New 10 oz.Climashield Quilt 40 F

Here is my newest 40*F SUL quilt. Made by me. Shell and liner are made from Ripstop Nylon. Climashield XP insulation. I have tested these in Big Bear CA, Grand Canyon National Park AZ, Mt Whitney CA (highest trail in the US), San Gorgonio Ca (highest mountain in Southern CA), Mt San Jacinto CA (second highest peak in Southern CA), Cuchamonga Peak CA, Jashua Tree National Park CA.

It has a neck closure/drawstring and snaps together behind the neck. Very simple and Super Ultra Light! Fits a person up to 5'9". Sized to mimic the Nunatak Arc Ghost. 46Width/34Foot.
10 oz.!!!!!


Back view

Grommets for the drawstring in front

Snaps in back

Drawstring/Neck closure/Snaps

Superman Quilt

Red Ripstop Climashield

Grey Momentum 10 oz.

Top of San Jacinto Peak

Nice...
Do you find the simple foot box uncomfortable? When I make my summer bag, I wonder how much effort I should put into the shape of the foot box.
Scott

Not at all. I like it simple and warm. No drafts or any extra pieces hanging off like you get with the kind that open flat then sinch up.

Nice job. I can see I need to improve my sewing skills.

Thanks. This my 3rd blue one. I make a few in each color then little by little they find their way into peoples pack. What have you made?

This looks nice! I have been thinking about making a lightweight summer quilt, and have been trying to decide on how to go about it. Did you use "yarn loops" to hold the insulation in place? Also, did you just make a rectangle then sew the end together for the footbox, or is the whole thing tapered?

How small does it stuff down to?

Its not just a summer quilt. It is good down to about 40 degrees F. It is tapered. About the yarn loops, there really is no need for that on climashield xp. It is very consistant and stays evenly distributed with Ripstop and Momentum. What you are talking about is something that used to happen with Polorguard Delta and 3D. Climashield is thinner and lighter. It may stuff down pretty small. If I used a stuff sack it would be half the size of a loaf of bread. Maybe smaller. I don't use a stuff sack when I pack it I just put it at the bottom of my pack which is lined with a plastic garbage bag or superlight bivy. Then I add my gear on top so the quilt only compresses a little keeping the pack evenly distributed and filling out the bottom nicely. It cuts about 2 oz. on the stuff sack also.

Nice job! I'm really thinking about doing that myself, although i've been considering primaloft, and thinking about doing the "yarn loops" think with it if I can ever figure out how to do it (I'm a really talentless sewer <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I'll attest that this is more than just a summer quilt. I had beardog make me one and I tried it the other night. It was well below 40 degrees but I was comfortable. Now granted I was wearing some pretty warm clothing to bed so YMMV but still I was impressed how much insulation value that thin quilt provides.

On a somewhat related issue I think I prefer to wear warm clothes to bed and use a light quilt rather than having a separate winter bag. I don't like the bulk of a big bag. This quilt takes up very little space in my bag and does the job if I'm wearing my warm layers to bed.

Thanks bear.

Thanks Herber. Where did you go on your trip? You hit it right on the head when you said "I think I prefer to wear warm clothes to bed and use a light quilt rather than having a separate winter bag. I don't like the bulk of a big bag. This quilt takes up very little space in my bag and does the job if I'm wearing my warm layers to bed". That is what you call a true ultralight sleep system. Layering with clothes you have with you already to complete the "sleep system" is what Super Ultra Light is all about. Multiuse. And it is simplicity! I got to send you another maglite headband now that I angle them down so it makes it more comfortable on the neck to aim the light where you want it.

Right on. Very nice job. I like the way the top closes - with the button and the draw cord. That is a nice feature. I also like the grommets. I might have to try the climashield - your description makes it sound a little easier to deal with than I had imagined.
I made a quilt last year and I absolutley love it. I can't wait to use it again this spring. I just find the quilts more comfortable.

Sew on.

Thanks I like the grommets instead of the button hole.

