Hybrid Down and Apex quilt.

That sounds like a good idea. I was contemplating something like that as well, but with all synthetic. Would have just made a duvet using 1.1 or some other type of light nylon fabric and have the female side of snaps sewn inside at the corners and some along the sides. Then, for the insulation, I'd cut out a piece that fits inside the "duvet" and fold over strips of ripstop along the edges and sew a perimeter of ripstop all around, then add the male ends of the snaps. I'd do this with both 5oz (or 6oz) and 2.5 oz Apex.

This way, I could swap out the insulation for the temp range I'd need at a small weight penalty, or combine the two for lots of warmth..but bulk (beats making two whole quilts i suppose).

But, when it came down to it, I just went with making a 5.0 Apex quilt.

If you go with an insulation insert, you could sew a perimeter of ripstop to stabilize it and keep it from stretching/tearing along the sides and add snaps so you can snap the corners in place so the insulation doesn't shift around inside the sleeve.

Hi An-D (call I refer to you as just Andy?),

Thank you for the good tips/suggestions, I'm definitely considering the snaps idea and a way to stabilize the Apex.

Yeah, Andy's fine (it is my name, afterall :o) )

Yeah, sewing a perimeter of m50 or something will definitely make handling it much easier and you'll have a way of keeping it from shifting around inside. I always have a problem with the insulation shifting all to the bottom or one side with our duvet + crappy IKEA inner quilt for our bed at home (too lazy to do anything about it).

Also, have you considered just having fabric covering the entire Apex piece on just one side (with a couple inches folded over around the edges to stabilize and for snaps) instead of a sleeve? That way, you can just add snaps to your existing quilt, and the face fabric of that can protect the unfinished side of the Apex, while the part you sewed onto the Apex will face your body.

That way, you minimize the weight you add onto your down quilt when not using extra insulation, so essentially, the sleeve material will be part of the Apex, instead of the down quilt.

I didn't consider that. In some ways i like the idea. But i also like the idea of a sleeve for those windy nights where i'm cowboy camping (or close to it), it's not particularly cold temp wise (so i won't have the extra apex insulation) but the wind is a factor. My quilt is not particularly wide (i should have got the regular EE size rather than the slim, i think) and when it's windy i can definitely feel it at times. Getting in the sleeve would help quite a bit with that, especially the M50 material. I expect the weight of the fabric to be less than 4 oz.

I'm also going to design the sleeve so that it's a bit wider than the rest of the quilt so that with the apex insulation the quilt will be become wider than it normally would be, so it will be a bit more comfortable.

Whatever you end up doing, post lots of pictures!

Well, i'm almost finished with modifying one quilt (EE RevX 40f). Will post some pics tomorrow. Tonight whilst cutting the Apex to size, i thought about different ways of stabilizing the Apex–like sewing some fabric to the outside perimeter and some velco to that part and then to the corresponding space inside the sleeve of the quilt.

Seems like a lot of work, when i'm otherwise so close to being done (and want to get it over with).

So i was thinking of an easy and lazy way of stabilizing the Apex. I wonder if these would work?

http://www.amazon.com/Baumgartens-Plastic-Clips-Extra-Large/dp/B00006ICKO/ref=sr_1_3?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1380767291&sr=1-3&keywords=plastic+paper+clips

The fabric might be too slippery… not sure, but maybe worth trying.

Hey Andy,

How low temperature wise have you taken the Apex 5.0 quilt down to?

Sorry didn't mean to highjack the thread.

Thanks, Jack

I don't think those clips would work too well. I think spending just a little extra time to do it right the first time will be worth it in the end.

The Velcro sounds easier than sewing on snaps by hand. Put the soft, fuzzy side in the EE quilt, and the rough, hook side on your Apex sheet, that way the rough hooks won't cause wear to your quilt when not using the insert.

But whatever you do end up doing, I think you'll still want to sew some fabric around the perimeter so the Apex sheet will last longer.

@Jack: I've taken mine down to the upper 30s so far, wearing just boxers and stoic Alpine merino 150 (merino/synth blend) and I was extremely comfortable (didn't even tuck in the sides all the way) Used a Klymit static V pad and was in a tent. I also am a warm bodied person.

