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Rocketman
12-24-2009, 17:26
I did another DIY project involving modification of a standard pillow. I bought one which was labeled "allergy free" and was deeply discounted from $9.99 at Burlington Coat Factory.

The label calls the insulation polyester. It isn't a batting, it is a lot of short fiber loose clusters that look vaguely like down clusters. Some of the clusters show a knot of twisted and kinked yarn that opens out into a cluster like thing. The pictures attached may help explain this, but I would really need more close-up capability that my camera doesn't provide.

I used an empty shoe box to measure weight and volume with a digital scale for weight and ruler to compute the volume of the box filled with down.

This stuff gives 260 cu.in./oz.

Previously I had posted:


I have measured the loft per ounce of "low loft" and "high loft" polyester quilting materials 9at fabric stores and walmart) as about 90 cu. in. per ounce and 130 cu. in. per ounce.

Comparing these to 500 - 800 cu. in. per ounce down as found in bedtop and outdoor doen quilts indicates that you will have much less warmth per weight with the sewing store polyester batting for quilts.
Another poster gave an estimated "loft" for Climashield XP at 320 cu.in./oz.
Another remarked that just the "loft" doesn't adequately describe the insulative capabilities of Climashield XP.

At any rate, I felt that it was worth mentioning this interesting not mat batting form of insulation and how much more loft this form of synthetic material insulation construction can give rise to high loft at relatively low weight.

When I get time, I will try to make something like a vest or a cozy out of it.``````````````````````````````````````````````` ``````````````````````````

Rocketman
12-24-2009, 17:29
Problems with the pictures solved?

Compass
12-24-2009, 21:09
The next questions are;
1. How well does it pack down/compress comparitively?
2. Does it revive to original loft after compressing without fluffing?
3. How well does it handle moisture? or How much is the loft reduced if wet?

For 1 & 2 Down excells but 3 is where the synthetic bats have an advantage.

Rocketman
12-25-2009, 06:58
The next questions are;
1. How well does it pack down/compress comparitively?
2. Does it revive to original loft after compressing without fluffing?
3. How well does it handle moisture? or How much is the loft reduced if wet?

For 1 & 2 Down excells but 3 is where the synthetic bats have an advantage.

Part of the reason for the posting is related to the occasional question of "Why can't I use the quilting insulation I find in fabric stores and WalMart instead of the expensive sleeping bag insulations?"

For durability, the reworked pillow from which this stuff came has kept its loft for two months of nightly use. Pillow softness or firmness is a consequence of "overfilling" for down, feathers and synthetic chopped filament fills.

If it would require fluffing to restore original loft, I wouldn't be too disappointed.

The moisture question is a complicated one. There are those that argue that loft loss from moisture is a non-issue because it is preventable as long time down users postulate. There are different losses of thermal conductivity with wetness for different materials. There are different degrees of drying needed to restore warmth with different materials.

So, I will never be able to answer the moisture question- since it is still subject to debate.

Do I recommend that anyone use this stuff? Not unless you are curious yourself about exploring interesting alternatives to conventional commercial backpacking/clothing insulation materials.

It was stuff left over from a pillow modification project and it occurred to me to measure the loft in cu.in./oz.

No shoe boxes were harmed in the conduct of this research. :)