[SSGHawk]

I am still playing with my cheap china 800 fill previously 'envelope' sleeping bag NOW a Frankenstein Quilt with a 1/2 length zipper that has full head to toe 4" wide down 1.5-2" tall (loft height) tubes. All suggestions/comments/relevant lessons learned gratefully appreciated. Assuming that my eyes were good enough to remove every other sewn through seam, 4 seams in total, wouldn't I end up with approx. 32" (8 tubes times 4") wide consisting of four 8" wide by between 3-4"height down tubes that I could center over my chest area from top of quilt down to mid thigh or so? My old chart says 3" loft is about zero degree (either comfort or extreme limit-don't remember) Somewhere in my vast pile of fun projects that I have thoroughly enjoyed but frequently not finished, I have a few yards of both 3.6 oz apex w/.9" loft & 2.5 oz apex w/.6" loft AND a yard clipping bag full of about 650 down that I harvested from a very old but obviously very expensive quilt that I got cheap. Thanks, Paul

[Schenk]

According to everything that I know about or have experienced with down leads me to suspect that 8" wide tubes will allow the down to migrate and then clump too much and create cold spots overnight. They could lose more heat than the sewn through baffle seams you would remove. It can be fluffed back into position, but it will keep occurring each night. Everyone moves about a little while they sleep but it will be even more noticeable if you are a bit restless when you sleep.

[SSGHawk]

Schenk, Thanks very much for your response. You have a good point. I belong to a number of forums and over the years the MYOG forums do not generate near the involvement they used to. The only exception is the old Coleman Collectors group that almost always gets 20-30 responses to every new topic. At the old Coleman collectors there are specialist for every thing very willing to help and there are seldom any cat fights, So thanks again for responding. SWAG possible solutions to your excellent point: 1. since I have a large yard bag of approx 650 down weighing 1lb 8 oz a,, I could calculate the cubic inches of space in each 8" wide x 3.5"tall by 36" long tube and determine how much of my bag of 650 down each 8" wide tube would take and what that down would weigh. This could tell how much weight I would need to over stuff each tube to minimize down migration. That does not sound desirable, even if it involve low out-of-pocket costs, since the bag could be very warm and I generally use a sleeping bag below 20 F. 2. It would not be very elegant but I probably could get some actual baffling material and glue baffles where they used to be sown. The 8" weight width and 3-4 height would allow me to reach in and do the gluing since it does not needs to be continuously hot glued. 3. I don't really want a zero degree quilt; 30 F would be fine. If I had a hot knife, possibly I could cut the material at the point where I removed the stitching which would allow me to easily get my hands inside the tube to use a hot glue gun to glue in the new baffles with a glue spot say every 4" or so. I could use a 3 foot length of 2" x 3" of board to stick in the tube in have I flat working space in the tube to hold it open. Then I could overlap hot glue the top material back together which would allow me to make the tubes not so tall to reduce the down loft to make the quilt warmer than zero degree. This sounds way too easy. That has got to be a lot more difficult then it sounds? If almost sounds like a basic Boy Scout project. The bag is black so the final gluing of the top does not need to be perfect. Can you think what I am missing? Regards, Paul

[Schenk]

SSGHawk, I gather you are trying to eliminate or reduce the number of sewn through points to reduce heat loss. Overstuffing the new 8" baffles could help, but you will still have sewn through points, just not as many. I have no real experience with sewing or bonding fabrics for clothing or equipment. I do have an old acquaintance whose father glued together a Frostline Jacket kit, instead of sewing it, back in the 70s. I tie flies and that is about as close as I get hahahahaha! Perhaps a manufactured product like you want may exist already...a 30 degree quilt with no sewn through baffles? maybe not Frankenstein size though...hahaha

[SSGHawk]

Schenk, If can tie flies you, are are a fine artist. if someone made a Frostline kit with glue. The newer glues should be much stronger, So I guess my off-the-cuff idea might work. I already have at least 10 down bags between +40 F and -40 F. This project is just for fun and to see how much optimization (lower temp. rating and less weight) I can do on the cheap with a $90 china 800 fill 40 degree bag that weighed 1 lb 5 oz when I bought it. Thanks for your input. Paul