I wanted my first post to be an ode to those who've helped me become attached to the joys associated with making my own gear. Inaki on the PCT last year and then Bill F., Aaron S., and all the others who've projects have been posted here in the last year, I humbly offer my thanks. I present my second crack at quilt making. My estimate is about a 40 degree range for me with a puff coat and long underwear. It is completely momentum with no quilting punctures to the outer shell, the insulation is quilted only to the inner shell. The white part is silnylon and the soft side of the velcro is on the bottom of the bag for comfort. Total weight for this bag (which is fit to my 6'2" frame: 14.3 ounces. There's a drawstring at the foot of the bag for venting (and it seems to be the easiest way to make an effective 3-D footbox. I used a single layer of climashield XP insulation. Thanks again for all the inspiration and knowledge I've received from this forum! It has allowed me to experience the outdoors on a level previously unavailable to me; one of self reliance.

i like the foot bow . would you you be willing to share the dementions . i want make a quilt but need to keep it as inexpensive as possible.how many yards of insulation did you buy.

Good work - I really like that idea of "closing" up the back with the velcro. Is it difficult to attach the velcro strip once you are in the quilt? Keep us informed on how it works out.

Hey Brian. I had just enough insulation to complet the quilt with a 2 yard piece of the 3oz variety and I am pretty tall (6'2"). The reason that it worked even though the height is taller than the 6 feet of insulation is the extra fabric needed for drawstrings on top and bottom. I used a derivative of the design that Jeremy padgett came up with on the thru-hiker website
www.thru-hiker.com/workshop.asp?subcat=5&cid=6
The new dimensions that I used are as follows:
82" total height, including leaving room for sewing
54" across the top b/c my shoulders are broad (you could save fabric and weight here if you wanted to cut the uninsulated bottom closer to the edge of your body when you lie down, but I prefer an extra ounce and zero chance of discomfort
30"from the bottom of the bag outline (the first image you see on the above link) to where the wings that will eventually make up the foot box.
If I were to sew another bag using this pattern (which I probably will because it has worked out so well, I'd probably shorten the 30 inch wide footbox that reults to 20", b/c I just don't think it's necessary to have that much footbox in a summer bag. The 10" of extra height on Jeremy's design is because you lose a lot of height when you cinch up the footbox. I finished this bag with 5 yards of momentum and there is no bottom seam. I cut out one side of my pattern, then folded it over the bottom edge and traced in onto the other side. Thanks for the kind comments!

Morning Steve. I find that it's easier to close the velcro backing up and then slide into the bag, but it can be done either way. The velcro seems to have plenty of stick to stay together when I'm sleeping, but we'll see how it does in the field with all the dirt and junk that could potentially get caught in the velcro rendering its sticking abilities null. Thank you for the kind comments too! I'll be getting a couple of test night in the field with the combination of my new 40 degree bag and my older 20 degree quilt soon enough. The low temps will probably be around 10 degrees, so we'll see how it does. I've posted a picture of the old quilt I made last year. It has a holeless 1.1 ounce ripstop nylon shell, w/ a momentum inner. It weighs in at ~21 ounces and can be worn somewhat like a parka around camp.Sorry for the ridiculousness of the photo, it was the only one I had

Edited by auckjam on 11/04/2007 08:41:17 MST.