Okay, I've been lusting after a WM Aspen for a little while, mostly because on my last section I had to use my SD 15F down bag as a quilt to keep cool enough.The Aspen is around 24 oz. for a 25-degree rectangular bag that can be opened up as a quilt, but it is pretty expensive at $300 plus. So a friend suggested that I may want to make a quilt, and the idea has been on my mind more and more. I'm thinking I might save a ton of money by making a quilt and putting either draw strings or a #3 zipper on the bottom (or something like that).

So I went to Thru-hiker (they have material for a down quilt) and to Jardine's site (he has a 3D kit), and to Jack's R Better (finished product).

Anyone know how warm the Jardine Regular quilt is? What kind of temp rating? How much does the Jardine quilt weigh?

How about the Thru-Hiker Down piece - warmth and weight?

Lastly, what about the 3D fill versus Down? Jardine goes to great length to badmouth down, but I've not had bad experiences with my down bag, and I truly love the way it drapes over me - much, much better than synthetic fill. But if there is a real advantage to the 3D (either weight or otherwise) , can someone here enlighten me?

I thought I was a Down fan forever, but after reading Jardine's argumnent, I don't know anymore.

Thoughts???

Anyone know how warm the Jardine Regular quilt is? What kind of temp rating? How much does the Jardine quilt weigh?

I recently made a Jardine regular quilt. It was a relatively simple project. Although I have never worked with down, I imagine that it is much easier to work with an insulation that rolls out rather than one that floats away on every breeze.

I have been quite warm under my quilt in a hammock (blue CCF pad underneath) in temps in the low 40s. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

My quilt weighs about 1 1/2 pounds.

I love it!!!

There have been several threads debating the advantages and disadvantages of down and synthetic - search the archives and you'll have plenty of reading to do. It all comes down to a personal choice (I like down, personally).

As far as making a quilt, synthetic insulation is MUCH less of a hassle to work with because you just roll it out. But then you have to quilt it in place, and that's pretty tedious, too. Working with down requires quite a bit of patience, but once you figure it out it's not all that bad. Just go into a room with no breezes (like the bathroom), put a towel under the door so nothing sneaks out, put baby powder on your hands and move real slow. Sure it's a bit of a hassle, but the final product will weigh less, pack smaller, and likely last longer, than a similar-temp-rated synthetic quilt.