Are there some simple guidelines on sizing a quilt, for my height and girth? I'd rather have something a little big and consequently heavier than too small, and fighting miserably to stay warm... I'm thinking of making a light summer deal like the lytw8t quilt. Simple and easy to make...

Thanks,
BM

50-52in across the shoulders seems to be in the average range with up to 55" for larger folks. 46-48" for slimmer folks. I would take a look at JRB, Kabatatic, etc and see what their measurements are. That will give you a pretty good idea.

Ryan

along with what size you are, do you sleep on your side? I wear a standard xl and sleep on my side only, 52 is just OK, for me, I have gone to a 56.

I'm a roll around while I sleep kinda guy, but mostly I'm a side/stomach sleeper, and often with one knee up. I have to balance myself carefully on a 20" wide pad to keep most of my body on it. I'm currently using a big agnes rectangular bag/pad combo (long), and I fit in it pretty nice. I know it's not the lightest - pad + bag is 5lbs, but for the weight, there's nothing that comes close to its girth dimensions, and I got it on a screaming deal.

I'm 6'2" and 225lbs at the moment (hope to drop that down a bit) and wear xl-tall or 2xl, depending on the garment.

I'm gearing up to give bike-packing a try- looks like a lot of fun as I'm an avid mountain-biker, so bulk is a big issue, which is what is motivating me to look into making a light 40 degree-ish down 3 season (SoCal desert seasons) quilt. There no way on God's green earth that at any time in the foreseeable future I'll be shelling out $400 or more on a sul down bag.

thanks,
BM

Last week i finished and then tested the top quilt that i made for use in my hammock.

I am 6ft 245lbs and am about 55in around the chest. In the hammock i sleep on my back and maybe a little on my side. My only issue was minor cold spots on my lows back sides. I think it was the pad slipping around.

My starting measurements were as follows:

82 - Length
54 - Head width
44 - Foot width

Final measurements came to:

78
52
39

Final weight came to 2lbs and about 4in loft.

Look at the Nunatak website. What makes the Arc Specialist so popular (and warmer) is the extra width for side sleepers.

My opinion is the JRB bags at 48" are best suited for back sleepers who do not roll to one side in the night, or for warmer outings. I've extensively used both of the aforementioned products. The newer, now wider JRB products are an improvement.

If the quilt will be down, err on the side of making it wider than you think. I was surprised how my quilts seemed to contract when stuffed at least 2 inches.

BM, I am 5'10" and weigh 160 lbs. The lytw8 dimensions fit me perfectly: 50" wide, 38" foot, 76" long. Remember these dimensions are flat panels and do include the seam allowances (all covered in the instructions). After the quilt is stuffed you will lose width and length (mostly length). Also consider I am a practiced quilt camper and started learning with a 55" wide golite ultra 20 quilt and found 50" wide now works well for me.

For your sizing you have gotten great advice from folks in the thread. For you I would recommend you consider going 54" to 56". This is for bigger folks/rolling folks. From a length perspective for each inch taller than 5'10" you will want to add an inch to the length. So I would add 4" (6'2"). If you want to be real safe add 2" inches for 6" total or just add one more 6.33" baffle to make it easy. Also to be safe add the length to the top making one more full width baffle. If your feet are larger than say a size 10-11 shoe then consider adding 2" of width to the footbox (38+2=40").

You will also need to use alittle more down in each chamber. If you want me to calculate the down for a larger quilt just let me know.

Jamie

Edited by jshortt on 05/12/2011 17:54:25 MDT.

You guys are awesome! Thanks for all the suggestions... I'll get it figured out, and err on the larger side. I'd rather carry a couple extra ounces than suffer being cold. The lytw8 quilt is a sewn thru setup- I was wondering of I'd be better off with a baffled quilt. I'm more on the side of being a cold sleeper.

I actually have size 15 feet, so large foot space is important to me. I'm thinking of making it some way to fit around the bottom end of my rectangular BAIAC pad, kind of like a fitted sheet on your mattress at home. Anyway- it's just and idea I'm playing with...

I've come to terms with this truth- at my size/weight, I'll never have my gear as light as some 5'4" 120lb guy...be it backpacking or mountain biking.

BM

Ultra,

Javan Dempsey customized his quilt with a pocket/flap at the foot end to insert a pad into. This will be warmer than having the extra air-space that comes w/wrapping the quilt around your pad.

A search on this site will find it....he had a good pic if I recall correctly.

Todd