dear MYOG specialites,
i've got a patagonia micro-puff vest. and instead of buying a synthetic jacket, i figure why cant i just make sleeves for the vest and attatch/detatch as necessary.I'm debating how to attatch the sleeves, zippers seem to complicated, what would be better, buttons? snaps? velcro? im leaning to the no snag velcro, but im open to suggestions. i could do like a JRB sleeve attatchments with elastic straps over the chest and back with velcro tabs, but they seem like the heavist option. for the sleeves, could i just make straight tubes with 1.8 oz primaloft sport sewn at the top and the bottom? or do i need to stabilize the insulation with some stitching in the middle of the sleeve around the elbow or something? or do the sleeves need some kind of shape? (never made a garment before)
thanks!
mike!
p.s. this is a carry over post from thru-hiker, but no one responded :/

Here's my take, just based on some convertable pants I have.

Unless you're taking off the vest to put the sleeves on, its going to be a bugger to navigate a zipper particularly with one hand. I think any of the attachment options will be difficult with one hand, with a toss-up between velcro or snaps being the least difficult.

If you're taking the vest off to change the sleeves out, I'd think a zipper would be the warmest/driest, less air/water leakage.

A zipper long enough to go around the arm at the shoulder weighs more than the tab system on JRB Down sleeves...

Tabs let one use the sleeves w/o the vest also...This is a nice feature too.

Thinner flimsier tabs could be used... might save a gram or two.

Pan

thanks Dwight and Jack,
Dwight, ya i really have got to think about the ease of taking off and adding the sleeves...
Jack, your attatchment system is looking nicer and nicer, think i could get by with less of an elastic (im a small guy) if you dont mind me asking Jack, are your sleeves just straight tubes? or do they have some kind of 'cut' to them?
thanks!
mike!

I'd have to weigh it but... what if you connected the sleeves with some mesh, silk, whatever... It would come out looking like a shrug, maybe a little weird but you could extend the lenght of the sleeve insulation so that it actually terminates inside the vest. Here is the best (quick) example of a shrug I could rip off the net:



If you can imagine the back and color not being so prominent and using a lightweigh fabric, you would have no problem with attachment/leakage, and donning and doffing would be rather quick.

Edited by yalacasa on 09/21/2006 20:39:23 MDT.

I don't see the image. Froogle for some pictures of a shrug.

oOo Eric, thats not a bad idea.. looks highly fashionable to :D i imagine with some silk/mesh or something that would be fairly light and would deffinitly work... hmm ill let you guys know what happends when i can get some time reserved with the grandma :D
mike!

Dennis,

You could probably use 1/2 elaxtic...we use 3/4....Also if you get No Snag velcro at Jo Anns it will only be 3/4 vice the 1 inch minimum size of omni tape.

Our sleeves have a taper, shoulder to cuff...They also have an angled shoulder to provide for the difference in arm length (shoulder to cuff vice arm pit to cuff measurements).

Pan

> Dwight, ya i really have got to think about the ease of taking off and adding the sleeves...<

I guess a way to test it, for a zipper anyway, is to take a jacket or convertable pants, hold it up on your shoulder area, and try to align the zipper into the slot and get it going.

I can reach with both hands to that area, but I even have problems with my convertable pants when I CAN use both hands effectively. But then again, I'm special.;-)

Edited by zydeholic on 09/22/2006 21:40:35 MDT.