This may be a silly question, but since I am new to sewing I am going to put it out there.  Why is the Liberty Ridge Shell built in two halves (upper and lower)?  That is, why do you sew in the lower part of the shell (without the zipper) to the upper part of the shell instead of having a full front and back that you sew together?

One of the reasons I ask is that I would like to put in a full zipper when I make my kit and figured I would have to install the zipper after I sew the whole shell together.  Instead of putting in the zipper in the upper half, then sewing in the lower half.

Make sense?

Thanks,
—Matt

If you want to put in a full zipper skip the steps in the instructions that refer to installing the continuous coil zipper. Split the lower front in half vertically and sew each half to the corresponding yoke edge starting at the armpit gusset.  Trim any extra fabric (if any) to match the yoke zipper edge.

You’d then install your full zipper normally, even with collar instructions.  No problem.

The LR is a complicated pattern because of the integrated sleeve/yoke.  You want to keep your alterations simple to prevent something unexpected from happening.