the weight savings is minimal. A single quilt made out of APEX insulation needs no quilting if careful, for a bombproof one you can quilt on 2' centers if you like, or if your Aunt is a baddie she can quilt the sheets 2' on center or so and offset the material so you don't have sewn thru cold spots (inner liner gets one piece of insulation on right side, outer gets one on the left). I'm 5'10, about 200 pounds and a tosser (American- toss in my sleep). I went with a 58" top, 84" length and 52" foot. I sewed the bottom 30 inches of the side together and put in a drawstring foot box so I could adjust temps better. I also added 1/2" webbing every 8" up the sides if I ever want a shoelace style lace-up. I am a warm sleeper and went with APEX 2.5, I would call it safe to 50 with a hat on, acceptable at 40 with clothes and shelter to block wind. I don't sleep, but it's not fatal at 30. You can buy Apex 5.0 (ounces per yard) if you think the 2.5 is too light. I use M50 for the shell. The finished quilt is 11.375 ounces. Thru-hiker.com is the source for all these materials. Sil-Nylon can be used, especially if you wash it a few times first to reduce clamminess. You can get seconds at Quest Outfitters for $7yd. As mentioned, CF or other coated materials create a vapor barrier. Some folks consider that an advantage in a cold weather bag- but a huge drag in your temp range. Even if you choose down, M50 is a downproof material and one of the best available at .7 ounces per yard. It has a DWR coating you can wash off if you find it clammy, but most folks have no issue. .7 ounce mosquito netting or .51Cuben can be used for baffles. Zpacks sells all the materials needed, as does quest.

And BINGO was his name-o. Pictures of your homemade quilt? Pretty please?

[Hill Ape]

something to consider, she's a master quilter, tell her your needs, show her what is currently on the market, then listen to her guidance. she may well come up with something far better than EE or JrB. i'd go with 800 down, with a shell of pertex quantum, and a lining of m90t, but thats just me.

+1 on farmers suggestion of thru-hiker.com, its a great go to for all things MYOG

i wish i had a master quilter in the family, i gave sewing a shot, alas it is not one of my limited gifts.

[Just Bill]

http://atrecord2013.blogspot.com/201...lf-solved.html Few pics on there, but as I am not a master seamster- I cheat by going with black fabric and black thread- makes me look pro every time! I will try to get some more detailed pics if needed, but despite the fact it's a large amount of material, it's one of the easier projects. Tell her to use a button hole stitch for the drawcord opening, that's really the only detail you need. I use tent shock cord for the drawcord (1/8"). I just sew the perimeter of the quilt, adding the loops as I go. Once complete, I simply fold it closed and sew up the side with the sides pinched tight, so that when I lay it open the seam doesn't make a cold spot. I'm sewing a dome tent right now- next to that a quilt seems easy. If you like skirts, consider having her sew one up for you too while you're at it. (or shorts if that's your thing) M50 is also a great cuben alternative for diddy bags and stuff sacks in general due to it's light weight (and cheaper price) so you may consider grabbing some extra for a few odds and ends. Stay away from compression sacks in general, especially with synthetic. Last item in my bag is my loosely stuffed quilt- to fill in all the nooks and crannies and protect the quilt from over compression. Thru-hiker sells kits, no pattern though for the quilt. You can get by with 2.5 yds of Apex, and 5 yds of M50, but I order 3 and 6 of each so I have some scraps. M50 and Apex hat is on the list, same with a vest out of the same. M50 wind pants a good choice too. Consider your needs, but if you've got a capable person you can crank out a lot of nice pieces just from those two materials.

[Zippy Morocco]

I like the Apex with M50 shell and Nobul 2 interior for warm weather quilts. I made a couple with 2.5 Apex and they came out to 10 ounces each. I plan to make one more using 5 Apex cause I got cold a few times this summer with the 2.5.

I like the materials and found them Easy enough to work with. Each one took about 8 hours though I am sure an experienced quilter would do it in 4 hours or less. As mentioned above thru-hike.com has almost everything you need. The Nobul 2 fabric feels wonderful against the skin and is available at titaniumgoat.com. Your local fabric store will have the rest.

If you decide to go synthetic here is a great guide and pattern.
http://kringlelight.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/sin50/