Weight vs Warmth

ETR (Effective Temperature Rating)

Reducing the weight of your hiking and camping gear is important. But when it comes to the weight of your sleeping bag, we have a problem. This is because companies that produce these items tend to exaggerate their specs in order to sell more products.

This was brought home to us during one of our Journey's Flow classes, when a student - completely new to backpacking and camping - brought an incredibly thin sleeping bag with a label clearly stating its temperature rating of 35° F. Its actual temperature rating was more like 65°, and unfortunately the nights were in the low 40's. So for two sleepless nights this poor student experienced the shivering consequences of the company's deceptive marketing. On the third morning the stoic student informed us of the problem, and very sadly we had to send her home.

This type of deception is so rampant, that I know of only one solution - which I have stated in Trail Life. That is, to measure the thickness of insulation for yourself. Only then can you know the sleeping bag's true temperature rating.

As stated in Trail Life, the temperature rating of a bag or quilt is a function of the thickness of insulation covering you.

Ray's formula for the Effective Temperature Rating:

In this formula, the letter "T" represents the thickness, in inches, of that part of the quilt or bag covering you. Since warm air rises, the part beneath you contributes very little (almost nothing) to warmth.

So you multiply "T" by 40, then subtract the result from 100. This gives you the quilt or bag's Effective Temperature Rating, (ETR) in degrees Fahrenheit.

Here is an easy and reasonably accurate way of measuring thickness of insulation: Lay the quilt or bag on a flat and hard surface. If measuring a sleeping bag, unzip it, and open it so that it is not doubled. Measure only the part that would cover you. Lay a yardstick gently on the quilt or bag. Stand a ruler on the quilt or bag, alongside the yardstick, and press it down onto the underlying flat surface. Read the thickness measurement on the ruler at the yardstick.

Note: To avoid false readings, do not measure the thickness of the insulation on an edge. Take your measurements away from the edges.

Let's say that on a summer journey taking us to the cool mountain heights, we are carrying a sleeping bag having 2 inches of insulation in the part that covers us. Plugging the 2 inches into the formula: 100 - (40 * 2") gives this bag an ETR of 20°F. In other words, when sleeping in this bag we can expect to remain comfortable down to 20°F.

Again this is only a guideline, because some people sleep colder than others; some much colder. But for most people it is reasonably accurate, and the cold sleepers can simply choose more insulation and/or wear more clothing.

If you measure the thickness of insulation, and calculate the temperature rating for yourself, only then will you be immune to the manufacturers' ploy of making their products lighter by reducing the amount of insulation - then grossly exaggerating the temperature ratings.

Remember:

• Manufacturer's claims: suspect
• Reality: thickness equals warmth.

The weight of a sleeping bag or quilt depends on what it is made of, and how much it contains. And to be honest, we have sized our 1-person quilt kits extra wide. This is because most people new to quilts tend to thrash around a bit, and for them the wider quilt will be much warmer. But for someone who lies more still, the excess width of quilt lying on the ground does them no good. Once they figure that out, they can trim the quilt to whatever width they like. And yes, a narrower quilt would be that much lighter.

In a certain since, the quilt is like the food - we do not care about its weight. Far more important is that we are well fed, and warm at night. Lightness is important, but warmth is much more so. So we lighten the quilt only as much as we can without sacrificing warmth. And that warmth depends on ample thickness of insulation, along with ample coverage.

Bottom line: Choose one of our Quilt Kits, follow our assembly instructions to the letter, then rest assured that you have a very light and effective sleeping arrangement. Then head into the wilds and enjoy your hiking and camping!

Goose Down

"During our first backpacking trip, the JMT, we swapped quilts throughout the trip and found that the Ray-Way quilt with 2 layers of alpine insulation was a great deal warmer than the 20 degree down quilt of equal loft." -Sam J, KY

Why We Recommend Synthetic Insulation over Goose Down

I was in high school when I bought my first down-filled sleeping bag. The year was 1960 and the company that made the bag was Holubar. In fact, Mrs. Holubar sewed this particular sleeping bag. And it sure was a big improvement over my cotton filled bag that I had been using for many years. The down was the highest quality prime northern goose down, but even so, after several years of rigorous service it lost its loft and had to be thrown out.

In 1971 I designed and sewed together a two-person down-filled sleeping bag. Working with goose down is an unbelievably messy experience. I used this bag for a few years on various trips until it was stolen.

In 1987 Jenny and I hiked the PCT using a top-quality goose down sleeping bag, unzipped and draped over the two of us. During this trip the sleeping bag failed us twice. Both times were when the bag became wet and lost its loft.

