Cuben / Down Quilt

[Steven Evans]

Well, it has finally arrived…

I had Tim Marshall from this site build this for me and it is a work of art. Contrary to what you might think from his Avatar, he is awesome to work with ;)

I think this would be the lightest down quilt out there…assuming the same specs (ie. Size and ~32* rating). Weight is 11.01 oz.

Cuben fiber inner and outer shell with 8 oz of down fill. A momentum strip down the middle of the outside and on the footbox to allow the down to loft.

Layed out flat.

Neck closure buttoned up.

Inner view of quilt.

I'm in a bit of a rush, but if I forgot some info or specs, it's probably on my website.

http://www.suluk46.com/RandD

I haven't tried this yet, but will in the next week or so…too bad the temps are getting warmer here. I'd love to push this thing to see where it can take me.

[t.darrah]

WOW! VERY COOL!!!

[Kevin Egelhoff]

Tim,
Awesome work. That quilt looks like it was made in a US factory! I didn't think you liked doing Down ?? Looks like you have it mastered!

Steve,
Can't wait to hear the first trip report !!! Hopefully SOON! Any chance we can see a photo with you inside to get a better idea of the sizing ?

Thanks!
Kevin

[Steven Evans]

I'll take some photos tomorrow…I have to wait for my girlfriend to take them…I made a sorry attempt at getting inside the quilt but the 10 second timer on my camera is nowhere near long enough. It is plenty big though.

[Lynn Tramper]

What was the weight of the cuben used?

[Kevin Egelhoff]

Directly from Steven's web site:

Seriously, this thing has 8 oz. of 800+ fill down and is sized for me at 6'3" tall & about 185 lbs. The inner and outer shell are made of 0.33 oz/yd cuben fiber, however, in order to assist the down in lofting, a strip of momentum 90 was added to the center of the quilt and also to the bottom of the footbox. This allows air to enter into the cuben fiber baffled chambers.

[Don Meredith]

Very sexy! Tim does some nice work but the tipi and this quilt really stand out.

[Tim Marshall]

I am calling this the world's lightest quilt -WLQ-

I dare anyone to find a quilt with 8oz of down that lofts fully and weighs anywhere near this bad boy.

Despite the great looking pics my work is still imperfect. The desire to make perfect gear kicks me in the face when i fall just a little short. Not to say that the quilt isn't well made, i just know all its secrets. I can't wait for a trip report.

I want to make more of these so just shoot me an e-mail. I guess i should make sure it's cool with Steven as this started as his idea and became a hybrid from our hive-mind.

oh 76" long 46" head 32" foot (2" narrower than Steven asked for, it was my first round footbox)

I would be interested in some ideas as how to add a baffle to the footbox. I planned on it but couldn't make it work in the end. Good thing this footbox is so small it doesn't need it. I will want one in the future and couldn't figure it out.

-Tim

P.S.
I have a strong feeling it will crush 32* It was hot instantly at room temp, none of my other quilts could ever do that. And it didn't even cover me entirely as i am much wider than Steven.

[Matt Lutz]

That's just sick. Want.

[Ashley Brown]

Dang that is cool. Not only super light but it looks cool too. Awesome work. Sent you a PM…

ps. Steven, what's the cuben half-teepee in your avatar? Is it a MYOG?

[Matt Lutz]

Pretty sure it's a MLD Cuben Poncho/Tarp.

[Ashley Brown]

Oh really? Interesting. On their website they don't seem to have pics of the poncho/tarp in "tarp" mode (only poncho).

[Rog Tallbloke]

Just; Wow.
Looking forward to the trip report Steven. Are you concerned about the material being a bit sweaty?

[Greg Mihalik]

Ashley,
From the MLD website, Ponchos, Silnylon Pro Poncho

This is a strong contender for me, if I decide to go minimal.

[Rog Tallbloke]

Greg, my Integral Designs sil[poncho has more tie outs on it. I was going to put it on ebay tonight, but PM me if you want it.

[Steven Evans]

Hey guys, I'm having some internet issues, so bear with me…

Tim, of course I'm good with it. Sew away! I was thinking of naming it 'the skunk' but probably better to call it what it is…WLQ. I say you sell them numbered…so I can say I have a WLQ-1…and then when you are making thousands of these a year, I can brag that I have first. :)

Ashley, Matt is correct…it is an MLD Cuben Poncho/Tarp. I can send bigger/different setups, just shoot me a PM.

Roger, I do think that I will generate some moisture under there, but being a quilt, I am hoping I can vent easily enough a few times a night to reduce or eliminate this. In the winter I use a VBL all night without venting and don't have any issues. Obviously, I'll have to find out what the comfort rating of the quilt is to find it's sweet spot. I'm actually a little concerned that this will be too warm for many summer nights here. Just lying in it for a few minutes leaves me really hot, unlike any of my other bags/quilts. Honestly, I'll have to give it a try to see if it is an issue.

[Devin Montgomery]

Nice work guys! I think you should characterize the Momentum section as a "racing stripe." :)

[Tim Marshall]

if i do make more i'm sure every one will be sized diff, so to keep it straight maybe yours is WLQ 764632-1. If that isn't confusing enough.

-Tim

[t.darrah]

Tim,
Put me down for 724836-1, thanks. :)

[Lynn Tramper]

Very cool, and has given me the breakthrough idea I needed to make and even *lighter* top bag. It's the racing stripe. I originally wanted to make a completely weatherproof top bag/quilt, but couldn't work out how to have it loft. So I think the momentum stripe is a good enough solution, all be it at the loss of total waterproofness.

Are the seams sewn or taped? I was going to tape mine, but worked out the weight of the tape would be unacceptable, so I'm guessing it's got leaky seams? Will perspiration get into the loft through the seams?

[t.darrah]

Lynn,
Put the momentum racing stripe to the inside, it will still allow for loft and yet maintain the full cuben outer surface with no center seams on the outer face.

[. .]

What about trapping moisture inside?

[Tim Marshall]

don't put the momentum on the inside!!!

It will trap your body's vapor into the down and will collapse the loft leaving you in a dangerous situation.

The seams are sewn and there is a small possibility of vapor seepage through the seams, but i think it will be very minimal if it happens at all.

If you want the most vapor sealed option you can glue the baffles in instead of sewing them. However, that don't sound like fun.

-Tim

[Lynn Tramper]

"What about trapping moisture inside?"

Precisely. I want the VBL qualities of the cuben, which is why I am concerned about taping/sealing the seams. The stripe of momentum will work just fine for my purposes. I will probably seal the seams though to keep body moisture out of the down. I have enough cuben tape to do the job on the inside only.

[Greg Mihalik]

Lynn,

Quest Fabrics here lists 3.5 grams per meter for doublesided tape. Are you using a similarly weighted product?

How many grams did you figure would be added by taping the seams? Do you recall the number of meters for your (single?) bag?

Thanks.

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