Down topquilt questions

my only thought is 6.5" spacing is big for 1.25" baffles. i do 5" for 2" loft and 4" for 1.5". the smaller baffles keep the down from shifting better.

-Tim

Thanks Tim,
I will plan on the closer baffle spacing.

are you going to buy a kit? Thru-hiker makes one that comes with 12oz. of 900fp down.

http://thru-hiker.com/kits/quilt_kit.php

Evan,
No, I am not going to buy the thru-hiker kit. I am planning on using the 1.1oz olive ripstop from backwoodsdaydreamer, and the 800 fill from hammockgear.

I made an underquilt with these materials and was very happy. It will save me a little bit of money.

cool! what are you using for baffles? the quilt fabric itself or micromesh?

backwoodsdaydreamer sells a .9oz noseeum, thats what I used for the UQ.

Javen told me hammockgear might sell precut baffles, but I have not emailed him yet. I think his baffle material might even be lighter. So that might be an option as well.

Nothing against the thru-hiker kit, just trying to make this as cheap as possible. Thru-hiker is great, I used their materials for my pack. Every penny I save is a penny I can spend on more materials for more gear…right?

yup! Do you think that you could you post some pictures during the construction process? It's hard to find detailed images of how people sewed down quilts w/ baffles online, and recently I've been wanting to construct one during any free time this winter for next year's adventures.

Sorry for the interrogation on your quilt, I'm trying to glean as much info on this topic as possible, and it's somewhat limited.

Thanks

Checkout the .77oz mesh from Lightheart Gear, they just started offering fabrics.

http://www.lightheartgear.com/LightHeart_Gear/Fabrics.html

Evan,
I will take pics of the whole process this time, I forget to take construction pics during the underquilt project. I hope to get started in a week or so.

Javan,
Thanks for the tip on the .77mesh from lightheartgear, I will have to check it out.

nano see um is a tad lighter at .62oz

I think that's .72 Ike. At least, all I've used has come in around that mark. It's listed on the site at .7

What's that, less than 4% difference?

New plan: Thanks so much for your advice/comments

75" long

Full taper 50" top to 40" foot

Drawstring footbox

5" baffle spacing, 15 chambers

1 1/4" baffles, bottom 2 baffles 1 3/4" for extra warmth in footbox

11oz of 800fill down (hammockgear)
1.1oz dwr ripstop
.9oz mesh

does this look better?

Yet another question regarding fabric…I know a lot of people really like momentem/ intrepid. And yes it does feel nice. Is 1.1oz nylon more durable than the .9oz stuff (this seems logical, but I don't want to assume)?

Or, is the main reason to use the .9oz fabric just to save weight?

I did the math accounting for seam allowance and the fabric to make this quilt would weigh 6.143oz for 1.1oz and 5.026oz for .9oz.
Savings of just over an ounce.

Going from .9oz mesh to .7oz mesh for the baffles would save .207oz

I figured these on weight per square yard of material needed.

Thanks
Chris

the weight savings is nice with the 20D .9 stuff but for me the major draw is the feel of the fabric. I like it so much better than 1.1. I am planning some quilts for me with 1.1shell and .9liner so i can have the comfort i want and the colors i like.

-Tim

Chris, as you know I've got experience with both fabrics, I'll give you the straight answer regarding durability: In this application, they're functionally the same. If the wt savings justifies the cost difference to you, it's a no-brainer, if it doesn't, ditto.

The tight weave of the 20d makes it more snag resistant in my opinion, but the 1.1 being type-66 nylon signifies a measurably higher strength for applications such as hammock bodies.

The BWDD has the best feel of any 1.1 I've touched, but the 20D Momentum/Intrepid feels as good as a textile can IMHO. The difference between the RS and the Taffeta is just Cashmere vs Velvet IMHO, a matter of opinion RE: luxury.

My main hammock quilt is in full 20d RS, which I've recently decided I favor over my 20d Taff ground quilt, but I think it's just because the RS is less "feely".

BTW, that sounds like alot of fill for such short baffles. I recommend cutting the baffles to desired loft height, and then sewing them 1/4" from edge to your shell fabric, that should give you baffles ~25% shorter than the target loft.

Tim and Javan,
I really appreciate the both of you sharing your knowledge, especially since you both make quilts professionally. Your expert advice really helps jump the learning curve.

Javan, do you fold the edge of the mesh and sew the double layer to the shell fabric. Thats how I did my underquilt. Or is the mesh durable enough to just have a single layer stitched a 1/4" from the edge?

Thanks again

If you're using Nanoseeum or Lightheart Mesh, I find a folded edge unnecessary as long as you can sew pretty straight and consistently about 1/4" from the edge. Try one yourself and see if you can pull it off without serious force.

YMMV on this one though, any mesh that unravels will definitely need a folded or rolled hem.

If your stitch line becomes erratic however, the force doesn't spread well across the strip and can be weaker. Also if your thread tension is too loose or tight it will be weak.