enLIGHTened quilts help

I'm going with slightly thicker cuban fiber for my quilt. More loft too. Unfortunately I can't tell you how it'll do on the PCT unless I see you out there. :)

As far as the quilt calculator, click on the 'Weight' spreadsheet.' Then for each column, just click on the cell, and there should be an arrow for a drop down menu. Pick the option you want from that, put in the length, width, etc, and it should spit out a number. It's a really great tool that Tim is giving away for nothing.

Hi Evan,
Can’t help you with the quilt calculator, but maybe I can help with some of the others.

Reviews (this was before it was called the epiphany:
Cuben/Down Epiphany Review

For me, the cuben holds up fine. I treat it with care and really the only action it sees is when it is being pulled out of the stuffsack and put back in. Other then that, it really doesn’t leave my tent/bivy. I suggest trying to get a test sample of the 0.33 cuben to see if it will meet your requirements.

The momentum is definitely big enough for the quilt to loft. I was actually surprised by how fast it was. Obviously not as fast as a fully breathable quilt, but really, it isn’t an issue at all.

Never hiked on the PCT so I can’t comment on that one.

Enjoy!

"Using a cuben quilt should save me the weight of a bivy under my tarp, being waterproof and all"

Understand, the cuben is waterproof, the momentum strip is not. And the seams are not seam sealed, so while spray wouldn't be much of a problem, a good soaking could be.

As far as durability, mine is holding up just fine after repeated uses, and I'm not that easy on my gear. But as Steven said, it only comes out of the stuff sack to sleep with, then goes back in the next morning.

""Using a cuben quilt should save me the weight of a bivy under my tarp, being waterproof and all""

Keep in mind that a bivy also provides a lot of protection from drafts/wind, which can be an issue when sleeping under a quilt. If you go this route, make sure the quilt is plenty wide enough to securely tuck under you.

thanks guys- the quilts he has seems great. Are they all made with that .33 cuben? I am quite rough with my stuff and it needs to hold up for a few months. Wouldnt want something to go bust while out for a few months. Watched the video review of the quilt, and seems even from that he babies the quilt much more than I am used to. Guess I will have to get better with my gear…
checking out the weight calculator, thanks for the tips. Never knew you had to click on the colums…thanks!
Evan

Are they all made with that .33 cuben?

I answered that question in the first reply to this thread.

If a seam does fail progressively, you can shore it up with duct tape.

I think it'll be easier to baby a quilt since it's not like a sleeping bag that's partially stuck beneath you when you try to shift your sleeping position in the middle of the night.

Evan,
Tim (enLightened Equip.) builds to your spec. Meaning that he can make you a quilt any size, with any loft, out of any material…but hurry and get in line, my understanding is that he is building a healthy waiting list at the moment.

"my understanding is that he is building a healthy waiting list at the moment."

It was up to 8 weeks when I last checked!

Thanks – I couldn't figure out how to use that calculator either!

I wonder how accurate the calculator is? Probably a best guess?

I put in the dimensions and loft of the Nunatak Alpinist and got a result about 2 oz. lighter than what the Alpinist is supposed to weigh. This is of course .9 Momentum vs. 1.0 Quantum. Perhaps the calculator also doesn't take into account various fabric allowances and stitching? Maybe that 2.5 inches of loft is with a different down density on the Alpinist vs. the calculator (higher oz. of down fill on Alpinist?)

I wonder how accurate the calculator is? Probably a best guess?

The Arc shape might account for the discrepancy, as it's not exactly the same as a half or straight taper. Also Nunatak has understraps, which don't weigh much, but aren't accounted for in the quilt calculator. Throw in the slightly lighter M90 fabric, which for a 48 x 72 quilt makes a difference of about .5oz over the pertex 1.0 fabric.

I can say that inputting the dims of my rectangular JRB down quilt gets the same weight as on my scale.

Eugene: Sorry about that- didnt realize you were getting the quilt made by Tim! For some weird reason I thought it was a MYOG project or something…any idea how that will effect the weight? What fabric are you going with? I hope I do see you out on the PCT! When are you starting?
Wow an 8 week waiting list…thats rough. Dont think it will work out- I take too long to make decisions and the PCT is only 8 weeks away! Maybe I can find one on gear swap (like anyone would get rid of one of these!) We'll see…

No worries. I think it added an extra ounce or two for 0.48 or 0.51 thickness. I can't remember. I got extra loft, width and length to help make my transition into quilts smoother. I'm planning on starting April 10th, so I ordered a couple weeks ago to give Tim enough time. You should definitely order asap if you're going to do it. You'll want time to get used to the system and to figure out how you'll handle being too hot, cold and humid.

Oh wow only an ounce or two, thats not bad! Which did you go for- xp or regular? any idea on final weight then? I currently have a marmot hydrogen and was planning on taking that before getting into the quilt idea. Trying to cut weight as much as possible for such a big hike…
Do you know of a good site to track the snow situation? I want to start as early as possible as I have to finish by September. April 10 sounds like a good date…are you expecting much snow? I once found a nice site with graphs of the snow averages and current all on one graph, but lately have been unable to find it. I found the PCTA site to make the conditions confusing. Are you posting your gear list before heading out?
Trying to dedicate these next 2 months for planning and getting money ready for the hike…
Sorry for the off-the-topic post!

"I wonder how accurate the calculator is? Probably a best guess?"

That's what I wonder. For instance, M90 is usally about 1.05 oz / yd, not 0.9 oz.

Mine is nearly as big and thick as you can go, except with thicker cuban fiber. I'd verify the weight in excel, but I haven't reinstalled excel since my computer went down last week. I think the weight turned out to be around 20 ounces.