Nice work. It looks pretty bomber and it's a great example of the K.I.S.S. principle that I try to apply to all my gear.

I don't see any tabs or velcro to assist in keeping it positioned under your pad. Is this not a problem for you? Maybe you are a very sound sleeper?

Time to come clean Bear. You've been a member here since 4-11-07 but you have only 6 posts so far. All are about a quilt you make and just happen to sell. Which is cool............until you begin to use this board, and others, for free advertising, however subtle it is. I found these quotes from you on another board:

"About the designing outdoor gear and put the drums on a side line....I am working on it already sold a few."

And:

"If you are a person who always sleeps in a bivy or hamock these are way simpler to make and much cheaper. I can also get them out faster."

Are these not your words?

So......are you here for pleasure.....or business? The quilt business? Sharing ideas about your quilt is great but using the site for personal profit is not.

I wish you luck and I hope you make lots of money selling your quilts. I just wish you would be more up front about your motives.

Well its this simple. I make quilts and use them. If I had a website I would let you all know but for now I make them and if someone expresses interest and wants one thats fine.

Thanks for making me feel important by all the investigating.

I am a drummer who travels and hikes. My friend on another forum thought they were cool and I should sell them. He didn't know I even made quilts and we went into the Amazon Jungle together so was pleasantly surprised by them. I post many many hikes, reviews for outdoor companies and knives on many forums. That is my passion and a fun hobby. I have not used this forum in a while till I rediscovered it in my favorites list on my computer. There is no bad intention. I make my money somewhere else is what I am saying. This is a small industry and there are a few great companies out there doing this already. I just have fun with it and will continue. Don't read into it so much is what I am trying to say. I like to think we are all positive people here sharing ideas, gear and experiences.

By the way I noticed you are in the Los Angeles area. Me too. I hike almost every week and am getting ready for another Mt. Whitney trip and Grand Canyon return.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> That's decent of you Brother Bear...Can you make me one in the red color, they're free of course except for materials right? Let me know the cost of the materials I really need a quilt in my hammock this Summer I have an old 3 lb syn bag now <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I see now I am doing charity quilts. What do you mean for your hammock inside or outside like JRB?
About the PM on the machine I use. it is a Viking 116 I think. Smooth.

Actually I didn't go on a trip (I wish I had enough vacation time to go backpacking whenever I want). I just gave the quilt a test run in my back yard. I actually wasn't in my bivy either. I had just made a hammock and I hung it between two trees in the yard and pitched a tarp over it. I had my evazote ccf pad under me and the quilt on top. Very cozy.

The headstrap that allows you to aim your light sounds like a great idea.

Let's not be too hard on beardog for selling some of the stuff he has made. After all this is the homemade gear forum and he is showing us what he has made, along with the details of the new features he's come up with so that anyone could do the same. So he's passing along knowledge and experience for other home gear-makers, not just shelling.

There is a fine line here I recognize. If someone were to post saying "want the best and lightest quilt? (or stove or whatever) then come to my ebay store!" then that would be marketing and wouldn't be cool on this board IMHO. But beardog hasn't exactly been spamming the board with offers to sell us stuff.

If you were to ask me where the fine line is I would say that as soon as someone begins to make a nuisance out of themselves with repeated posts about how great their stuff is and how low their prices are then we should ask them to leave. I don't think beardog has crossed that line.

I think on a board such as this where we are all tinkering with gear in our spare time then we should expect that every once in a while a member will discover how to make something they really like and be willing to make one for others (with some compensation for time and materials). That's all good in my mind. After all we are here to help each other figure out how to enjoy our backpacking hobby more.

Just my opinion of course.

In the interest of full disclosure I should say that in this case I'm a little biased because I bought a quilt from beardog (the red one made from rip stop that you can see in his post). I hadn't quite screwed up the courage to make my own (I make some of my own stuff -- stoves, hammocks, clothing, etc -- but not everything) when I ran into beardog on another board and found he was really happy with his new design. I paid him a reasonable amount for his labor and materials and he sent it to me and I love it.