I plan on taking it down much lower this fall/winter to see what my limit with it is. I've slept at 25* with a crappier, thinner 30* Lafuma sleeping bag with a grid fleece on and wool tights just fine so I have high hopes for my quilt, especially since the pad straps I use work really well at sealing me in and I can use my puffy for extra warmth if needed.

Apex 5.0 is really nice. When I toss my quilt on, I can feel my warmth being trapped in right away.

Thanks Andy,

I just sold my last MYOG quilt with Apex 2.5 and I wanted something a little warmer, so I ordered some 5.0 yesterday, I'm just hoping it will compress down small enough for some of my trips.

I think I'm going to make another 2.5 quilt, but just a little longer then the last one, that one only came up to my chin, I like mine to go up to at least the top of my head, so I can tuck my head in when it gets really cold.

The 2.5 makes a good addition to my down quilt in the winter, I use it between the bivy and my down quilt to trap moisture, and it works great for that, with not to much of a weight penalty, I think it would be similar to the OP which Justin is trying to accomplish, with his being lighter and maybe more versitle, and without the bulk.

Jack

The compressibility is alright. I use a golite Jam 50 and I just loosely pack it in the bottom and load everything else in. Haven't had a problem with running out of space yet, but I've only used the pack on overnights.

It does fit fairly easily into a 13L sea to summit sack without having to cram it in, and can compress down even more if I wanted to.

The nice thing about being short is that I can make a standard quilt and be able to turtle up in it. Saves me weight.

The voice of logic and reason (Andy) hath triumphed over the voice of laziness and impatience, (Justin) well mostly ; )

This morn before getting ready for work, I stared to sew some velcro on key parts of the quilt, feet and head area, 3 strips spaced apart on each area. I'm not sure what to do with the sides because I don't want to interfere with the zipper. I may resort to using a couple of mini metal clips if it needs it (hoping it won't). Will post some pics later tonight after get home from work.

Justin,

I am digging your idea. I didn't understand your explanation before.
As mentioned in a previous thread, I would still go for a 42" width.
This should go all the way around at the feet and be tucked under you on the sides.
If you didn't have the apex inserted, it would double as bivy, keeping some moisture off you.
May have to try this one.

This pic is the top of the quilt with the new Coyote Brown M50 fabric (from Thru Hiker) sewed on. Previous color was olive green.

This is the sleeve area opened up.

This is the quilt turned inside out to note the placement of the velcro (soft stuff inside Andy ;) When putting the Apex in, i would probably more so not shove it in, but rather turn it inside out like this, line it up, and then put it back to original.

That's some awesome work! Good call with the turning it inside out to put the apex in. That's going to be some real tasty sleep you're gonna get under that.

LLLHHLLLLHHLLHLL mmmm… tasty sleep…

Thanks for the kudos, but i still yet work to do. Besides, i credit you with some of the awesomeness of the project. I appreciate you gently nudging my lazy derriere in the right direction!

Hi Aaron,

Thanks, and good point about the bivy option, i didn't even really think of it that way before, but yes, with the M50 fabric on top, it would really help to protect the down from any splashing or what not. In fact, the top might as well be waterproof with the M50, and then the DWR 30D nylon fabric below. It would be mighty hard for water to get through both layers unless it's completely exposed.

Also, if it's really windy but not freezing cold and i'm cowboy camping, i can get in the sleeve and be very protected from the wind with M50 material.

I really do like the flexibility/adaptability of this mod. What i need to do now, is to weight it and see how much the fabric added to it. I think the quilt weighed about 16 oz before.

Well, props to Tim for providing such an awesome, high quality, and affordable Down quilt to work with to begin with. Compared to his work, this mod is pretty simple and easy.

Holy Smokes batman!

The quilt went from 15.75 oz, to a whopping 17.7 oz without the Apex material added! I thought it would be at least 3 oz increase, but didn't expect only 2!

What are you folks waiting for, Lay Revolooshian! (phonetic spelling that is).

Anybody know for more certain, how much warmth will a layer of 2.5 oz Apex and M50 realistically add to this previously 40 degree system? I earlier guestimatted about 15 degrees, but like with many things i say here, i really don't have a clue and am speaking out of my ars.. i mean intuition. ;)

But i could possibly see maybe up to 20 degrees being added with the combo of both the Apex and the M50?

Wow, that's not a lot of weight gain! Good work! You should at least be able to get it into the 20s.

Only one way to find out, hit the trails!!