Raw Apex Climashield question:

[Ari Deal]

Hi,

Does anyone now if it’s possible/realistic to use a raw sheet of 2.5 ounce Apex as a summer quilt?

In other words: using Apex with no covering or shell, just a sheet of the raw material.

Will it just immediately fall apart, or can it be used for a short summer thru hike?

I recognize that long term it would probably absorb too much sand and debris. The material is affordable enough to be used only for a single summer trip, in contrast to the shell materials. Anyone have any experience with this? What about using the material as an overquilt during the winter?

Thanks,

 

[Edward John M]

I can’t see it working at all, the material isn’t that robust and will tear apart. Most importantly it is the shell that stops all that warmed air from simply passing though and there will be no warm bubble to sleep under.

What is your reasoning for asking?

[nunatak]

I immediately ruled it out. But then again – why not? Baby it a little, never mind the debris that clings to it like velcro and disregard the yucky fingers-on-chalkboard feel, and it could do the job on 50° nights for a couple of weeks max.

[Andrea C]

IMO, the amount of dust/debris/leafs/etc that would collect, will make you regret the weight saving, if not outweighting it. Also, the wind in going to easily blow trough, so the heat retention will be compromised.

It is too much of a waste to thrash the material in such way, it’s not cheap too.
At least, make a big “envelope style” cover, very simply made with a light material (Argon 67 comes to mind) and 4 lengths of stitching on each edge, no quilting done.
That would make a neat, durable thing.

[R]

I think it will depend heavily on the conditions you use it in, specifically the rest of your kit.

If you’re in a bivy, many of the concerns go away: you have a wind break to contain the warm air, little exposure to dirt/twigs, and abrasion or the ‘Velcro effect’ will be limited to you crawling in and out underneath it. The heaviest exposure would be moving it between bivy and stuff sack. Simply leaving it in the bivy, packing the bivy in to the stuff sack, would address that concern.  Apex has a hard side and a soft side; use this to your advantage. If in a bivy, put the soft side up. You could use tulle as a minimal shell to fight the Velcro effect. I sampled and weighed my local fabric store’s offerings and found some at .25osy.

In warm weather, you’re likely to end up with sweat and oil on the fibers. I don’t think bare Apex would fare will in the wash.  If you sleep in your trail clothes, you may end up with pocket flaps, zipper pull and exposed slivers of Velcro attacking the batting.

In cold weather, you’re more likely to be in insulated clothing with fewer things to snag, and less exposure to sweat and oil. If you’re using this in addition to other quilts or sleeping bags, they can provide your wind block. If using a VBL, you could use .3osy Cuben (or what ever they’ve rebranded to) for a very light shell.

So I wouldn’t rule it out entirely. But given that this is some hard core minimalism, you need to really think it all through.

I think you should try it on an overnight and let us know how it goes!

 

[Paul McLaughlin]

Probably I have come closer to actually trying this in the field than anyone else. What I did was to use a piece of climashield tied into the the inside of a bivy sack as an overbag for a ski trip. The uncovered insulation was a major pain in the butt, snagging on everything from my days-old beard to my fleece hat. It hangs together fine, but man, what a hassle. I did it because I was planning on making an overquilt but hadn’t had time to do it before the trip. Since then I finished the overquilt, with .67 fabric for the shell. Very nice.

[Author]

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