Thinking quilt

Yes sir …. simple as possible.

Didn't really mean to get THAT personal. But thanks for the excellent info. I go 61" at the biceps. Since I like to tuck or drape and am not interested in lashing to a pad I will go with your original dimensions. Other than a hammock kit this will be a first DIY. Looks like the materials are all available at Thru-hiker, so here we go.

I appreciate your help.

I agree that for cold weather, a good DAM is worth it's weight. We love the Stephenson's DAM, and have modified our quilt and bags to velcro onto the bottom of the DAM to prevent drafts. Using two foam mats just seems a bit messy to me. More to pack, more to assemble and keep together, more to pack.

I also experimented with quilt widths and found my ideal measurements worked out pretty close to Mark's formula.

I have a 53" girth around the chest and arms, sleep on my side, and roll around a lot. I found a 54" quilt works well – giving me room to tuck (but still roll) and doesn't let in drafts when I roll. 48" was too narrow – it came untucked and came up a couple of inches along side and let in drafts when I rolled. 48" would be better for summer for me, since the 54" one is actually takes a little work to arrange so it vents.

Actually, 54" is a tiny bit more generous than it needs to be for shoulder seasons, but would allow 2-3" of puffy insulation for true winter use. 52" would "probably" work for me with just a base layer and 200 wt fleece sweater (or something of similar thickness).

So maybe a simplified formula is quilt width should be about equal to your girth measurement for restless sleepers.

I like it …. close to your girth for restless sleepers for a cool weather quilt.

Great idea.