let’s make a hot weather quilt.. cotton, fleece?

Warmth to weight of fleece is 1/4 synthetic.

Fleece bag will be heavy and not warm. Maybe good down to 60 F if you wear a base layer. 2.5 oz Apex would be good down to maybe 40 F and weigh less.

Fleece is good for hat or gloves that have a small area so they don't weigh much, or for a shirt or vest exercising in really cold weather because it doesn't add much warmth so you won't sweat.

If I used fleece I could use an apex outer shell.

If I used syn. Apex I would need to use an outer and an inner. I couldn't use pertex as the inner because it is too clammy.

I would have to use silk or cotton? Using apex I am using 3 layers of material. I need to find something light and comfortable against skin.

Yep, the 2.5oz Apex quilt I made is good (for me) into the 40's, weighs 16.5oz, and packs much, much smaller than a fleece blanket. I just used 1.1oz ripstop nylon so you could save a little weight using lighter fabrics.

You said hot weather though. Around here it doesn't get below 70 degrees in the summer and even a fleece blanket is too hot. I've just used a bag liner for the times I was dumb enough to go out in that kind of weather. I always thought a piece of silk sewn in the shape of a quilt would be ideal for that kind of weather.

Adam

Maybe I could use silk as the inside fabric with the lightest apex layer on top and pertex shell?

What temperature range are you wanting to use it for? That might help clear up some confusion.

Adam

I need to take it down to 60. I will have a jacket and a poncho vbl if it's not enough.

Avg. Night temp about 70 though.

I would like to be under 10oz, and have a comfy non sticky next to skin surface. Possible?

you could get a 2.1oz Apex quilt in a 10oz Package.

True, but I am worried because ul fabric is super sweaty in the heat. Some sort of wicking material would be nice…

Just use insulated jacket? Maybe have just a layer of Pertex or whatever on the outside to prevent drafts?

I use Nobul1 against skin and it feels okay, but I'm not too picky about being clammy

The Therm-a-Rest Tech Blanket is a good model. It has a drawstring and snaps eton form a foot box and more snaps to attach it to your pad. It is too heavy at 21.2 oz, but very compact and simple.

I would make a similar blanket with the lightest non-bearding cloth with a good DWR and the highest performance ~60g synthetic fill. I would add a center head hole to allow use as a serape in camp. It would basically be a Nano Puff blanket.

A 100g version wouldn't bother me and would get more use.

I think I might use silk and sew some .9oz pertex on top, it should be about 7 ounces.

Get a military surplus poncho liner and modify it into a quilt. The material was designed for use in tropical climates and isn't very clammy imo. Perfect for 60-70 temps.

I use a 2.5 oz climashield apex quilt with a silk shell for warm weather. Nice and breathable and great against the skin. Weighs about 9oz. Silk from dharma trading.

I made a micro-baffled down quilt with some left-over 850+ down between two layers of nobul-1 (stitched through baffles with about 2cm (.8") loft.

Because I perspire a lot I also use a very light Thai silk liner from eBay (make sure its 100% silk – they call sweaty synthetic blends silk too!). On hot Australian summer nights the silk is perfect alone…

The quilt weighs 214g (7.5oz) and the silk liner 116g although that could be cut down quite a bit.

This setup is certainly comfortable to 15°C (60F) but I've had it down to 10°C (50°F) with all my [summer] clothes on.

I like the lightness of the quilt so much I take it travelling as well in preference to guest-room blankets or duvets.

Thanks for the great ideas! How many yards should I order? Is 2 yards okay thats 6 feet, it comes in 59inches wide?

Do I need 3 yards?

Here's a source for silk, think I pulled it off of here and haven't ordered yet. http://www.dharmatrading.com/fabric/silk/silk-habotai-fabrics.html

I'd throw M90T into your against-skin options, I love the fabric against the skin. Though I haven't used it in 70f temps. You may need only that and a shell with the lightest insulation. M90T doesn't breathe as well as pertex quantum but feels fabulous (T=taffeta coating). Though my liner/shell weighted 9oz with M90T and Quantum (and baffles and drawstring) on my quilt before sewing. So you'd be close to 8 without any insulation. Its breathable but wind resistant, with a dwr though, so that may help depending on shelter type.

If you'd wear longsleeve/long underwear baselayers anyway the feeling against the skin is somewhat moot. (that's an if, I might but I don't think everyone would)

60-70 is the temp your house is mostlikely, what do you use on your bed? I think a silk/pertex "quilt" would be really nice at the right temp range.

I ordered from Quest some wicking material, the remnant piece I got was ~4oz/sq yd (sewed wicking buffs out of a small remnant to try it). That might be an option, it's just like raw baselayer material. A shell would be optional if you have a closed shelter.

Silk Habotai 5mm and 55in wide is that the best / lightest?

Should I order 2 yards or 3? If I get two yards of silk I can jut food that in half and build a whole quilt with 2 yards? I think I will/could use something non silk for the shell for ind resistance. If I can do this with some cheap climashield or similar I think that is the way to go. Much better than fleece.

