June 20, 2019
Quilt conversion
Converting a sleeping bag to a quilt is a simple project in concept.
You eliminate the zipper (which is heavy!) and narrow the thing up to about
48 inches wide. You may also eliminate the hood if it has one.
Down from the hood and draft tube ends up getting moved into the quilt,
which increases its loft and warmth. Narrowing also tends to put more
down where it counts.
Mountain Hardware Down upgrade conversion
Years ago I bought one of these on sale and have hardly used it.
It is made with 650 fill down, so it won't end up being a state of
the art ultralight wonder.
In its current state as a sleeping bag, mine weighs 2 pounds 9 ounces.
One fellow says his became a 26 ounce quilt, so that is dropping
15 ounces!!
The intent was that you would zip this inside of a sleeping bag with
a compatible zipper system, adding warmth.
All by itself though it is a decent bag down to 35F degrees or so.
Modified to a quilt, one fellow thinks it is good down to 25F.
The double zipper is heavy, and eliminating it will reduce weight,
but I don't know yet how much, since this project is still in the
planning stages.
REI advertised it as a 40 degree bag that would add 25 degrees to any other bag it could
zip into. They also claimed 600 fill down.
Have any comments? Questions?
Drop me a line!
Tom's backpacking pages / tom@mmto.org