UL Down Vest

[DanShell]

A little ambitious for my second MYO sewing project (first was a pair of basic rain pants) but I decided to give a down vest a go.

I made my own pattern off a work vest and used some online instructions on making a down jacket and modified it to suit a vest.

I used 850 goose down and nice light weight and soft Argon material from Simon at Tiergear. It has close to 3 ounces of down, a little bit of climasheild in the collar and shock cord and mini locks to cinch up the bottom.

It weighs 163g. I am 6 foot or so and weigh around 95Kgs so it is quite a large vest so i am very happy with the weight. I left it a little bit bigger so its not tight on me, so I may even take it in slightly yet and my wife suggested I give it bit more 'shape' when i do, but its very similar cut to some others I looked at online.
It packs down into a fist size ball and its very warm. Being only my second sewing project there are few little things that are not perfect if I wanted to be harsh on myself but realistically unless you know where they are you wouldn't see them

Sorry for the poor quality phone pics.

[Orion]

Looks like a great job. Very nice work.
The only thing I see that is missing are the arms.

What's next?

[Moondog55]

Don't take it in. You need room to layer underneath. Nice job. especially for a second project

[DanShell]

My next project is a basic light bivy hopefully I'll make a start tonight. I'm also considering making a very minimalist wind jacket that will also have some water resistance but needs to be light. I'm undecided on the material to use yet.

My layering system now consists of thermal, fleece and now this vest when not walking. If it gets colder than that I'll be under my quilt!

One thing I forgot to mention was the vest cost well under $100, in fact around $80 in the end I think. Although money wasn't the only motivation to make it myself, I am a person that needs a constant creative outlet lol

[simonm]

Very cool, or warm in this case.

[GPSGuided]

Nice!

[north-north-west]

Neat. Very nice job.
I'm thinking of going for an UL Jacket for my first really serious project. Is it stitched through or with baffles?

[DanShell]

Neat. Very nice job.
I'm thinking of going for an UL Jacket for my first really serious project. Is it stitched through or with baffles?

Thanks, Pre stitched baffles. I had to weigh the down for each individual baffle, it was quite time consuming but I had a particular amount I wanted for each baffle depending where the baffle was.

The hardest part was dealing with the material when sewing. I had to unstitch it a few times which wasn't ideal but it was very easy to gather or pinch material when sewing it.

[north-north-west]

Yes, fiddly, but a lot cheaper than purchasing an equally light and warm garment.

Thanks.

[andrewa]

Excellent project. Well done. It's worth unpicking mistakes and rectifying them along the way, so that they don't irritate you for ever!

Hopefully you know realise how easy it is to make a quilt or sleeping bag. Weighing the down isn't that hard if you use the "jug on scales" and vacuum cleaner method that sits somewhere on these forums entitled "filling a quilt with down"....I put it up some years ago.

Enjoy sewing. It is a fantastic pursuit, and enables you to make exactly what you need for your trips.

A

[DanShell]

Excellent project. Well done. It's worth unpicking mistakes and rectifying them along the way, so that they don't irritate you for ever!

Hopefully you know realise how easy it is to make a quilt or sleeping bag. Weighing the down isn't that hard if you use the "jug on scales" and vacuum cleaner method that sits somewhere on these forums entitled "filling a quilt with down"....I put it up some years ago.

Enjoy sewing. It is a fantastic pursuit, and enables you to make exactly what you need for your trips.

A

Thanks Andrew, Im not sure if I have read the thread you mentioned but I used a cardboard roll out of paper towel and taped some mesh over then end. Weighed it empty (12g) and used the vacuum cleaner on low to suck the down out of the bag. When I had my desired weight i blew into the baffle with my mouth!
Very little waste, negligible in fact.

I recently purchased a Enlightened Equipment quilt as I wasn't confident making my own at the time, but you are correct I will now make my own for my wife or son to use. I want to get into hammocks as well so now at least I can make an under quilt, the list of potential projects is huge
My wife suggested I spend more time making gear and researching than I do in the bush...perhaps Im just a gear junkie but id prefer to think I am continuing to make my walking a lot more enjoyable by having the right gear for the conditions.

[andrewa]

I think this should work in terms of link to filling a quilt with down.

viewtopic.php?f=53&t=7919&p=175761&hilit=Andrewa#p104011

Have fun!

A

[DanShell]

I think this should work in terms of link to filling a quilt with down.

viewtopic.php?f=53&t=7919&p=175761&hilit=Andrewa#p104011

Have fun!

A

Ah yes I had seen it before and I think for a quilt/sleeping bag the plunger idea is definitely better.....perhaps better for my lungs instead of blowing it down there!

[simonm]

I would say you have well and truly caught the DIY bug.

[Tortoise]

Hey Danny, that's amazing!! My initial DIY attempts have not been nearly as successful. But yours gives me some encouragement to persevere.

[walkerchris77]

How much did it cost roughly to make.

[DanShell]

Tortoise, thanks. Amazing is a bit of a stretch but I'm happy if I've inspired you to have a go at one.

I forgot to mention I had a practice run with an old sheet first just so I knew I could do it.

Walkerchris77, it cost approx $80.