Inches of down loft for a 32F bag?

[tlbj6142]

I'm just about ready to order my materials to make a Hungry Howie down quilt. But first I have a couple of questions...

How do you determine how much (by weight I guess) down to place in each baffle? Just a simple (LxWxH)/fillweight forumula? So, a baffle 50"x7"x2.5" using 800 fill would need (875/800=1.09oz). How do I weigh 1.09 oz of down?
What about loft height for a 32F bag? I see 2" for an Arc-Ghost (http://www.nunatakusa.com/Sleeping_Bag_Ghost_Blanket.htm), 2" on thru-hiker's site (http://www.thru-hiker.com/workshop.asp?subcat=5&cid=6), 2.75" on Howie's own site (http://www.newsushi.net/quilt.html), 2" from Western Mountaineering (http://www.westernmountaineering.com/ba_MegaLite.htm) and 2" from Feathered Friends (http://www.featheredfriends.com/ProductDetails.aspx?productId=88&CatId=1&ProductName=Osprey). Seem like the consenus is 2", but Howie recomends 2.75" (which is a 15F-20F bag from some manufactures). What is even more strange is that thru-hiker and Howie's site don't match.
When I cut the baffle material I need to add 1" or 2" of seam allowance? So a 2.5" baffle would need a 3.5" or 4.5" piece of no-see-um netting? How is the netting sewn to the inner/outer layers? Just a simple stitch or do you double layer (fold over) the netting before sewing it to the ripstop?
Being a UL geek I was thinking of going with 0.8 oz ripstop over the 1.1 ripstop. Any concerns? Besides thru-hiker is there another source I haven't been able to find one. Though I'll probably end up buyng from ACYE as he has already helped me with a couple of issues.
I've made hard copies of AYCE's, Howie's and Risk's instructions. As they all seem to give slightly different details.

[Smee]

tlbj6142,

Your calculation for the amount of down is exactly correct. When we make the Jacks r Better quilts we calculate for the entire bag and just divide by the number of baffles since they're all the same size. If your baffle dimensions vary you'll need to do the calculation separately for each baffle.

We transfer the down to plastic baggies and weigh each baggie on a postage scale. You can get them at office max for as little as about $35. Weigh the baggie empty first. Add the calculated weight of the down and fill the baggies until they weigh the correct amount. Fill all the baggies first before you begin stuffing.

I recommend you perform the stuffing operation in a bathroom or someplace similar that you can close off. String a clothes line across the room at about waist height. Use clothes pins to hang the bag - 1 clothes pin per baffle. Pin them loosely so the baffles hang open. Fill each baffle one handful at a time, then close them using the clothes pin. Carry the quilt to the sewing machine to sew up the open end.

We add an inch to each side of the no-see-um baffle and fold 1/2 inch over. Then single stitch. Sew all the baffles to one side of the quilt first. Then sew them one at a time to the other side. Mark the back side of a business card with the desired height of your baffles. Use it to measure periodically as you sew to insure you have the right spacing on each baffle.

As for other material sources, try Outdoor Wilderness Fabric.

http://www.owfinc.com/

Good Luck.

Regards,

[tlbj6142]

Thanks for the info.

I was concerned that the weigh per baffle would be too low to measure accurately on my scale. I guess that might be the case on some small baffles (like on a jacket), but on a quilt I don't think it will be an issue.