One added complication was trying to fill all of the outer pocket chambers from below, and getting the down past multiple small seams into the upper chambers (If you’ve seen the Whitney instructions you’ll know what I mean).  To compensate for this I left the pocket open on the end (basically skipped the first step of making the jacket) until the very end.  Then, after filling the outer pocket from this open raw edge, I finished it off with lycra binding.  Not only does it add a nice accent, it is nice and soft on the wrists. 

Another thing that gave me trouble when I made my whitney was filling the collar.  Again, I solved this by not closing the top of the zipper where the collar is.  Essentially, when you are finished assembling the shell and liner and go to sew the liner to the shell, sew across the top of the collar, up the draft tube, but on the right hand zipper, only sew up to the start of the collar.  When you turn the jacket right side out you can see a little opening between the zipper and the liner of the collar.  This is easily sealed by extending the double row of stitching up the collar after the down has been stuffed.

Also, with the small baffle size I didn’t want a big drop tail, so I made a separate compartment at the bottom of the back.  When sewing the baffle line, just don’t go all the way to the end so you leave a hole to stuff from above (from within the chamber above it) then close it up and continue filling the upper chambers.

This was meant to be an under-shell layer for skiing and hiking, so it was cut trim and kept thin.  2.5” baffles in the body and 2” in the arms.

I have a Ursack but currently the status is no-go for the JMT.  I’m pretty experienced with bears (have spent many months camping in Yosemite Valley), and I really don’t want to buy a bear canister… but I also want to weigh the risk of getting slapped with a huge fine, or worse, being escorted off the trail.

Thanks,
Gus

The hat weighs 7/8 of an ounce. I like it but it did come out a little more snug than I anticipated so the insulation is compressed a bit. I will add an insert into the center back seam to give myself a little more room. I get earaches when my ears get cold so I like caps with ear flaps.

The booties, at 2 5/8 ounces, are heavier than they need to be - first because I just used what I had (some heavy coated taffeta) for the outer soles, and also since I have not decided what I want to use for the foam inserts so the foam is not included in this weight.
Since they have a study sole I can shuffle around camp in them and the foam will make that more comfortable since the insulation will compress when I stand on them. Mostly, though, I’ll wear them while sleeping.
They have a two part inner sole so I can slide the foam in there and it will stay in place.
The booties are secured at the ankle with a scrap of round elastic (although plain cord would have worked as well), a cord lock, and a little brass bead (so the cord lock does not escape). The ends of the elastic are sewn into the seams of the gusset.

To make the pattern, I just measured my foot in a few places, made a pattern out of butcher paper, and taped it together with masking tape (the flange sticking out around the bottom of the paper mock up is just so I had something to tape to), stuck it on my foot, admired it, then took it apart so I could make the real thing.

The pattern pieces from left to right are:
Upper, cut on fold
Two-part inner sole
Below that is the pleated gusset for the ankle opening (like a sewn-in tongue)
The little oval piece is the pattern for the foam insole
The big blob at the right end is the outer sole

If anyone has a little bit they are willing to part with I’d be willing to buy it off you or trade for some other color I happen to have.  I’m not looking to buy any large amounts but I’d even get a yard or two if you bought some that you didn’t end up needing for your project.

Thanks so much!
Evan

1.) Which temperature rating do you think is more accurate for this quilt?

2.) From a weight perspective, is it worth trying to replace a 15 degree down mummy bag weighing ~2lbs. 15oz. by making a quilt from the materials below? I would probably need to use more then two layers of insulation to reach 15 degrees.

3.) If the answer to #2 is no, perhaps this quilt could be used as my warm weather quilt. Or, the materials could be used to make an insulated jacket and pants.

MATERIALS
—————-
Shell: Thru-hiker.com 1.1 oz Nylon Ripstop 1st Quality

Insulation:
2 layers of Thru-hiker.com Climashield Combat
Per layer: 3.7 oz/sq yd. loft =.9 ” nominal. clo=.78/oz.
Total CLO: 3.7 * 0.78 * 2 layers = 5.77

EXPECTED TEMPERATURE RATING
——————————————-
100 – ( 40 * T )
100 - (40 * 1.8) = 28 degrees F

In this formula, the letter “T” represents the thickness, in inches, of that part of the quilt or bag covering you. Source: page 22 at http://www.rayjardine.com/ray-way/Quilt-Kit/index.htm or page 82 of Trail Life by Ray Jardine.

“Thirty-two degrees F, or 0 degrees C, you’d need a CLO value of 6.”
Source: http://www.adventurenetwork.com/cgi-bin/adventurenetwork/HTB-StayingWarm-Science.html

Based on that CLO information, the temperature rating for this quilt would be slightly above 32 degrees F.

Thanks for your help,

Nick

I am an experienced seamstress (40 years of making clothing for myself) and have just started making outdoor gear. I got a chuckle when I read the clear and careful breakdown of how a sleeve pattern goes in (kudos to AYCE to figuring out folks might be confused - would never have occurred to me!), and another laugh when I realized that making a zipper from parts was hardly explained at all (I learned to do that recently, so no worries!))

I decided to do the Minima first, since I suspected that the armhole on the Minima was going to be plenty big and that I’d find the Kinsman’s armhole too roomy for my taste. The basic shape of the two garments is the same - just the openings are different and the armholes different sizes. I decided to leave the shape of the vest alone (I used the regular cut) and make any adjustments to the fit at the waist as I sewed the side seams.

Once I got the vest together I confirmed my thought that the armholes were plenty big for my tastes and also discovered that the vest is quite long - will keep me nice and warm - but was longer than I wanted the Kinsman to be. I also decided that the inward curve of the waist was a little too low to match my short waist. So I changed the length and the curve of the Kinsman body.

I really like the built in ease/articulation of the Kinsman underarm seam (like a baby gusset! How cute!) and was determined to keep that feature as I altered the Kinsman sleeve to fit in the Minima armhole and to make a sleeker sleeve.

I managed to drop all the zipper stops into the carpet, never to be seen again, and expediently decided that I would rather have a black zipper pull.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
So I used a zipper from my stash for the Kinsman. I did use the elastic at the cuffs, but I never ever use drawcords at the waist so I skipped that part. I didn’t do any topstitching, since the layers seemed to be staying put well enough without it.

I am very pleased with both garments, particularly the Kinsman with the changes I made. I love that Momentum fabric and I look forward to using it in more projects.

The finished weight of the Kinsman is just 10 ounces!

The attached pic is a little goofy - I never did manage to get both sleeves in the picture at the same time. But at least you can see both the collar and the hem! The striped shirt I am wearing under the Kinsman is quite long, so the Kinsman is not as short as it might seem, but it is quite a bit shorter than the original pattern.

-Gus

AYCE mentioned using tape on the foot to help with this problem in the thread titled “Insulation side up or down through sewing machine”.

I found a parallel solution, also with tape. I just fold a scrap of tape over the front of the foot and trim it so nothing is sticking out.

For yucks I timed my speed with and without tape. Twice as fast with tape! Whee!

I’ve attached a pic of the taped up machine foot, hopefully it will show up.

and, yes, I’ll post a pic when it is done

so my question is, can anyone recommend a machine that will sew through the light weight nylons with ease and not cost me $500+?

been searching craigslist for things like a pfaff 230 or maybe an older singer that does more than just straight stitch.

thx.