Backcountry Forum
Backpacking & Hiking Gear

Backcountry Forum
Our long-time Sponsor - the leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear
 
 
 

Amazon.com
Backpacking Forums
---- Our Gear Store ----
The Lightweight Gear Store
 
 WINTER CAMPING 

Shelters
Bivy Bags
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Pads
Snow Sports
Winter Kitchen

 SNOWSPORTS 

Snowshoes
Avalanche Gear
Skins
Hats, Gloves, & Gaiters
Accessories

 ULTRA-LIGHT 

Ultralight Backpacks
Ultralight Bivy Sacks
Ultralight Shelters
Ultralight Tarps
Ultralight Tents
Ultralight Raingear
Ultralight Stoves & Cookware
Ultralight Down Sleeping Bags
Ultralight Synthetic Sleep Bags
Ultralight Apparel


the Titanium Page
WM Extremelite Sleeping Bags

 CAMPING & HIKING 

Backpacks
Tents
Sleeping Bags
Hydration
Kitchen
Accessories

 CLIMBING 

Ropes & Cordage
Protection & Hardware
Carabiners & Quickdraws
Climbing Packs & Bags
Big Wall
Rescue & Industrial

 MEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 WOMEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 FOOTWEAR 

Men's Footwear
Women's Footwear

 CLEARANCE 

Backpacks
Mens Apparel
Womens Apparel
Climbing
Footwear
Accessories

 BRANDS 

Black Diamond
Granite Gear
La Sportiva
Osprey
Smartwool

 WAYS TO SHOP 

Sale
Clearance
Top Brands
All Brands

 Backpacking Equipment 

Shelters
BackPacks
Sleeping Bags
Water Treatment
Kitchen
Hydration
Climbing


 Backcountry Gear Clearance

Topic Options
Rate This Topic
#117634 - 06/25/09 01:32 PM On Sleeping Bag Weights and Cold Ratings
Kieran Offline
member

Registered: 06/24/09
Posts: 46
Loc: Seattle, WA
Hello Everyone - I'm new here and this is my first post. This will also be my first MYOG project. Been reading lots of good stuff and I think you may have the key to what I need to know.

So, I need a sleeping bag that is suitable for backpacking. Even if I could afford the $300 or whatever for a nice one, I'm kind of a bigger guy, meaning that climbing into a standard mummy bag leaves zero room for movement. Making my own oversized mummy bag seems to be the best option available to me.

The fabric patterns appear to be straightforward enough, but I want to make sure I make something with the proper cold rating. So I was looking at CLO ratings. Take a look at the "Yeah, but who hikes in a business suit" section of this article:
http://www.adventurenetwork.com/cgi-bin/adventurenetwork/HTB-StayingWarm-Science.html

Based on the info of that article, I could purchase 6 oz Primaloft Sport ( http://thru-hiker.com/materials/insulation.php ), and would have a CLO of 4.74, giving me a cold rating of roughly 40 degrees. Also, based on them saying it's 6 oz/sq yd, am I estimating that if I needed 2 yards of the 60 inch insulation (or 3.33 sq yds) @6 oz/sq yd, the resulting bag would weigh 19.98 oz plus shell and zipper material. Am I understanding all of this correctly?

Thanks in advance for any and all helpful info!

Top
#117655 - 06/25/09 11:58 PM Re: On Sleeping Bag Weights and Cold Ratings [Re: Kieran]
lori Offline
member

Registered: 01/22/08
Posts: 2801
welcome to the board!

A sleeping bag is an ambitious first project. The final weight of it would depend on a few things, such as shell material (momentum? ripstop?) and zipper (full length or partial? metal or plastic?).

I have no experience making a sleeping bag, but I have made backpacking quilts with climashield xp and also with a kit from Ray Jardine's website (ray way quilt with alpine upgrade) and found that I far prefer the insulation in the ray way quilt. The Climashield wasn't as compressible or lofty as the insulation in the Ray way (3D? the website doesn't say).

Based on my experience making the quilt, I would guess that you will need more material for an oversized mummy. Your estimate is about what I had for the quilt, and I am not a very large person.

Do you have a pattern for the bag? Are you going to sew through all the layers or use yarn to quilt the insulation in place?
_________________________
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few." Shunryu Suzuki

http://hikeandbackpack.com

Top
#117677 - 06/26/09 05:03 PM Re: On Sleeping Bag Weights and Cold Ratings [Re: lori]
Kieran Offline
member

Registered: 06/24/09
Posts: 46
Loc: Seattle, WA
thanks Lori! ok - so the whole quilt thing is intriguing to me. i've never used one, nor have i heard a lot about how to use one or what situations they work well in. what's the coldest situation that you've comfortably used your ray jardine quilt in? do you think you could have pushed it further (colder)? how much does it weigh? i'm a little confused on what ray jardine is selling, cause the purchase option on their site is closed till July. Do you remember how much it cost? Do they sell all the supplies? just a pattern? finished quilt? thanks again!

Top

Shout Box

Highest Quality Lightweight Down Sleeping Bags
 
Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bags
 
Lite Gear Talk - Featured Topics
Backcountry Discussion - Featured Topics
Make Your Own Gear - Featured Topics
Featured Photos
Spiderco Chaparral Pocketknife
David & Goliath
Also Testing
Trip Report with Photos
Seven Devils, Idaho
Oat Hill Mine Trail 2012
Dark Canyon - Utah
Who's Online
0 registered (), 180 Guests and 0 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Noodles, McCrary, DanyBacky, Rashy Willia, WanderBison
13240 Registered Users
Forum Links
Disclaimer
Policies
Site Links
Backpacking.net
Lightweight Gear Store
Backpacking Book Store
Lightweight Zone
Hiking Essentials

Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:

Backcountry Forum
 

Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!
 
 

Since 1996 - the Original Backcountry Forum
Copyright © The Lightweight Backpacker & BackcountryForum