Double-quilt mod, quilt musings

[Bob Moulder]

See next post… grrrr

[Bob Moulder]

While there have been numerous threads on combining quilts, using BPL’s magnificent search function I could not find something identical to what I’m about to post, so I thought I’d start a new thread for this mod and perhaps any random quilt ideas anyone else might want to present.

Like a lot of people I got the bright idea to combine quilts, both for additional warmth and to test the cold-weather concept of having a synthetic quilt on the outside where condensation forms and a down quilt inside, where it stays dry. As the owner of a few EE quilts, of course these are the ones I would test.

Some of the previous discussions mentioned draping the second quilt over the top of the main quilt, or stuffing it inside — leaving it unattached to the main quilt in either circumstance — or combining the quilts using Velcro, buttons, cordage, etc.

My mod with the EE quilts was simply to put an extra set of the thin, stock plastic attachment clips onto the elastic pad straps. The only work involved is removing the stitches from the elastic straps to install the additional set of clips and then stitching it back together.

The quilts I combined were the Prodigy 40 (outside) and a Revelation 50 (both reg/reg size), although any two EE quilts could be combined this way. I used this combination 2 nights, down to 22°F and 25°F, and it worked fine and no doubt would have worked at a somewhat lower temp. The caveat is that I was wearing a light Montbell hooded down parka, but I was not wearing down pants. The Prodigy weighs 17.7 oz and the Rev weighs 11.3 oz, so for me this is a pretty neat 20°F setup that weighs 29 oz. Having double cord cinches at the top might be very annoying for some folks, but what I did was to use only the cord on the outer (Prodigy) quilt and this worked fine for me.

The photo below shows how the quilts are clipped together onto the pad straps.

[Bob Moulder]

And yes, I did consider that the ideal arrangement would be to have a warmer down quilt (~30°F rated) inside with an even lighter synthetic quilt (~50°F) outside… but I’m just using what I have. :^)

Either way, this makes for an extremely flexible system that covers a wide range of temperatures and conditions and isn’t hideously heavy or bulky.

[JCH]

Elegant solution…if you use pad straps :)

[Jeff McWilliams]

Cool idea.  I have an EE 20 degree down quilt and a home made synthetic that runs in the 32-35 degree range.  I could probably go pretty low with a combined setup like this.

I’m guessing the practical limit will be due to drafts and the fact that the quilt is not not a closed system like a mummy bag.  I have a 0 degree down mummy bag, and I noticed that it has significantly more draft tubes and stuff than warmer bags do.

 

[Katherine .]

Is that more or less the same as this accessory they now have?

http://www.enlightenedequipment.com/sub-zero-strap-quilt-layering-strap/

(issue for me is I’d need a M/M-M/F clips mixing old an new quilts)

Glad to hear layering same size bags works. I was wondering if one should size up for the outer.  I have an odd mix to work with: a 30 Jr Rev, a 30 S/S Apex and a 20 Reg/Reg Rev. I don’t think the S over the Reg would work though…

My daughter wants to go winter camping. So when I get around to that I’ll probably use the Jr Rev + S/S Apex for her and buy a 50 R/R Apex for me. Unless there’s an argument that a L/W size Apex on top would be better

[Bob Moulder]

Jeff, your combo sounds sounds excellent.

The nice thing about the EE plastic clips is that they can be moved all the way to the center, thereby reducing drafts to practically nil. With my setup I was a bit concerned that the regular width would be too tight with the clips moved all the way to the center, but this particular combo worked out perfectly for me (5’9″ 170).

[Tim Marshall]

Looks just like our “sub zero straps”. If you have an older quilt with all female buckles just leave a note with your order or contact customer service and we will happily make a pair that work with any of our quilts with buckles (2013 on)

-Tim

[Bob Moulder]

Hi, Tim:

Obviously I did not realize you have had these available for a couple of years and I typed a couple of posts indicating this, including a link, but for some reason they disappeared entirely.

Anyway, it’s a great setup and actually works well, IME.

Next time I’ll peruse the accessories page before going all MYOG on it. :^)

[Tim Marshall]

I’m glad you did it DIY. Just reinforces that it’s a good setup that we solved it the same way. I just posted those straps so others could see they are an option if they don’t DIY. At $2 a strap I’m not getting rich on these, yet;)

-Tim

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