Bushwalk Australia

Hi
I'm looking to make an ultralight blanket or sleeping bag using something like micro-fleece or polar-fleece fabric. I believe the lightest fleece is sp100.

I'm wondering if there is anything more compact and lighter than this? I really want it to role up small due to the amount of room I have.

Does anyone know any other type of material I can look at for this?

Thanks

I think you'll be much better off from a warmth to weight and probably also a pack size point of view by going with a synthetic insulation batting sandwiched between ul nylon fabric shells. There's plenty of info online on DIY synthetic quilts, which sound like what you're after. Something like 2.5 once/sq.yd. (~85gsm) Climashield Apex inside a 10 denier nylon fabric shell (fabric approx 0.66osy, 23gsm). For reference I believe 100 wt fleece is actually usually around 200gsm.

The synthetic insulation and ul fabric will be a bit harder to sew together than fleece but it's generally reckoned to be a manageable project for most people.

What about a Costco down throw?

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The problem with fleece is that it is pretty well uncompressable, so you can have a thin blanket, but its still going to take up all that volume, no matter what. And thin fleece doesn't stop air movement, so its a great liner, but not as good by itself. i've got a 2.2oz/yrd apex quilt that has argon fabric, I think I used argon 67. Anyway, it works as a top quilt in warm weather (down to 18*C with a decent mat and no thermals, and I'm a very cold sleeper and packs down in a compression bag to around a liter, if not a little under. It does weigh in at 402g, but it is also quite large, better tapering and an actual footbox would make it lighter. I just made it a nice big square for comfort. Apex is not quite as good as down, but to be honest, in practice is really close.

Domonic - to provide more useful and specific advice could you tell us what the purpose of this is, what conditions you expect to use it in, and how does it fit into your other gear - a stand alone bag or to extend the performance of an existing bag etc.

Hi there.. Thanks for all the replies. You're all thinking along the same line as me.
I'm just making a compact blanket with a couple of space blankets sandwiched in between. That's it. It's an emergency, stop me from freezing to death blanket I'll be using when travelling overseas. I don't want to carry a sleeping bag as I won't be outdoors but if I do I will bring one.

This is for travelling in places which are cold and even the hotels struggle to keep you warm. Sometimes stuck in a vehicle in the cold, that kind of thing. I also want something to help insulate me over a sleeping bag if I'm outdoors.

That's why it can't be too big. The space blanket thing works very well believe me. It's very light and very effective. I used a cotton sheet in this scenario once (space blanket in between) and it was probably the most useful thing I ever carried. I just thought I would ask some of you seasoned explorers what you would use as I'm thinking of upgrading the material I used last time.

I agree about the compressability of polar fleece. There are some odd materials out there and I will probably come up with something soon (from spotlight or on the internet). There's allot of stuff out there I've never heard of which is why sharing information like this is so great.

Thanks for the replies! (so quick too). Any additional suggestions are more than welcome.

I think we're always interested to see what people want to make, hence the quick replies! If you're going to use space blankets my feeling would be to keep them separate rather than trying to build them into the blanket, use inside the blanket if you need the extra warmth. It'll make the blanket more pleasant to use most of the time because it won't make crinkle noises and will be breathable. Also a space blanket is much less durable than the other materials that have been discussed so will probably deteriorate long before everything else.

At the moment there are several companies that make travellers blankets in down S2S and WM both have very similar products and down win the light warm and compact competition every time.
Malden Mills have their Alpha fabric but it doesn't make a compact blanket
http://www.millyardage.com/ProductDetai ... tCode=4004
But perhaps the best value around would be a couple of those CostCo throws sewn together, an eay and effective way to boost the warmth of any sewn through quilt or throw is to add a wind layer to trap the air and that could be done with the very lightest fabric, it's like adding a windshirt over a LW sewn through down jumper and only needs doing on the top

A wind layer MD, any suggestions for what fabric? I picked up a space blanket and was going to tape up a foot bag to go over my down sleeping bag as a partial wind blocker, but then I was reading something and it sounds like it might trap my body moisture in the down...

As a wind layer only then the lightest tightest fabric you can find. I've never used one myself because I have a bivvy sac but keeping the wind off when not using a tent adds a lot of extra warmth. More so with something sewn thru tho.
Why not experiment with that space blanket as a reflective VB? It will trap water and wet out the SB

My last post should read "It will trap water and wet-out the sleeping bag if used over the top"
Any layer over the top of a LW or UL sleeping bag [ or quilt ] needs to be light enough to not compress the insulating down, I've done a lot od experimenting over the last few snow seasons and the best compromise I have found is the LW clothing grade Tyvek.
Interestingly the Tyvek sleeping bag cover from Terrarosa also works as a partial VB sleeping bag liner as well as a cover to keep off spindrift and mist

Evans tyvek ones look good. I was going to try my silk on the outside but its thin/easy to see through.