Costco Down TQ

**Eric Nelson** · 12-22-2019, 20:56

Hi all, I never introduced myself so I’ll do that real quick. I’m new on here and new to camping in general, though I’ve always wanted to get into it. I’m only 19 so I’ve got a fair share to learn so any advice is appreciated. I have a new BBXLC and I’m waiting for my HG economy incubator to ship. I want a top quilt but I’m not ready to spend a lot on it. I was wondering if it could work to buy the 2 pack of CDTs, remove the vertical or horizontal stitching on one of them, and then cut open the other one and combine the down, so one of them would have almost double the down. Has anyone ever tried this/have any ideas if this would work?

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**Sambop** · 12-22-2019, 21:46

I have double stuffed one. I seam ripped all of the short seams and every other long one. I then put in faux baffles and double stuffed it with the down from a second quilt. I used it as top quilt down below thirty but I sleep warm.

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**JT4446** · 12-22-2019, 21:54

I seam ripped two of mine and then off-set layered them with cam snaps so that the seams do not line up. I went 2.5 baffles to one side on the layering so that it makes the double quilt wider with 2.5 seams of single layer on each side. I was plenty warm with this into the low 30's with just a base layer. I stayed warm to 18 degrees with extra layers on a trip where I did not expect it to get that cold. Mine are set up to add a third layer for even colder. I have taken the three layer down to zero with a two layers of clothing, but I also have a windshield on my hammock and that makes a difference.

**Eric Nelson** · 12-22-2019, 22:15

These sound great. Which way would be better to remove the stitching, or does it not matter?

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**leiavoia** · 12-22-2019, 22:18

I understand if money is a concern, but for myself a good top quilt was worth the big bucks. I would hate to make it from scratch, having already done a share of underquilts.

The biggest problem with the CDTs as topquilts is the length. They are almost-but-not-quite long enough for the average U.S. adult male. If you want to cut up some CDTs, you will certainly want to sew some kind of extension on.

I recommend layering two blankets. One layer by itself won't get you too far. They don't even need to be sewn together. Just make two quilts and wear them one inside the other.

I also recommend taking a look at Jellyfish's tutorials on snapping together a set. Saves on sewing, plus you can use it as a regular ol' rectangular blanket by unsnapping it.

**jedavisii** · 12-22-2019, 23:34

I'm with leiavoia on this. The cdt comes up to my shoulders an I'm 5'9". So not a lot of extra to snuggle down in if it's really cold.... But you can wear more.

Also messing with down is not for the faint of heart. I tried adding down to my CDT TQ and I'm sure there was more in my vacuum after I cleaned up than made it into the quilt.

Since the sell them in two packs online, maybe makes two top quilts following Jellyfish's instructions and nest them if it's cold? Then you can use them separately in warmer temps.

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**JT4446** · 12-23-2019, 00:00

Originally Posted by Eric Nelson

These sound great. Which way would be better to remove the stitching, or does it not matter?

I ripped thenshort seams.

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**BananaHammock** · 12-23-2019, 00:09

By cutting two rows off the short side and adding them to the bottom, you can make these 80”X50” and have a quilt that is plenty long. There are great tutorials out there on how to cut and sew these for a longer topquilt.

**baby bear** · 12-23-2019, 08:45

Depending on how cold you want to go Anti Gravity Gear makes a 55deg topquilt that beats the stuff out of the Costco quilt I made.And its 65 or 70 bucks. I use mine for 3 seasons in the southern appalachians

**joemomma** · 12-23-2019, 16:49

FWIW, I have the "heater" or whatever it's called that is made from CDT that HangTite markets. It's double layer. I forget the rating - I want to say it's 20 degrees or so - but it struggles in anything below the 40s honestly. I used it this past weekend and the temp got to 35 or so. I wasn't cold, but I could have been warmer and I'm a warm sleeper. I had on some standard weight polypro base layer top and bottom with it.

EDIT - In all honesty, it is a well-made set and does just fine, if you stay within it's limits. I feel that I got a good set of 40 degree quilts for $200. But, it isn't going to get you below that without help.