Postholer puts snow information on this site. MtnNed will probably chime in with more snow information too, also on that site. PCT-L will have lots of people talking about snow, especially since it's looking like we may be getting a lot of it this year. They usually talk about the Sierras though. There are a couple forums for San Jacinto and the San Gorgonios that I'll be watching too. Hell, I may section hike that area shortly before my start date.

Right now I expect to see a lot of snow…or rather, ice and slush. I'm definitely bringing my ice axe and crampons into the Sierras.

I may post my gear list, but it's not going to be especially light due to a heavy backpack, plus a 1.53 lb computer that I'm bringing. I'll probably post every piece of gear I have at home and in my pack just to mess with people. If you have good sense, you should be able to figure out what's in my pack. I'm going light on some items, but I'm not interested in going with a complete ultralight package. There are too many negative nancies out there that will go on and on that refusing to go ultralight in every way can only result in failure. Been there, done that, and I'm not so eager to go there again. Some people seriously thought I'd be carrying a bivy, a tarp, a tent, crampons, snowshoes, and an ice pick all at the same time for the entire trail.

Anyway, I'm focusing on max weight, which is looking like it'll be about 45 lbs. That's mostly due to my high water intake, for example, I'll carry 8 liters from the border to Lake Morena. The guidebook says 6, but with the condition of the trail due to all the rain, expect to take 2 days to reach Lake Morena.

I'm currently on week 7 for my enLIGHTened quilt. I went with a .48 cuben weight fabric. I wanted the extra durability and the added weight was hardly noticeable. I'm very excited to get my hands on it. Mine is a little different from everyone else's. I won't spill the secret yet… i'll wait till I can post pictures. :D

A cuben quilt in the SE? Where/when do you plan on using that? I would get no use out of it.

Wow 20 oz that is nothing! my bag is about 32 I believe. I will have to check out those snow sites too, I thought we would be getting a lot this year. Heard it was an el nino year, whatever that means in terms of snow…
Most people I spoke with didnt bring an ice axe or crampons, or brought them and never used them. I wasnt planning on bringing them, but maybe it would be a good idea. There must be some UL ones out there somewhere. Picking yours up at K.M?
With the weight stuff, just hike your own hike. You know what you will be comfortable with- I am trying to cut down on my weight as much as possible and really dont want to use an axe or crampons, but we'll see. I just keep adding stuff…
Really havent done much research on the trail as of yet. I dont know where to start- which guidebook are you using? Are you bringing it with you? does it have maps? sorry for the novice questions…
Juston: would like to see pics when you get the quilt next week!

+1 for "Mine is a little different from everyone else's. I won't spill the secret yet… i'll wait till I can post pictures. :D"

I suspect Juston's and my quilt will be somewhat similar…

Most people don't bring an ice axe or crampons because they are willing to adjust their pace, start date, or wait at KM until most of the snow goes away….or take the added risk of going without. I was chatting with one guy that went on and on about how stupid it was to carry an ice axe, yet his own journal stated how he thought an ice axe would've been a good idea. My ice axe and crampons are about 1.5 lbs combined, which is something I'm happy to deal with if it means I can keep moving.

I have all the guidebooks and materials except for the PCT Atlas. I'm still figuring out which guide/data books I'll use the most, but even if I have them readily available, I'll mostly be using Halfmile's maps.

I want to see that quilt too. I hope it's not too awesome. I may have to resist looking at it to avoid jealousy.

Oh, and 20 ounces is going to feel like nothing after dragging around a 68 ounce bag this winter. Since it pretty much replaces a bivy too, that eliminates another 36 ounces. And then there's the incredible bulk of all my old equipment…

I've got to finish the trail by Sept, so it might be a good idea for me too…are you just carrying it from mile 700-1000 or so? not too bad…
wow 20 oz really is amazing…are you not bringing a bivy because of the cuben fabric? Theres a thought…save the 100+ dollars from the bivy and use it towards the quilt. Are you going with just the quilt and a tarp?
You have gotten me started on ACTUALLY planning for this hike- I seem to do things unprepared. Now its time to start hustlin'

The plan right now is to use the enLIGHTened quilt along with a Hexamid for the entire thing, with the possibility of adding a BD Lighthouse 4-season tent for the Sierras if the snow is really bad or at the end if I'm still in the Cascades when the snow arrives.

The only reason I would want a bivy is for critter protection when sleeping under the stars, which isn't a very good reason. Hopefully I can get the quilt early enough to do some trips and get rid of this concern.

The quilt is going to be a little warm for most of the hike, but I'll just vent more and go without a cover on my head. It's not like I'll save much weight by switching to something else…I'd pretty much have to switch to a lighter enLIGHTened quilt!

The only downside is my sleeping pad which is 23 ounces, but it's also a 4-season pad to match the rating of the quilt. I should be good in temps around 0°F as long as it's not to windy or snow too much, but I should be able to adjust for that to some degree.

That sounds like a good plan-hopefully I wont see much bad weather as I am planning on using a small tarp the whole way. Was thinking of adding a bivy, but this quilt idea sounds nice…I have no idea what I am doing.
I still cant believe it will be 20 oz. Is that what he quoted you? Also, how much did it cost (if you dont mind me asking). Ahh a 23 oz sleeping pad is a little overkill though. you dont want to go with something lighter? I feel like the PCT bum already- I was planning on going with the cheap blue foam pad and a trash bag for rain gear, if you catch my drift!
Never thought planning would be this intense and decision based.