Non-traditional blanket/quilt ideas?

Hmmmm. If I wanted to make something that would let me sleep comfortable and warm at around 50, without using down or synthetic fill, I'd probably make a quilt/blanket by using a sheet of the breathable cuben and bond/attach in some manner a sheet of 100 wt., perhaps, or 200 wt., not sure, of fleece to it, and then sew it into a quilt. Or would you consider the fleece as a synthetic topping?

Seems like it would be nice and light, and I'd think would be warm enough. Just a thought. (And yes, some folks will tell you that using cuben as a sorta kinda VBL at 50 degrees is silly, I would simply respectfully disagree. I've done it with a lightweight cuben down quilt, and was quite comfortable).

I have no problem with fleece but the best stuff out there is that Polartec Thermal Pro and that is hard to find.

I have a Thermarest Tech Blanket that is a study in ultility and simple design. The small size is 40×60 and not terribly light at 18oz, but very compact. Insulation wise, it's about like a Nano Puff jacket. It has a drawstring at one end to form a foot box and snaps on the sides. There is a glue on snap kit bight separately to attach the blanket to your sleeping pad like a quilt. You can wear it like a shawl for warmth in camp or just use it like a blanket or beach towel. It stuffs into its own pocket for hauling.

Handy. A down version would be light and I would go for just a bit more fill. A head hole would make it really wearable.

I bought it for the compactness, to use as SUL "height of summer" quilt. It's great as a hot weather top quilt in a hammock. It would make a good supplemental layer to boost a sleeping bag or quilt too. I use it around the house all the time for lounging or a shawl if my computer room is cold. $35 on sale— couldn't make one for that.

http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/pillows-and-bedding/tech-blanket/product

Fleece gets too heavy too quick with this kind of surface area and it's bulky. Adding a shell would boost the warmth, but it would be twice of a puffy insulated blanket. There are tons of them out there for cheap, sold picnic and stadium blankets.

Seeing as this is sort of niche piece of gear, you may not need the very best. I would check out Joann's or some place that has a wide selection of fabrics.

There are plenty of very soft, high(ish) loft fleeces out there that are relatively cheap. Most likely won't be as durable as Polartec stuff, but again if you're only using for a small part of the season, not sure you would need ultimate durability.

Another alternative would be Insultex (diy gear supply) sewn into a sleeve of Nobul or similar fabric.

Would be quite light, somewhat inexpensive, and while it doesn't breathe that well, still would be better than cuben or other true VBL's. If you wear some clothes, should get you down to near 50 unless you're a cold sleeper.

http://store.kifaru.net/woobie-p72.aspx

http://store.kifaru.net/woobie-express-p75.aspx

Interested why you don't want synthetic/down as they will be lightest?

If I was going to make such a thing – i.e a blanket for outdoor use, I would use Pile n pertex – i.e. Fibre pile with a layer of Pertex (or similar) on the outside.

As Used by Buffalo/Montane etc. for Pile n Pertex clothing (and sleeping bags)

http://www.buffalosystems.co.uk/products/4s-outer/ (see the video if you don't know the fabric I mean)

Also used by round the world Yachting types as it's the best by far for wet conditions.
http://www.oceansleepwear.co.uk/mainhtml/os_principles.htm

Bulkier/Heavier by far than synthetic puffy but doesn't lose loft in storage and best in wet conditions.

(The Kifaru stuff linkle too above misses the OPs request as it's synthetic puffy?)

Where I hike, from June through September, the temperature is rarely below 60F. I think 2.5 apex is overkill. Maybe a thin layer of fleece with a layer of pertex or Argon quilted on one side. Should be less than $60, less than 16oz, and less than the size of a nalgene.

fleece (AKA pile) is way too heavy, and not very warm. Okay for hat or mittens or jacket for hiking if it's very cold.

fleece – maybe 9 oz/yd2 and 1 clo

2.5 Apex is 2.5 oz/yd2 + 1.5 to 2.5 oz/yd2 for the shell fabric so 4 or 5 oz/yd2 total and 2 clo so twice as warm for half the weight

maybe the Blizzard bag would be good as non traditional. They have a blanket thats about 11 ounces.

to be pedantic ;)

'fleece' as we know it is NOT 'AKA' Pile – they have a quite different structure

pile was around for years before 'fleece' was invented, and has a different structure and other properties. Paired with pertex it makes an 'all in one garment' clothing sytem which excels in certain conditions.

see here:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/pertex_pile.html

I thought "pile" was just the European name for "fleece".

Why can't you guys speak English corectly? : )

a sewn through quilt would be my top choice…

http://www.hammockgear.com/burrow-50/

why would you not want down?

my summer quilt is 2.5 apex with M90 weighs 12oz. it's fine to 50 without extra clothes. if you only draped it over you instead of really snugging things up then it would be fine for higher temps.