Heber

Thanks Herber you are a good man. I think I am going to make a quilt and call it the Ghengis Khan. It will be larger and longer than most quilts. For the bear size person or someone who wants it to drape all around them. Maybe even fit two small people or three midgets.

Right on. Trailrunner - I respect and support your post. And I mean this in a good and friendly way towards everyone. Peace out.

Be an inside quilt or use it like you do on a pad. Charity? Heck no, I said whatever the materials cost from Thru-Hiker <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> TrailRunner challenged your posts as being business like and I'm just trying to be supportive Brother Bear <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

How long are you thinking the loft will last, since you have a few miles on a quilt?

That looks like a nice clean and simple way to do the job. I have a few questions:

Did you put a zip in it? And did it have a baffle/storm flap to keep it off the skin?

Do you find the ripstop clammy against the skin? Would you use a liner with this?

How well does it wash and dry?

Hi Kate. It is a simple design. With the exception of the grommets and drawstring idea. It can be tricky. But I am no good at button holes. As for your question about the zipper. There is none. I don't know what you mean by baffle storm flap. I don't have it against the skin too often. In the summer I wear only a t-shirt and my hike pants and don't find it clammy. I made a few red ones out of ripstop and never felt clammy. My personall quilt is the grey Momentum and it feels like soft silk. I don't see the big difference between ripstop and momentum and I have used them both. Momentum feels nicer but you only get that benifit if you sleep naked. I usually am in a bivy and if there is any clammy feelings it is the bivy not the ripstop specifically. I have used a liner but it is really awkward with a quilt. I have used it in a hammock for years and that is the most comfort I have ever had. I hate getting into a sleeping bag in a hammock. A quilt just makes sense in a hammock. Easy to get in and out of or kick off. When I was in the Grand Canyon last year I was testing out some quilts and it was 75 degrees at night. I had a ID poncho tarp, Mountain Laurel Superlight bivy and a quilt. I did not need the quilt since it was warm but it was also so windy I needed the bivy. I had sand and dirt all over my face and used a bug net to help filter the dirt. My friend had a pad and slept out in the open and his bag got real dirty. So my quilt stayed clean and the bivy came in handy. It was a clammy night from the warmth and bivy combo. I don't wash quilts or sleeping bags in the washing machine just air out and spot clean. They are light so there isn't the same heaviness you get from them being completely wet and possibly ripping the shell material from the weight of the water and sag of the quilt. A bivy keeps them clean. A liner will keep sleeping bags interior clean but not the same with quilts. Hope this rambling answers at least one of your questions.

I was just wondering if you could zip it up like a sleeping bag as well as having it open... Might be a bit more versatile for kids' camping... I was thinking it might make a good project for t'lad during the summer holidays (last year he made a pair of jeans - his first garment project! Aims high, my kid!). As a scout, camping and bivvying are part of the game, and he might think it fun to make more of his own kit. It can be a lot cheaper than buying if you don't factor a time price in, too!

He also runs hot, and last year at Kandersteg he spent most of the camp on top of the open bag, with just a corner flung over if it got cool at night. Thanks for clarifying the clammy point. I shall need to look into fabrics in more detail, I can see. Bog standard parachute weight shower proof ripstop in mad colours I can get easily, especially if I can use odd shaped bits left over from making 'chutes, kites, and hot air balloons! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Certainly a project to think about, as it would be a light thing to carry for over-night hikes and 3 day expeditions.

Kate after seeing your sew site/page I don't want to sew anymore. I retire.

NO! You can't do that! You are giving me a whole slew of new and interesting ideas!

And remember, I've been sewing for over 40 years and am STILL learning new things every day! That's the joy of sharing ideas and techniques with all the different folk here and elsewhere: you keep learning new stuff about techniques and fabrics, and getting new ideas about what to make, and passing on stuff you have learned elsewhere... And you meet whole new set of friends, too!

Outdoors kit, and especially light weight stuff, is one area I really need to expand my knowledge and skills base, so I can help the lad to make his own kit.