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  1. #1
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    Modifying a Karo baffled quilt on the trail?

    I've been planning a top quilt for a thru hike, and I've come up with an interesting idea. Right now, I'm planning to have a light summer quilt and then augment that with my underquilt when it gets really cold. I was planning to do a straight sewn through baffle for the top quilt, as I wasn't too worried about extra heat loss in my summer quilt. I could always put a vapor barrier on above it, and it should perform just fine. Then, I had this idea about the Karo baffles.

    I first saw Karo style baffles less than a week ago, as I was searching for diy quilt methods and patterns. This blog was written in 2013. It seemed much extra effort to put in these Karo baffles, and the sew through would be much simpler. I even thought of just swapping out my summer quilt for my winter quilt at by a time or place on the trail. Luckily today I see the DIY Karo top quilt thread here on HF. This thread and the discussion there brought on this thought.

    Could one use a Karo baffled quilt for summer temperatures, and then supplement with three ounces of down when the temperature gets lower? Then one could add three more ounces when they are expecting snow. In spring, couldn't the hiker pull out down and mail it home? Granted, I know there are a few roadblocks to this idea. Seam ripping a quilt is not too big of a deal, but it would be a hassle on the trail. Resewing the seam isn't a big deal either, because I imagine that you wouldn't need a huge area open. The ability to redistribute filling as desired is one of the main selling points of the karo.

    Could a quilt be designed so that it was easier to access the down? It would need to stay firmly closed, but then be large enough to easily stuff down into it. What if there was a small zipper about the size of a baffle (4 to 5 inches)? The zipper would add extra weight, but I can't think of another easily accessible closure. I'm not so sure that it needs to be easily accessible, as you'd only modify the filling two or three times a year. Perhaps it's as simple as having a slightly larger hem on one baffle, with that becoming the access point. Maybe that hem is rolled or folded in a way that allows easier seam ripping with something like a pocket knife or razor blade. I doubt that anyone would carry a seam ripper onto the trail.

    Could this idea work? How would you keep the quilt closed? Would you just sew it back, or would you want a quick access closure?

  2. #2
    Senior Member P-Dub's Avatar
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    Interesting idea, but seems a bit extreme to go through the trouble of dealing with loose down (especially on the trail) just to save a couple ounces. And by adding a zipper, you negate the weight savings! I have not used down (allergic...achoo), but after reading the experiences of others who have stuffed their own DIY quilts in extremely controlled settings, I cannot imagine anyone trying to add or remove down in the field!

    It seems like it would be easier to simply carry the "extra" down safely enclosed inside the quilt and be prepared for everything you encounter!

    Others with DIY down experience will speak up, I'm sure!

  3. #3
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    Thanks for the response P-dub. I've personally never had much trouble with rogue down. I agree that zipper would be counter-productive to weight savings. I've given this some additional thought, and I think that I would hinge simply upon ripping a seam open and sewing back shut. I would be sure to make this seam easily accessible.

    As for the down being too messy, I haven't found that to be an issue. I imagine the down that I would supplement into my quilts would come in small ziploc bags. I would push the opening of the bag down into the quilt, and then sort of invert the bag of own into the inside of the quilt. I don't expect much loss, and resewing the hem by hand should be simple enough. I'll just need to practice a good bit before I head onto the trail.

  4. #4
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    This sounds terribly fiddly, messy, and bound to go wrong in so many ways. Just my opinion.

    If it were me i would just take one good quilt and carry it the whole way. I appreciate my 20F quilt even in 65F weather.

    If i had to split it, i would actually look into taking a costco blanket as a booster in cold seasons.

  5. #5
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    Have you seen the method that Fronkey uses for stuffing down? He barely uses any at all. I've stuffed a couple of pieces of gear using a plastic bag, and lost almost zero down. Leiavoia, do you have experience with down? Or, are you just assuming that this would too much hassle?

    Perhaps you misunderstand the intention. I don't want to have to "switch out" multiple pieces of gear. I don't plan to need to stuff more down into the quilts, but I figure that I can supplement extra down into my quilts if I get too cold. Plus, down is simple to have included in a resupply kit before the temperatures are supposed to drop.

    I've started completely seam ripping my old sleeping bag to pull out the 17 ounces of dridown fill (I'm assuming to get 15 or 16 ounces at the end). This gives me just enough down for the gear that I'm planning, but leaves my underquilt at 6 ounces instead of 16. This gives me a method to supplement that quilt with more down easily, if I decide to.

    While I can see modifying the down fill on the trail, of course this can be done at home in between seasons also. My main desire for this style has come from trying to deal with my backcountry bed. When I stuck my head inside of it, I saw how horribly the down was spread out. Since the bag is nice, I wanted to just supplement it with more down. The way this bag is sectioned with baffles would make it nearly impossible to redistribute down. Sure, I could seam rip some of each baffle to make a bootleg karo, but the baffles would still be inside inhibiting movement of down to other areas.

    It's understandable to imagine how messy of a process this can be. I feel that it takes more creativity to imagine how this can be done effectively. The way that I see it, if I have a large enough access seam, then the fabric of my quilt will surround the plastic bag of down. I think it takes creativity to find a solution to a problem, rather than simply suggesting something completely different than the suggestion. I really dislike the costco down throw, and suggesting that is like telling me to buy a new car because I'm looking for a way to change the oil better.

    I don't really see how this process would be so messy and difficult. Perhaps you don't understand how a Karo quilt would work for this, but I would shake the quilt and push the down far away from where I'd be opening up the quilt. I can even sew in a sort of "access panel" that is a cylinder that is only connected to the karo baffles at the far end, so that down could be "loaded" into the cylinder and then moved down into the quilt body.

  6. #6
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    Wow, so I used a CDT one time in the past, and wasn't super impressed. I did some digging around, and found two of them for 50 bucks. That's a heck of a deal for the down itself. I mean, they aren't the lightest down quilt, but the two CDTs might be enough for both my top quilt and underquilt. Then, I have 15 to 16 ounces of down that I can make several different pieces of clothing out of.

  7. #7
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    Yes, i have experience with down, which is why i feel this is not a good idea. I have a garage full of feathers to prove it!

    Sometimes the easiest solution is the best one, which is why i suggested just carrying One Good Quilt. That requires no modifications, no new processes, no additional materials, no logistical planning, and significantly reduces the number of things that could possibly go wrong.

    You're welcome to micro-optimize anything you wish, but if you're asking for an opinion (and you did), then i'm not in favor of restuffing blankets in the field.

    While it is admirable to find creative solutions to problems, avoiding problems altogether is the better goal.

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