How to Make a $40 Backpacking Quilt
The Double Black Diamond Down Throw is a 60″ x 70″ down comforter with a nylon cover that weighs 15 oz. It’s insulated with 700 fill power down and you can usually buy them on Amazon for under $40. I bought two when I saw them on sale at Bed and Bath for $20 each. While I wasn’t sure what I’d use them for, it was too good of a deal to pass up. I suspect I’m like a lot of other backpackers who collect sewing materials for MYOG projects, even if they’re not planned, because they intuitively know they’ll be useful in the future.
When I got home I decided to make one of them into a backpacking quilt for summer use, modeled after the Marcy 20 degree quilt that I’d purchased from Mid-Atlantic Mountain Works (MAMW). Comparable summer weight quilts cost $200 and up, so I knew I could save a lot of money.
My goal was to do minimal sewing so I could maintain the integrity of the throw.
I decided to create a simple system where I could cinch up the bottom and clip together the sides to make a foot box. I’d also use a clip and ribbon near the top of the quilt to narrow the top opening.
I rummaged around in my scraps of ribbon and found enough ¼” wide grosgrain ribbon to make loops, which I sewed on at the edge of alternate squares. I did this with my sewing machine, but you could hand-sew it as well.
I took a short length of cord and ran it through the loops then through a cord lock. By pulling it tight, I was able to create a foot box. More loops would make a tighter foot box, but for a quilt this thin, it probably doesn’t affect the performance that much. This cord lock has 2 holes, so it works well in this application since I take one end of the cord out of the cord lock when I want to flatten out the quilt, and put it back in to make the foot box. To open the throw like a blanket, I remove the cord from all the ribbon loops, so there isn’t any extraneous cord hanging around.
The next step was to close up the quilt more near the bottom to create a more closed foot box. My MAMW Marcy 20 backpacking quilt uses a low-profile center push buckle that was I able to find on Ripstopbytheroll.com.
The low profile means you are less likely to end up sleeping on a lump. I simply attached each side of the buckle to the quilt with a short piece of ribbon. I added another one of these buckles with a 1-2 foot long piece of ribbon on one side and a short piece on the other side of the quilt near the top.
Done! Based on current prices, you can put one of these together for under $40 using of one these Double Black Diamond the 60”x70” down throws.
Once it was finished, I made one for my son as well. He calls it “Sketchy Quilt” which is a good name for it since it’s not a “real” piece of gear and has no rating or guarantee. Based on our usage, we think it’s usable down to maybe 50 degrees. This makes it a great, inexpensive option for hot summer nights. It’s also a handy addition to bring along as an add-on for trips where you think your sleeping bag or other backpacking quilt may not be warm enough for the temperatures you expect. It’s a great summer sleeping bag option for kids, as well.
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Great idea. I’ve been thinking about doing something similar as an underquilt for a bridge hammock.
I went to the Mid-Atlantic Mountain Works website and learned that they are no longer taking orders and essentially not doing any sort of regular business at this time. See blog post on their site.
Yup. All the more reason to make your own. :-)
One of these years, i’ve got to learn how to sew.
Another idea to close up the foot box (less permanent and no-sew): Elastic bed sheet clips. The clips are like the ones on old-fashioned garter belts.
Nice liner for your existing bag if you need to occasionally camp in colder conditions
Any ideas on adding a draft collar?
Maybe a fleece tube sewn along the top or along the second line of squares with a thin bungee inside to pull it tight.
I was thinking q simple way to do this without sewing at all (for us lazy people) would be to use the clips or slide clips that are used to hold a fitted sheet onto a mattress.
Keep clipped on one side and if you wanted to secure around your pad can use that to clip other side.