CUBEN FIBER / DOWN FILL SLEEPING QUILT
As far as I know, this is the world's lightest down quilt out there. Currently named the WLQ (worlds lightest quilt), this creation has 8 oz. of 800+ fill down and is sized for me at 6'3" tall & about 185 lbs. The inner and outer shell are made of 0.33 oz/yd cuben fiber, however, in order to assist the down in lofting, a strip of momentum 90 was added to the center of the quilt and also to the bottom of the footbox. This allows air to enter into the cuben fiber baffled chambers. Due to the complexity of this project and my lack of sewing abilities, I had to have this built by an outside vendor. The original concept was to have the entire outside of the quilt made from momentum 90 and only the inside layer from cuben fiber. The logic behind this was to create a vapour barrier effect with the quilt. In colder temperatures, I usually bring a seperate vapour barrier so it was only a matter of time before I tried to incorporate it into my sleep system. After discussing various options with Tim, it was decided to use a strip down the middle as he felt this would be enough for the material to loft.
Update: I now have many nights out using this quilt. Performance is above and beyond what I thought it would be. It easily takes me into freezing temperatures. Tim is now making these as one of his standard designs and it is now known as the Epiphany Quilt. I have even seen some of the quilts without the momentum strip down the middle and so far they are reporting no issues with perofrmance - this is good news as it will save a little bit of weight from the final product. The vapour barrier effect achieved when using this quilt is the real key to it's comfort. If you are not familiar with vapour barriers or have never used one, I recommend becoming experienced with this technique before purchasing. I have several years of VB use so the quilt is perfect for me. Typically, throughout the night, I have to vent the quilt a few times to allow built up moisture and heat to escape and cool myself off. If you leave the quilt on you all night, you may end up with condensation inside, which is why having expereince with a vapour barrier is important when using this quilt.
Description: Cuben fiber inner and outer shell with an 8" strip of momentum 90 on the outside running down the center. Filled with 8 oz of 800+ down. Baffle height is 1.5" with a round foot box. Shoulder width is 46", hip width is 40", footbox is 32", and length is 74".
Weight: 11.01 oz (312 grams).
Notes: The back has 2 removable elastic straps to help eliminate drafts. I had this built by Tim Marshall who is a custom tailor specializing in outdoor gear. If you are interested, you can contact him and he can make one of these (or anything else you can think of) for you. Tim's website is www.enlightenedequipment.com
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