MYOG: Down quilt for winter hiking

Have you ever wondered how long it takes to make a down quilt? (Of course you have!)  Well, I don't know how long other people have taken, but it took me 15 months from go to whoa! That's long.  So long that I started the project before the winter of 2013 and just finished it in time for the winter of 2014!

In actual fact though, there were few technical or logistical issues that delayed the project.  All the significant delays came about from "life" getting in the way, including work commitments, a hip replacement procedure (and extended recovery), then the hunt for the motivation to continue!

One consequence of having projects in a holding pattern is the tendency to leave the project stuff lying around in a not-really-packed-away-properly state.  So I can't really blame my daughter and her friends for frightening the cat ... that jumped onto the big bag of down feathers ... and ripped a mighty hole in the bag ... after which mishap feathery mayhem ensued in the lounge room.  Cleaning up after the feather storm was a project in itself.  You would not believe the places feathers can reach when allowed to run amok.


Anyway, earlier this year I picked up the threads of the project (did you see what I did there?) and "knocked the bastard off" (as I'm sure Sir Edmund Hillary would have said should he have taken on a interminable MYOG sewing project).

Planning 

The reason for this project was that the synthetic quilt I made in an earlier project was not proving to be adequately warm in Winter, particularly in snow conditions.  I considered buying a down quilt, such as the excellent products available from Enlightened Equipment, but I figured I could make one more cheaply and it seemed like an interesting project.

Quilt dimensions (click for larger view)

I spent quite a bit of time planning the design of the quilt. I wanted to ensure the quilt would be have good length (able to stretch my toes out when clipped around my neck) and sufficient width to tuck in under me, when the mercury drops well below zero. Then there was the time spent figuring out the total amount of down I'd need as well as how it would be allocated across the baffles.  To assist with the planning I drew a diagram of the quilt, with dimensions and used Excel for various calculations.


I ordered most of the materials from the ever-reliable team at Thru-Hiker.    I wanted to use Momentum fabric, due to it being extremely light. as well as having a good blend of breathability, water resistance and wind resistance (I remember well a trip where I found my  sleeping bag of the time was not very wind resistant.)

The down I was able source locally in Melbourne, from Danish Eiderdowns.    When I later found that I needed more down I simply recycled down from an old quilt ("doona" for the Aussies, "duvet" for the Kiwis) we had lying around the house.

Marking up

Ready to cut out the baffle wall strips

Cutting up the noseeum for the baffle walls

Pinning in the baffle separators (noseeum mesh)

Sewing in the baffle walls

Baffle walls sewn into one side

How to get the feathers in the bag?

Based upon blogs I'd read my original plan for stuffing the down into the baffles was to utilise a vacuum cleaner. This method involves taping some mesh across the the lower, permanently-connected section of the vacuum, then attaching the pipe/tube sections.   When the vacuum is turned on and the tubes inserted into the down, the down is sucked into the pipe, stopping at the gauze. Then, by holding the end of the pipe over the intended destination for the down and turning off the vacuum, the down will fall into place.

In practice, I found this quite tricky and instead resorted to simply moving the down with my hands. I used a 2 step process:

1.  First, I moved sufficient down for a single baffle into a box, which I weighed (allowing for the box's weight, of course!) to ensure it matched the amount I'd calculated for that baffle.
2.  Second, I moved the down into the baffle, pushing fistfuls of the stuff deep into the baffle.

This approach worked fine, with only a minute quantity of down going AWOL.

Down for a single baffle, weighed on my antique scales and ready to be inserted into a baffle.

Taking a handful of down from the box to the baffle.

The quilt bag, hung in my bathroom (easiest room for me to clean!), mid stuffing.

Mid the baffles stuffing process.

Stuff in almost complete (inner)

Stuffing almost complete (outer)

Snaps and velcro

In my previous quilt project I sewed in a permanent footbox. While this is good for maximising warmth, it removes the option of having the quilt fully flat, draping over the body and legs, much as you do with a regular (non-hiking) quilt.  With this quilt I therefore elected to attach velcro ("hook and loop") and snaps, to wrap and seal the lower leg area, as required.

Snaps were also added at the top corners, so that I could clip the top of the quilt around my neck.  I inserted cord to the top and bottom of the quilt, to enable it to be pulled tight around my neck and feet, as required.

