well here's the final product after a long stretch of no time to do anything... i got it done just in time for backpacking this weekend.

final weight in a heavily modified size large pattern was 4.95 oz... sorry for the crazy stick pic shots... didn't have anyone to take pics this late.

Edited by rooinater on 04/16/2009 00:09:45 MDT.

Jared,
Nice job! That's a lot of warmth for 5 oz.
I personally like vests because I wear my puffy insulation only in camp, so it sits in my pack most of the time. Vests don't take up much room.

It looks great
I hope mine comes out as good as yours did.(once it gets here)
keep up the great work
I have to agree with the function of a vest.
I use mine with arm warmers in camp and just the arm warmers when I am moving.

Jared,

Great job on the vest!

well I got it out last weekend and wore it in the mid 30's sunday morning. the vest with my midweight base layer top, and hiking t-shirt, I was toasty warm. the momentum plus insulation really retained the heat, and protected me from the light wind along the river. So I know that the 5 oz is worth carrying to protect myself against the elements to at least freezing. there are plenty of flaws, the shoulder seam is a little off and a couple little things, the zipper came out perfect to my surprise, mainly because we serged the vest together and I had a solid stiff "seam" to to roll the fabric over on. hopefully by next week I'll have enough of my biology projects out of the way to get time to start the bivy, golite ion mods and my solo tarp.

Jared, nice job! Is that made with Momentum fabric? If so, is that the color called Coyote?

Edited by Rincon on 04/23/2009 12:06:17 MDT.

that is the coyote ripstop momentum on the outer shell and taffeta black momentum on the inside. same color the top of my bivy will be.

Edited by rooinater on 04/24/2009 22:04:09 MDT.

Minor thread resurrection: what insulation did you go with and why did you pick that insulation?

Here is minima vest that I completed last weekend.







It turned out better than I expected. I went with the grey green color in .9 momentum. It is a size medium and weighs 4.60 oz. I went back and forth on insulation, but ended up using the 1.8 primaloft sport. I did this not from a warmth perspective, but rather a weight perspective. I wanted the lightest weight insulated vest possible and I must say Im pleased with the 4.6 oz. I did use the "relaxed" sizing instead of the "athletic" because I am often in between a medium and large size. I will say this is a roomy medium and think the athletic fit would have been fine. For reference I'm 5' 9.5" and currently weight 165 lbs.

I was so pleased with the quality and the kit that I have already purchased a Kinsman pullover also with the 1.8 oz primaloft. I'm hoping for a sub 7 oz synthetic jacket. I'll post a follow-up when its complete.

Jamie

Jamie- Do you have a draw cord or elastic at the bottom of the vest? Or are you happy with the fit as to not need it?

Your still willing after it to do a kinsman :)
i did a minima for my wife with 100g/m2 primaloft, and i ended buying a cocoon vest for me, not to sew it lol.

how was the arms hole fit for you ?, i had to modify it a bit for my wife, it was way too big if she was using only a T shirt + a capilene 4 under.
She is 1m60 50kg i used the smallest size, every other dimensions were good, no extra room at waist etc.. except it was gaping at the arms.

Edited by Fre49 on 08/18/2009 05:44:03 MDT.

I too successfully made a Minima vest... completed it a couple months ago. I used the vest during a hike in the Washington State Cascades (Goat Rocks Wilderness).

There was a couple nights when the evening temperature dropped into low 50's. A long sleeved base layer shirt and my vest kept me comfortable. Definitely worth the weight in my pack!

If I were to make another Minima vest (and I intend to do so) I would make the arm holes considerably smaller. I do feel that I loose some heat through the oversized holes. Not quite sure why they're so large. That said, the kit was well thought out, the instructions very complete and the project enjoyable to construct.

These are good comments regarding the Minima pattern. I'll look into the sizing of the armholes; people interested in testing a pattern revision should contact me for details.

Donna, I do not have a draw cord or elastic in the waist. Yes I am happy with the fit around the waist without it, though I will be putting the draw cord in the Kinsman. If the fit were alittle tighter around the torso it would work better when worn with just a base layer.

I admit it is a lot of work but I am learning a lot too. I am about 75% complete on the Kinsman pullover. It looks like it will weigh close to 8.5 oz. Last night I sewed the lower front panel on and accidently reversed the front so the shiny side was out. I am seam ripping tonight and redoing it. But beyond that all it going well.

I agree that the arm holes should be down sized a bit on the vest. I might be interested in doing another Minina with the athletic cut and smaller arm holes next so keep me in mind if someone has a pattern with smaller arm holes.

Jamie

After trying on the Minima a few more times I decided that I really wanted a tighter fit so I went and cut about an inch from each of the side french seams. This gave a closer profile, but is still not too tight.



I also finished the Kinsman Pullover. I used Momentum 90 with 1.8 oz Primaloft Sport. This jacket came out weighing 8.20 oz. Based on the calcs on thru hiker it should be about equal to a Cocoon Pullover. The sleeves are a tad long but that works well with this kind of jacket as it will allow me to pull my hands into the sleeves in tough weather.



I'm considering a Whitney or a Down Quilt next. My wife is considering a divorce after my last 2 projects:) so we shall see.

Jamie

Guys thanks so much for posting your photos. I'm in the process of making a minima vest and I'm finding it very helpful to see your photos. I wear an XL shirt and am in the process of butchering the size L pattern to get the torso down to my size 36 waist. Hopefully "butchering" is simply a euphemism and not a prophecy. Time will tell.

Edited by jgriffith on 09/04/2009 09:37:12 MDT.