One of these failures occurred during an uncommonly heavy deluge in the mountains of central Oregon. The main problem was not the rain, but our tent which was trapping moisture and soaking everything inside - including the down sleeping bag. For the first 24 hours we endured; but as time slowly passed, and the temperature slowly dropped, our ever more wet sleeping bag inexorably lost its loft. This was when we began to worry. On the verge of hypothermia, we packed up - in the pouring, near-freezing rain - and resumed hiking.

Hiking in a storm with a soaking wet goose-down sleeping bag is extremely dangerous. This is because one has no margins of safety. Should the storm intensify and require making camp, one could not. The wet and flattened sleeping bag would sap body warmth rather than preserve it.

Many people have died in wet goose down sleeping bags, and I know of a few of them. And yet companies making goose down products continue to hype their wares, and to exaggerate their claims. Buyer, please beware!

Fortunately, Jenny and I were not too many miles from a road, and an hour later managed to catch a ride into town.

In the final few weeks of that 4+ month hike, the goose down had lost so much of its loft that it would not stay on top of us. It had so much room to move about inside the nylon layers that every time we shifted, so did the down - from off the top of us. We spent a lot of time shaking the down back toward the center. And even then, the sleeping bag was no longer warm.

Returning home we retired that sleeping bag, all $350 worth of it, and kept it in a box for old times sake until finally throwing out.

Back at it again in 1991, we hiked the PCT a second time - again starting with a brand new, $350 goose down sleeping bag that finished the trip in exactly the same inglorious fashion. But at least during this trip the goose down failed us only once.

We were hiking in a storm in northern California, miles from nowhere. Here again, the tent trapped moisture and soaked the sleeping bag, which in turn lost its loft. Nevertheless, we broke camp and hiked all through the next day. Towards evening we stopped to make camp, and in the rain pitched the tent. The weather was very cold, but we could not crawl inside the tent becuase we had no insulation to crawl into. Fortunately we were able to start a campfire. And also fortunately we had sewn a large awning to our tent. So under this we sat for a long while, trying to dry the wet sleeping bag.

Not only is goose down quite useless when wet, because it goes flat as a pancake, only in clumps; but down is extremely difficult and slow to dry. So there we sat, with the awning over us, which resembled a tarp. The awning was a great help because it sheltered the sleeping bag while we held the bag toward the fire and its radiating warmth.

We managed to dry the sleeping bag just enough to safely go to sleep. The night was anything but comfortable, but to our good fortune the weather began to clear the following day.

After returning home and throwing that sleeping bag away, the next year, 1992, we again bought a new $350 goose down bag for a hike of the CDT. We also replaced the tent, fitted it with an even larger awning over its doorway, and cut away its entire front end - for much-needed ventilation. This trip certainly had its moments, weather-wise, but the sleeping bag at least survived, and although we have not used it since, at least we still have it, even though it lost about half of its loft.

In 1993 we were preparing to hike the AT, but were in no moods to spend yet another $350 on another down sleeping bag. So we made our first "quilt" of synthetic insulation. This quilt proved remarkably easy to make, compared with my ordeal of making the down sleeping bag many years ago. And the quilt was very inexpensive. Yet it preformed a hundred times better than down. At the time we were still using the tent & awning, and many times experienced heavy and prolonged downpours. We knew very well from experience that the pervading moisture would have flattened a down sleeping bag. But even though our synthetic quilt became quite moisture-laden on several occasions, it stayed warm. Big difference!

In 1994 we hiked the PCT a third time, using another home-made quilt of synthetic insulation. Once again the quilt was a big success.

Since that fifth long-distance hike we have embarked upon many long paddling journeys in the Arctic, in addition to our IUA hike & bike, rowing across the Atlantic, cycling across the U.S., kite skiing on the Greenland Ice Cap, skiing to the South Pole, climbing Vinson Massif in Antarctica, trekking in the Himalaya, mountaineering in Argentina, thru-hiking the Appalachian Trial, cycling across the US, and so forth - all with home-made synthetic insulation quilts.

We have learned, through much trial and error, the true disadvantages of down insulation - and we are not taking any more chances with it.

Moreover, we like to think that thanks to our quilts made of synthetic insulation there are a few geese out there with their precious down still attached to their bodies rather than plucked as a commodity for commercial gain.

Myths . . .

The following myths are regularly passed on by well-meaning people who think they are experienced hikers. (In truth, they are usually trying to demonstrate their knowledge (not based on actual experience but on advertising hype), or they are promoting something - usually some down filled product).

Myth #1: A good waterproof stuff sack will keep your goose down sleeping bag dry. Wrong!