Attaching a velcro strip

Velcro along the bottom edges allows the quilt to form a foot box.

Attaching ribbon for the top snaps

Attaching a snap

Testing the new top snaps

Close up of the foot loop

Foot section, loop partially tightened

Foot section, with loop fully tightened.  Snap is also visible

Finishing touches

Finally, I attached a length of ribbon and a snap clip near the waist point, so that I can secure the quilt closely around me on the colder nights.

The finished quilt

I used the quilt on several nights during the past southern Winter and I am pleased to say that it performed well and, as part of a sleeping system that includes base top and bottom thermals, beanie, socks and synthetic gloves,  kept me toasty in temperatures down to -5C.

The finished quilt

Material:

I got the fabrics from Thru hiker:

• 3 yds of Momentum 50 Steel Gray
• 3 yds of Momentum 50 Jet Black
• 1 yd of Nanoseeum Netting - 60" width 

Most of the down I got from a Melbourne supplier: www.danisheiderdowns.com.au

• 400g (14oz) of 800 fill power

For the overstuffing, I used the down from an old bed quilt.

The other bits and bobs I either already had or sourced them from local outdoor stores or sewing/craft stores, ie.

• Vecro strips
• Grosgrain ribbon
• Shock cord
• Snap clips

[Update: Aussies can also get their materials locally from Simon at www.tiergear.com.au]

Planning documents:

• Link to the down calculations spreadsheet.
• Link to the Quilt dimensions diagram

How much does it weigh?

I KNEW you were going to ask that!  It weighs 732gms (26oz).  That doesn't include a stuff sack, which I don't use - I just stuff the quilt into the bottom my pack, then push the other items into it.


Questions or comments

I love to hear from you! If you have a question about this project, or a useful insight, make sure you take a moment to leave your feedback.

MYOG: Three season synthetic quilt (& the lightweight philosophy)

There is something about making your own gear that can really hook you in.   There's the satisfaction that comes from using stuff that you've made with your own hands, of course.  There's also the desire to save a few dollars on the cost of store-bought alternatives  - although this is not always the case, particularly if you make too many mistakes, requiring additional materials.  For me, I really enjoy the process involved - researching the designs and sourcing the materials, then the preparation phase - layout, markup and cutting - followed by the pinning and sewing and finishing.  It is a manual activity, tends to be time-consuming, and is totally engrossing!  Some time ago gear-making paragon, Roger Caffin, on seeing one of my rough earlier efforts, made some gently constructive suggestions, then made the remark: "He's lost - got the MYOG bug already!"  He was right, of course.

EDIT 20/1/13: After using this MYOG quilt through 2 winters I can report that it is good to around 3-4C (32-39F), when wearing base thermals, socks and a fleece top. In colder conditions and/or on snow I have had trouble staying warm.

This project, a synthetic quilt for cool-weather use, is my third major project.  (The most recent prior project was a MYOG Pyramid Tent.)  Up to now I have been using a standard synthetic sleeping bag I bought a few years ago for car-based family camping trips.  It has served me well as I have gotten back into hiking over the past year, but it has a few drawbacks - namely, it's big, heavy (2.2kg) and not particularly warm.

Getting the 'big-3' lighter

The weight and volume of gear has become increasingly important to me as I have embraced the lightweight backpacking philosophy and I have gradually transitioned my gear list to reflect a minimalist and multi-use approach.  (I will blog on that topic in a later post.)  For me, as it is for most 'lightweighters', the key challenges are the big three - shelter, backpack and sleeping system - as they are the heaviest items of gear - and generally the most expensive.  I have addressed the shelter issue with the MYOG Pyramid tent, dropping the shelter weight from around 3.5kg to 830gms.  The pack I use, a Osprey Aether 55lt, I only bought a year ago and I am loathe to replace it so soon, particularly as, at around 2kg,  it is not super heavy.

Bag vs Quilt

So that brings me back to the sleeping system.  The first major decision I had to make was whether to make a bag or a quilt.  I had done quite a bit of reading on the topic and there seemed to be a strong case for quilts as the best choice where flexibility and a lighter weight are the key drivers.  However, there seems to be a caveat wherein the quilt is primarily for 3 season use.   On this last point, I feel that this is probably more applicable to the northern hemisphere, where the hiking can be in areas well below freezing (ie. below -10 degrees C).  Here in Australia our conditions are less extreme, tending to be around freezing at the coldest, with single digit variations.   So I went with a quilt design with the intention of using my quilt all year round.

