John

I just finished a simple backpacking quilt (my first project, thanks to MarshLaw303 for the advice) and am heading out on a short overnight this weekend to test it out.  The quilt is 5oz Climashield and 1.1oz ripstop with simple yarn loop quilting. 

Although I think I know the answer already, I am curious how others pack their quilts (in the pack, not at home).  My first thought is to simply stuff it into the sack and call it good.  I have always been taught that stuffing is generally better than rolling, as the stuff is random and less likely for the fabric/insulation to “remember”.  Am I correct?

In addition, how much can I compress the insulation without worrying about thermal properties being affected in a major way (assuming, of course, that I have a couple hours to let air out in the tent before bedtime).  Currently, I am stuffing it into an 8” x 18” sack (this is a 56” x 82” quilt).  Can I safely use a compression sack?

thanks!
Brad

http://www.mammut.ch/images/Mammut_Sleep_well_pt1_E.pdf

there seems to be a significant disparity (page 18) from what I gather from discussions here and on the insulation descriptions at this site.  Comfort is subjective, of course, but the numbers don’t appear close.  Any comments?

-Q

I have seen some people attach velcro down the the side of the quilt and the mat to keep air out, or fabric strips on the quilts that are tucked under the mat or body. What happens if you cut a foam mat down to rest under your projected body shape?
My previous thinking was making the quilt as a sleeping bag, but with a single layer of momentum and no down underneath the body and mat to keep water and outside air out.
Any ideas?

Also, which mat has the best insulation to weight ratio? Looking at camping at 14,000’ in summer (~25 degrees).

Cheers,
Alex

It’s quilted as Black Momentum90-3 oz PL1-scrim-Aegean Blue Momentum90.  Primaloft 1 has a clo of 0.84/oz, which means the 3 oz layer has a clo of 3.0*0.84=2.5 .  This’d be enough insulation for 3 season items.

This initial run has the same error the prequilt 6 oz PL1: my quilter put shiny side out on the two layers of momentum.  D’oh!  This is a purely cosmetic issue.
Also, there is a layer of scrim in there which adds a few tenths of an ounce per square yard. My quilter is indicating it may not be possible to prequilt without that layer, so the final version of this product may have the scrim layer too.  We’ll see- it’s something I’m working on as I dial in the process.

My initial impressions of these prequilted momentum products is very favorable.  And there is more to come…

I’m going to make this available as part of the official betatest for the new insulated pants project.  Because the material is prequilted, you should be able to use the same procedure to make insulated pants as used to make the uninsulated liberty ridge pants. 

If you’re interested in betatesting the new as-yet-unnamed insulated pants kit or want some of this material as cut-goods, let me know by sending me an email, shooting me a PM through the board, or by calling during business hours.

AYCE

I’ve seen partial ones for the chest area, such as on the Golite Adrenaline bags and a couple others, but not the full length.

I think it would be just as hard to make, but give you an easier way of controlling the depth of insulation above certain areas, like the center of the bag directly over a warm body. It would make sense to have a larger loft of insulation directly above you than on the sides (or bottom).
For Example (looking head to feet): (-) are spaceholders for formatting, (|) represents ~inch of baffle
_
_ -----|-|-|
_ ---|-|-|-|-|
_ -|-|-|-|-|-|-|
_ -|-|-|-|-|-|-|
sidesleeperside

These being baffle heights. Therefore more down would be located on the ‘top’ of the quilt, perhaps making it more efficient.

Also, you could do a non-linear cut to make the heights different, such as going from a 2” at the head to 3” at the feet to take into account a down jacket being worn. I guess you could do this cross ways well, but might have to account for drape/curve them. Or, you could try and shake down from the top toward the feet.

I just can’t get over down spilling off the highest part of the bag directly above a sleeper, and where it is needed most, to the sides and bottom. This is more of a problem with side-sleepers making a nice little pyramid for down to fall from.

Has anybody heard of a reason, other than manufacturing or tradition, that this hasn’t been done before.

I’ve got some 1.8osy Primaloft Sport and I’m wondering if it would be good enough to just sew the insulation to a suitable size piece of scrim and sew that into my jacket so the scrim side would effectively be the inner shell of the sleeves.  I doubt durability would be a huge concern since it’s just the inner lining of the arms and it’s not like I use this pullover everyday, just occasionally and only on backpacking trips.  Mainly I’m wondering if there would be an issue with the seams coming undone over time, or with the Primaloft leaking out through the scrim itself (I’ve heard that you need a downproof shell material for Primaloft). 

Any thoughts?