Enhancing a Cocoon quilt

[David Chenault]

I reckoned my UL 60 wasn't very versatile, bought two yards of 5 oz XP from Thru-hiker, and made the old quilt fat.

Pictures and details: http://bedrockandparadox.blogspot.com/2009/12/warmth.html

21 oz finished, pretty good.

[Thomas Gauperaa]

Nice job!

I think I am going to make a quilt this winter, maybe from the thru-hiker kit. Seems like a nice project.

[todd]

David,

I wish I had modded gear in the past – which ended up just taking up space in my closet. Would have saved $ and felt good to "make" something.

You should be proud of your quilt! Let us know how it works for you, and by the way – what pack do you use? was wondering about how much space it eats.

Todd

[David Chenault]

Todd,

I use a pack I made myself, there's a thread in this forum about its evolution.

The Climashield is much fluffier than any other synthetic fill that I've worked with, I expect it to compress quite well. The quilt will get a trial run next month on the Grand Canyon.

[David Chenault]

I've used this a bit now that things are warming up in Montana.

It's good with a fleece hoody and standard base layers down to around 25. I had it into the mid teens with a DAS parka and was right on the edge of comfy.

The concept however has been great. The bit of nylon seals out drafts really well. Crucial is an elastic loop tied through the loops that came factory with the little cinch cord. I use the elastic to go around my ridgerest, and that means that even when I turn around inside the quilt stays put, and no drafts or cold spots!

I like the narrow dimensions, the simple, no zip design, and I really like the Pertex shell. Resists wind and sheds water like a champ. I've always been a down bag person, but for shoulder seasons in the mountains, this thing is the ticket.

[jeff arnfield]

David,

Nice work! I purchased a Cocoon UL Pro 90 when they were on sale and was considering exactly this sort of mod. Maybe I'm as smart as I thought, but clearly not as original ;)

You added a single layer of 5 oz XP? When you mention bartacking the insulation, was that just at the edges or did you periodically stablize it mid-panel? I was thinking of using the 2.5 oz XP to keep the result light and small — I'd use my down bag around and below freezing.

Besides the nylon panel to seal more of the bottom (I have some Momentum for that) I'd also thought of adding a gusset to the footbox seam to make it usable as a winter overbag.

Thanks to your pics and update, I can see the potential results of my work without having had to do it! I'm more tempted now.

Jeff

[David Chenault]

"You added a single layer of 5 oz XP? When you mention bartacking the insulation, was that just at the edges or did you periodically stablize it mid-panel? I was thinking of using the 2.5 oz XP to keep the result light and small — I'd use my down bag around and below freezing."

A single layer of 5 oz XP in the body. I actually added two layers of 3 oz Primaloft sport (scraps from a vest) to the footbox, which was the trickiest part.

The XP is quite stiff, and once you get it in and aligned properly, it needs very little stitching to actually keep it in place. I periodically stitched it around all sides, and hand stitched some little sections near the footbox. No stitching in the middle at all.

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