If you were to build one yourself what website and exact materials would you buy? This will be the second time I have ever used a sewing machine so sorry for the dunceness ;)

I'd go 3 yds to be safe. If you're not doing it flat without a sewn footbox you'll need a few extra inches. 5mm Habatai is what I've used from Dharma. It's definitely pretty airy (which is nice for summer desert nights) but if you're wanting some wind resistance something else might be a good idea for the outer shell. If I were going that route I'd go with nobul 1 from tigoat. Lighter, more breathable, and cheaper than M90. http://www.titaniumgoat.com/Fabric.html

Michael,

If you get silk make sure to not wash it in a machine, you will need to hand wash the quilt.

Personally for really hot weather I have a silk sleeping bag liner and a 50f Synethic quilt, total weight is about 550g.
If the liner gets funky I can wash it in cold water and it will dry quickly.

So I will assume that 2 yards of silk and 2 yards of nobul will be good. Then 2 yards of insulation.

2 yards = 6' exactly, then seam allowances brings that down some. It would be quite short for most people. Remember, it has to rise up from your feet then up to your chin at least, so just your height may end up short. Ask them if they will allow partial yardage, I'd get 2 1/3 yards if I was planning it down to zero scrap. I got 2.5 yards from thru-hiker and ended up cutting off a foot. Put a sheet over you how you want it, then measure that, and add 2" for seams.

here's some more sources.

http://thru-hiker.com/materials/index.php
2.5 and 5oz climashield and pertex quantum and other lightweight shell/liner fabrics. I used their M90T/P-Quantum kit for my quilt, was nice to buy a bundle and save a few bucks.

http://www.questoutfitters.com
Quest was awesome to deal with, let me adjust my order after finalizing. I'd ordered a silly 1" of elastic not 1yd and they emailed to verify I was in fact a bonehead! adjusted order received 2 days after placing. Quest is the best source for silnylon 2nds I've found, and a great selection of remnants for random projects.

http://www.titaniumgoat.com/Fabric.html nobul1 and nobul2, never used but very light fabric.

http://wildernesslogics.com

http://www.dharmatrading.com/fabric/silk/silk-habotai-fabrics.html
I believe the 8mm was recommended in the thread I bookmarked that from, they will send swatches, it can't be 8mm thick, that's 8 dimes thick.

http://owfinc.com/fabrics.html
2, 3, & 6 oz climasheild, I've never used these guys.

http://diygearsupply.com/shop/
I think I ordered mesh and zippers from these guys a while ago. They have a good random selection and a couple of guides.

Down (ordered 1lb of 900fp – was satisfied, posting for completeness in list)
http://www.downlinens.com/products/premium-washed-down

You asked what I'd order, this is just my preference: 2 1/3 or 2.5 yards of:
Pertex Quantum from thru-hiker, or Nobul1 from tigoat. (I love quantum but the .67oz finished weight of nobul1 can't be beat)
thinnest climasheild apex, looks like outdoor wilderness fabrics
8mm silk in 60" width

You could combine your thru-hike order to get the shell and insulation and save one shipping cost (I believe they charge flat 9.95).

You'd be very rough estimate 10oz and $100. Keep us updated, this exact project is third on my list! but might get moved up to be ready for July/August trips.

I made my Apex quilt with 2 yards of fabric. I sleep on my side so even though I'm 6' tall I've got plenty of coverage to cinch it closed over my shoulders. If I were any taller or slept on my back it would be a little short though.

Adam

Once upon a time I carried a small rectangular sleeping bag in my car that had a fleece lining and nylon shell.

It was red, and came from Marlboro. I don't smoke but knew lots of folk who did and I "got the gear".

The nylon shell did indeed extend the temp rating quite a bit. I could unzip it to form a big blanket to cover two people, which was useful on several occasions.

One wintery November night I slept in it in the cab of a pickup truck when I simply couldn't stand the feller snoring to beat the band in a motel room on a job. I wore my insulated coveralls inside the bag and was quite toasty.

I slept in it several summer nights on the high prairie in Oregon when working jobs and the local motels were full. ( heh, ever try to get a motel when the Roundup is in town? ).

It was a very useful item, so naturally it was stolen out of my car one day.
I looked for a new one and discovered the few fleece bags with nylon shells were very expensive!

So I made a few of my own. These are specifically for keeping in a car and not backpacking ( although they would work fine ) so I don't mind the extra weight.

Also, it isn't a good idea to compress a sleeping bag all the time, but I don't think fleece cares so much, making it idea for long term storage in a car.

I was able to make 'em out of stuff I had on hand so the outlay was zero, which is also important for me.

My wife is a quilter and buys quilt batting by the roll, so what the heck, I put a layer of it inside as well. She also had salvaged a big pile of tulle from a wedding, so I sewed a generous roll of that to the top for use as a mosquito bar.

Goofy and heavy, but free and useful. The fleece certainly does make a nice warm inner layer!

I made it big and rectangular with a sewn on foot pocket. For storage the quilt folds into the foot pocket.

A smaller one being made –

I even used fleece for the bottom of our new home made sleep system.

Fleece on top –

It holds two thermarest pads in place. Very warm! The top quilt is held in place with velcro.

Dunno how helpful this is, but I thought I'd relay my experience wit just such a fleece / nylon shell sleeping bag.
Don't throw out all those old fleece throws people give you!
They are useful for projects.