Down vs Synthetic

The next big decision was whether to use a synthetic fill or down.  This was an easier choice - synthetic is cheaper to buy and easier to work with!  The latest synthetic fills are equal to down for insulating capability and perform better than down when damp. On the negative side, synthetic fill does tend to pack larger than down.   After weighing the pros and cons, I went with synthetic insulation.

Materials

I ended up buying all the materials from Thru-hiker in the US.

• For insulation  - 5oz Climashield Apex
• For the quilt outer  - Momentum 90-MR ('mini-ripstop')
• For the inner liner  - Momentum 90-T ('taffeta')
• For edging -  1" grosgrain

[Update: Aussies can also get their materials locally from Simon at www.tiergear.com.au]

My original plan was to have black for the liner and a nice, royal blue-coloured shell.  However, Thru-hiker were apparently out of the blue and instead put black MR into the order.   I was ambivalent - blue would have been nice and was my preferred colour, but, at least, with all black, the choice of thread was going to be easy and black is about the only polyester thread colour I can actually source locally (in Melbourne).

So anyway, I place the order.  Several days later, the box arrived!


The Thru-hiker order arrives

The Climashield burst out of the box

Ready to go

Dimensions

I had given a bit of thought to the dimensions to be used, referring to designs from Backpacking.net, Backwoods Daydreamer and MLD.  My initial dimensions were as follows: 

• Neck 46"
• Shoulder 54"
• Hips 46"
• Foot Width 40"
• Length 72'

 I later added another 3" to the length, as I found 72" wasn't quite long enough for me (I am 5'11").  I did this by adding a collar to the top of the quilt. 

Cutting the Momentum was straightforward. 
I used a white sewing pencil to mark up the pattern.

The pinned up quilt and footbox.  I used a flat-sided oval shape for the footbox. 
I used a dinner plate to get the curve right at each end.

 

Ready to sew!  I followed the Backwoods Daydreamer design for the most part. However, one difference was that I did not cut the insulation to the edge of the liners; instead I made a no-insulation strip around the perimeter.  This made the sewing much easier, but meant the insulation moved around a lot.  I ended up later on having to sew 3-4" strips around the quilt to hold the insulation in place.

Sewing didn't take too long - a couple of evenings for the bulk of it, then another night to make some changes.

 The finished quilt

The length is just right for me, with head sticking out (plus beanie for the cold weather!)

  

My daughter Zoe demostrates the neck clip and toggle system.

Close up of the clip and toggle system for the neck.

I use a couple of some sewn in cord loops with a Velcro (hook & loop) strap to hold the quilt in around my middle.

The grosgrain ribbon provides strenghthening to the edges.

  

An example of the extra stitching needed to hold the insulation in place.

Close up of the footbox.

In the field

I used the quilt in the field for the first time last weekend, when I went snow shoeing to Craig's Hut, near Mt Stirling (see story here).  It wasn't a super cold night - it only got down to 0-1 degree C.  I found that I was quite toasty in the quilt, despite wearing less clothes than on a chillier night I spent recently in my older bag.  I should point out here that this quilt is meant to be part of a sleeping system, which in colder conditions should include additional clothing, as required.  For the night at Craig's Hut I wore thermal underwear, a fleece top, wool socks and a beanie. For temperatures below say, minus 5, I would expect to also have to wear a down vest and some gloves.

Field testing

Close up of the neck clips

The centre tie strap

The numbers that count.

When squeezed into a stuff bag the quilt can be comfortably gotten down to around 40cm long and 58cm circumference.

The quilt and stuff bag weigh a total of 630gms (22 oz) - that's a huge drop from the 2.2kg I'm used to lugging around!

In terms of cost the original Thru-hiker order cost $125, including $45 delivery to Australia (ouch). By the time I added in thread, a snap connector kit, shock cord, toggle and a bodkin (to thread the neck cord) the total was closer to $140.

And a final word..

I think I am going to really enjoy this quilt - I know Fergie approves - while my hands are tucked away inside, my face is defenceless.