Top Quilt for AT thru hike

[vladdtoo]

I ran into a couple of thru hikers on the PCT. They told me they made their own quilts to save $$.

[gringoperdido]

I have to agree - DIY could save some money and it's pretty satisfying making your own gear. Don't need a lot of sewing skills either. If you're planning your thru-hike starting in the Spring, you'd have time to get some pretty great gear made.
For relatively cheap and easy topquilt, could go with climashield apex for insulation. For down - DIY is a little trickier because you have to sew baffles.


I don't think using a bag liner is a good idea. It's gonna make getting in and out of the hammock tricky and doesn't really make that much difference in warmth compared to equal weight in insulation. Might be better off with using long underwear instead.