sleep system for heat of summer?

If it is that warm then maybe just get a good silk bag liner.

Do you need down? Certainly it’s lighter, but making a sewn-through blanket with a synthetic fill might make the item useful for more than simply warmth in your situation, not to mention being easier to make. Some years ago I bought a poncho and liner from Nomad Adventure Travel, basically a lighter commercial variant of the old army kit designed for travellers in the tropics. Compared to the UL quilt I have now, which is a down-filled “wearable” model from Jacks-R-Better, it offers relatively little warmth and could certainly be a little lighter, but it’s been a very useful bit of gear over the years. Being easily washed and fairly tough it gets used as a picnic blanket, wadded up as a comfy seat or pillow, tied up as a sunshade or even as a post-swim wrap, something I’d never consider with a down blanket.

The modern version is the rather grandly named Travelproof Variant III Sleeping Bag and there are several alternatives, including the warmer Kifaru Woobie, but you aren’t likely to need them. It’s such a simple thing to sew that the commercial versions seem a bit pricey.

Thats a good Idea Mike. That would probably work for 75% of the summer nights here. I will do some research on weights and see how I could impliment that. I am really looking for something very versatile. I am searching right now for a very lightweight fleece or similar fabric. I dont care if its cotton so long as its around 3oz or less a sq.yd.

Jon. That is an interesting piece of kit. The quilt I made last year is of climashield. With my primaloft jacket and thermal base layers I was able to sleep inside my bivy down to around freezing in it. It would just be way to hot for summer. Maybe if I could find some of that 1.8ozyd primaloft I could make an ultralight summer blanket. Need to find a good silk source to get some samples. I hate nylon against my skin when its hot.

I'm trying the Montbell U.L.Spiral Down Hugger Thermal Sheet this summer. I can use it unzipped like a quilt when it's hot or bag up if the temp drops.

I sleep in my equinox bivy on hot nights.

+1 for this. I've taken to sleeping in my liner even at home. Much more luxurious than my bedsheets. ;)

William. I like that alot. If I was not going to make something then would probably be the best brand option yet.

John. I have thought about my bivy but i think it would get to hot not being able to vent my legs or have it half on. I do need to make a summer net bivy though. To many bugs here.

Spelt. I am liking the silk idea. I have found a source for primaloft one 1.8oz a yard material. Silk for one side is .58oz a yard. I am thinking of adding nano bug netting for the other side. This would hold it all together. When its really hot i could have the net side out to let the heat escape from the blanket. When its colder i cold put the silk out. Plus the relative inexpense of this would allow me to test the durability of all the fabrics.

Sounds like you want to MYOG, but Sea-to-Summit makes a lot of different bag liners, including coolmax, silk, and slightly insulated thermolite.

I'd look for a Six Moon Designs, ALpinlite, Bearpaw, etc bug net tent, that is completely off your body as you sleep. Then add whatever liner bag you make/buy.

Btw, where are you in Arkansas? I grew up in Fort Smith.

i was looking at making a lighter than 2.5oz XP summer synthetic quilt. I like synthetic for thin quilts as you lose the major disadvantage of synthetic (packs large) but gain a big one over thin filled down items and that is consistency of coverage. synthetic insulation comes in a sheet so covers evenly but down (in very small quantities) is hard to keep even without very small baffles chamber (like 3" wide) which suck to sewn and stuff and still don't give the same consistency of coverage (again i am talking only about very thin down bags for 50*+). When i was looking for something that wasn't as warm as 2.5Xp i considered using row cover made to keep crops from frosting, something in the 1.5-1.75 oz range. I never tried it, but should have. Something like this quilted between some momentum or intrepid (or 1.1 rip for more airflow) would make a nice 50-60+ quilt. Search the MYOG forum from about 2 years ago and this was talked about a lot. I think it was polyethylene row cover we were talking about but can't be sure.

-Tim

hammock with a detachable bugnet. done

MLD Spirit 45!

I wrestled with the same problem. Our summer nights here are in the 22 – 25 deg C range and can be quite humid. We also need bug protection. In the end I bit the bullet and ordered a custom Arc Edge from Nunatak – for my 5'1" I'm only penalised 254g (8oz approx)! The comfort is sensational – I find down much more breathable and livable than synthetic in warm weather. I start the evening with just a silk liner, and pull up the Edge in the wee small hours when and if the temp drops.

One big factor impacting comfort levels for us is the amount of airflow in our shelter. On our last trip we used a tarptent Rainshadow 2 for a carcamping night – very spacious and airy so very comfortable in warm weather. The next few nights in a Double Rainbow were a little less breezy and a little more stuffy in the much smaller tent. I also spent a couple of nights solo in a Gossamer Gear The One – also spacious and very breezy and hence comfortable.

I've yet to try a bug bivvy so can't make a comparison with the tarptents.

But a light down quilt certainly works for me!

Cheers,

KK

KK

Lots of food for thought. I jave been thinking about trying a hammock out. Just might have to nreak down and buy one.

@Steven. I am in Benton, just south of little rock.

@Tim. I have done some homework on the row cover stuff. It comes in three weights that I can find from dupont. Here is some info.

http://autoverters.com/gardencovers.aspx

would you use the single 1.25 sandwiched or do you think 3 layers of the .5 would do a better job? I am going to look into getting some of this to mess with. Maybe the hand of the thick stuff feels good enough that you wouldnt need added fabric to it. But you could mess with two or three layers for warmth to weight ratio?

i would maybe consider the 1.25+the .5 for 1.75. Since we have no idea of the clo i wouldn't want it to get too cold at temps in the 50's-60's. I can't remember the reason but i was thinking there was a reason to use the polyethylene instead of the polyester, but maybe it was polypropylene that was best. wish i could find that old thread.

-Tim

A little more reading produced an interesting fact. The .5 stuff makes it 3-4° warmer for plants at night. I would losesly assume that a human under a tucked blanket would get a much better rating. I also am starting to think that an outside cover of silk or nylon would be needed to maximize heat retention as this matterial is perferated. On a side note anyone got some tyvek laying around and tried it as a blanket? Wonder if it would be worth a look for this application?