The point of this was just to use easy and cheap stuff to keep warm in the warmer temps when you need to. $180 for a quilt defeats that purpose. I could see it with Apex 2.5oz and some thin nylon if you can keep it under $50 which is what something like this should cost. Too bad I can sew. Fleece would work also but I really haven't checked out the shops yet for that stuff.

And the Blizzard stuff is not that great. Doesn't breathe and it really doesn't even come close to packing down to the same size as what it starts as.

You can just cut fleece, don't need to sew. maybe $15 per yard, 60" wide, 2 yards would be $30, maybe 28 ounces for 200 wt.

owfinc.com has 2.2 oz Apex – $13 per yard for 68" wide so $26 for 2 yards. 1.1 oz nylon $8.50 per yard 60" wide $34 for 4 yards. $60 total

I posted a similar question but I don't remember if the answers will help. You might look it up. Another issue for me is how shitty nylon feels when I'm a little too warm. I have to sleep with something even when it's warm, but I can't find anything that feels better than cotton, which is too heavy. Nylon is just terrible.

Hi Brett,

Joann fabrics is close to my work place, so i stopped there today after work and checked out what they have.

They had some microfiber pile fleeces which are kind of like Polartec thermal pro. Since it was on sale, i bought a couple of yds at 7 something a yard.

I'm planning to make cold weather mitt liners out of it, to replicate the Buffalo type stuff. My outer layer will even be my MLD eVent mitts or the Maxima ESD polyester with carbon fabric i bought awhile back. I think the latter would awesome outer mitt shells, especially in combo with a pile inner–supposed to be very durable, hard wearing fabric with a good balance between breathability and water resistance.

Not sure how the durability will be with these pile fleeces though, the edges where it was cut, is already shedding quite a bit.

Normally i would agree with Jerry, that fleeces don't need to be sewn–at least not regular fleeces, but these cheapish pile fleece might need to be edged.

In any case, it's worth trying out. It's hard to say, but it seems the pile/fur like polyester should be warmer per same weight than the regular fleeces. Might dry quicker and wick better too.

Brett- sound like you need a Rumpl. LOL

The Apex is a decent idea but I can’t sew so that will go way up in price in order to get it done. I will look into the pile type micro fleeces as it seems that is the best idea and can just get an edge sewn if I need to finish it off as that is pretty easy. The fleece plus some sort of shell top like a heetsheets or something should be able to really push the temp rating down.

Personally I would use a liner with a hooded fleece or synthetic jacket. MLD makes a nice liner that weighs very little.

Brett,

As Stephen already mentioned in the above post, Ron over at MLD is now offering a quilt/bag liner that weighs 2.8 ounces, is good down to ~60F, and costs 65$. You could probably go a few degrees lower when paired with the other elements of your sleep system.

As I reread your initial post however, you mention big/tall sizing, so the MLD option may not work as Ron states that it only fits users up to 6'2" 185 pounds. Maybe he could do some customizing, but that will push the price up I'm sure. Never hurts to ask if you are interested in the concept.

I know I am tempted to pull the trigger for late spring/summer hikes.

Just checked that liner from MLD out. Kind of a rip off. All it is a few yards or so of UL nylon fabric sewn into a sleeve. You can buy Nobul fabric for 7 something a yard. Even if you bought 4 yards, that's only about 30 dollars or so. Besides, if you buy in bulk like companies do, you can get it even cheaper per yard, probably like 5 dollars a yard.

Even the most beginning sewers could do that kind of work.

More than 200% mark up, really?

Also, doubt it's warmer than silk. Silk has some interesting properties that make it warm for the weight for a thin, non lofty fabric. The major attribute is triangular shaped fibers, which trap more still air than the often round, smooth ones of synthetics (unless these are deliberately altered).

Animal proteins like silk are also less thermally conductive than nylon. But yeah, the nylon will be a lot more durable.

Here’s one idea that may work in this situation assuming you hike with some kind of insulation. You could obviously cut a lightweight sleeping bag in half to get the same benefit.

Here’s a non-traditional idea.

If you want something about as warm as a good wool blanket, only lighter in weight, then head down to Wally World. In the fabric department, I found some excellent polyester fleece. There was some thin stuff and also some good thick stuff for about $3 per yard. For that price, it may not be fantastic, but it would take only a couple of yards of it to make something. You could make it into a blanket, with or without a liner.

–B.G.–

"More than 200% mark up, really?"

If you run a business, you have to mark things up. All sorts of expenses – the cost of sewing it, shipping, operating a building, taking returns from unreasonable customers, designing new products, the owner has to pay for his own living expenses, profit,…