My answer: Yes, if you sleep in your stuff sack also. Good luck breathing. :) But when you pull your sleeping bag out of the stuff sack, that stuff sack no longer protects your sleeping bag. And that is when the sleeping bag starts to become wet, even inside an expensive tent.

And the next morning, you will be putting a wet or at least damp sleeping bag back into that stuff sack, which then only works to contain the dampness. So at the end of the second day, the waterproof stuff sack does not keep your sleeping bag dry, because the sleeping bag was wet to begin with.

Therefore, during an overnight hike, a good waterproof stuff sack will not keep your goose down sleeping bag dry.

Myth #2: An expensive tent will keep your goose down sleeping bag dry. Wrong!

My answer: Yes, if you keep your sleeping bag inside the tent, but you, yourself, sleep outside the tent. :) If you spend any amount of time inside the tent, with your sleeping bag not contained in the waterproof stuff sack, that sleeping bag will begin to absorb moisture coming from your breath and of your skin.

Xtra-Layer

One advantage to making your own quilt, is that you can modify it however you like. For example, if you think it will be not warm enough, you can add more insulation.

Our standard quilt kit contains two layers of Woodland insulation, each 5/8" thick, for a temperature rating of 50 °F.

We also offer our Alpine option, which upgrades your quilt kit to contain 2 layers of 0.9" rather than the 5/8".

The Xtra-Layer is a third layer of Woodland (5/8") insulation that will boost the quilt's temperature rating down to 15°F.

Note about metabolism: Some people sleep "warmer" than others, and the quilt or sleeping bag's temperature rating is mainly for them. For those who tend to sleep "cold" we recommend our Alpine upgrade, even in summertime. And for colder nights still, we recommend you simply wear extra clothes.

Nevertheless, adding the Xtra-Layer to a quilt-in-the-making is fairly simple. It requires some extra hand basting but no extra sewing. Note that our Alpine upgrade requires no extra basting or extra sewing.

Adding the Xtra-Layer to an existing quilt is also straightforward. It takes a bit of time, but as with all your sewing projects, this is quality time spent on a very meaningful project.

The Xtra-Layer will increase your quilt's weight and bulk. Therefore, we recommend you consider your options carefully.

The Ray-Way Woodland quilt (50°F) is designed to be used beneath a tarp. It will be less warm inside a tent - same with any sleeping bag. This is because a tent traps moisture - from your breath and insensible perspiration (the moisture coming from your skin). Altogether this loss of moisture amounts to about 2 liters per night, per person. This is a lot of dampness, and most is trapped inside the tent, where it absorbs into your quilt or sleeping bag, and your clothing, reducing their ability to keep you warm.

Therefore, before adding the Xtra-Layer, consider switching from a tent to a Ray-Way tarp. This will save you the weight and bulk of the extra layer, and the weight and bulk of the tent compared with the tarp.

Or, save your current 50°F quilt for use on warmer nights, and make a second quilt containing the Xtra-Layer, for use with a tent, or on much colder nights. This is our recommended option because it gives you the greatest flexibility. Your second quilt will be easier to make, in regards to your experience gained making the first one.

The Xtra-Layer measures 82" by 60" and will fit either a 1-person quilt or a 2-person quilt.

Sewing the Foot Pocket

The quilt is a fantastic project. Some of our customers have sewn 3, 4, 5 or more quilts. With each one, their experience level increases and the quilts go together easier. Jenny has lost count of how many she has sewn over the years. In fact, she is now sewing a new 2-person quilt with the alpine upgrade for our NFT.

When sewing the foot pocket, the material has a tendency to slide out from under the presser foot. I will describe Jenny's method of sewing the foot pocket. It is similar to her technique for sewing the perimeter top-stitching.

First, work slowly and don't be in a rush. Trying to sew fast often leads to frustration. By sewing slowly and being careful, you will do a much better job, and and your project will look much nicer.

Second, constantly check underneath the layers to make sure the needle is not inadvertently catching a fold of fabric hidden under your work.

Third, as the fabric feeds under the presser foot, "crab" the materials slightly away from the direction of stitching. That will keep the seam under the needle, without the material sliding away.

And fourth, whenever you stop to check or adjust the layers, which should be about every inch, stop with the needle in the all-the-way-down position before you lift the presser foot. That will hold the seam in place as you make any adjustments.

Note: You have to be careful that as you crab, you hold the materials firmly without pulling or pushing the needle off to one side, which might cause the needle to bend slightly and strike the base plate. That would damage the needle and call for a replacement. The technique is to sew slowly, steer in a crabbing direction without pulling or pushing, and to stop every inch or so to check or adjust the layers.