I'm looking to make my first quilt that will be comfortable down to 30 degrees for a 4 week trek on the Superior Hiking Trail in late September to October. I'll be using this inside a bug netting tent that is then under a tarp similar to MYOG 5yd tarp. I've already read about 20+ threads on quilts and fabrics, but more I read there are 2 main things I need answered.

I need some input from experience people on whether to use an inner and outer layer of Momentum ripstop and taffeta, or to use 2 layers of straight 1.1oz Nylon Ripstop. My concern is that the Momentum will cause a clammy and damp feeling, and on the other hand the 1.1oz Nylon Ripstop will compromise the warming ability because it is too breathable. Thoughts on the fabric?

My other concern is that if I get the normal 1.8 inches of synthetic loft for a 30 degree bag, by the time I get to my 3rd week it won't be performing well enough due to being compressed so much. So I was thinking of using 2 layers of the 5 oz to reach 2.4 inches and then figure it'll compress down to somewhere around 1.8. Is this sane reasoning?

Regarding down bags, it'll most likely rain on me every other day up there, so I don't think down is the best choice. I'm also not sure I'm up to sewing all the baffles and dealing with the intricacies of the baffle size to down ratios.

For my clothes, I'll have silk long johns and long shirt, plus a fleece vest, rain coat, and a hat and balaclava available.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Hi Adam,

I'm very familiar with the SHT during the dates you mentioned ... it wouldn't be unusual to get some nights below 30F.

I also own two MYOG quilts, one using 6oz Primaloft One and another using 2.5oz Climashield (actually 3oz, explained below). Both quilts use Momentum for liner and shell. I don't find them clammy and/or damp feeling.

I wouldn't focus on loft ... look at the clo instead. Richard Nisley's chart suggests about 6 clo for sleeping at 30F (I seem to get by with less, but I sleep warm if I'm well fed). A layer of 2.5oz plus a layer of 5oz (Climashield both) would give you 6 clo. I believe you also get some additional clo from the boundary between your cloths and the quilt (0.8 clo?, maybe Richard can speak to that).

I haven't noticed any perceived loss of warmth and both quilts have seen more use than your 4 weeks of nights ... but I store them lofted and stuff them quite loose in the pack.

Regarding Climashield (and most or all long fiber synthetic insulations, I think) ... it is built up of multiple partial thickness layers. You'll see that some areas are thicker than others. This REALLY shows up in the 2.5oz material. What I did with the 2.5 was to separate the thicker parts of scraps left over after cutting the panels I needed and added the half thickness to the thinner areas ... resulting in an average weight of 3oz/yard^2. But I would think that using two layers of batting would tend to even out the variation somewhat.

Thanks for the reply Jim. I'm looking forward to a few nights below freezing because I want to make sure all the pesky bugs go away. That is a great discussion you linked me to on clothing combinations. I'll plan on using a layer of 2.5oz plus a layer of 5oz with the Momentum fabric.

M90 is a great fabric and will work great as both liner and shell. I think it is a much better liner than 1.1 but as a shell i am not as concerned. If you want to save some $$ you can get 2.5yd m90 and 2.5yd 1.1 so you can have the advantages of the m90 against the skin, but still save some money on the shell(plus 1.1 comes in more fun colors). Also i think with 5ozXP alone you'd be more than fine for ~30* as some of my users have gone this low with combat 3.7oz

-Tim

Thanks for the reply Tim. I never considered putting 1.1oz on the outside while keeping the Momentum in the inside. It is always good to get more input. I'm not very experience with camping outdoors when the weather is between 30-50 all day, so I'm going to hedge it safe here. I've finally decided to work through all my gear kinks and sort out all the issues with my clothing(now packing proper layers), tent(now will be a tarp), and sleeping bag(now a quilt). A lot of stuff is being changed up, and I'm feeling really good about everything, I'm tired of being uncomfortable out there in the wilderness.

The quilt can always be taken apart after the trip if I feel I need to make it lighter! :-)

I live in this same region,and have used down the past 10 yrs- won't go back to synthetic anytime soon.