800+ fill/Pertex GL 'napping bag'

[Adam Alphabet]

In prep for my first bikepacking race I've been mulling over insulation ideas for a long time. I finally settled on a 'napping bag' for lack of a better term. With dimensions at 40"x50" the weight came in at exactly 200g or (7.0oz) with over half of the weight in 800+ fill down, about 105-110g (~3.8oz).

The bag is designed to be very multi use. It can be draped over long ways or I can burrito myself in tight all cinched up with the gros grain straps. There are shock cord draw cords top and bottom. Snaps at each corner that mate the corners long ways or short ways. I can use it around my torso if I'm cold and need to boost my core temp or slide it down and use it as an elephant foot or half bag in combination with my upper body clothing layers.

Being my first foray into working with down it was a bit of an experience but not too terrible. I ended up figuring out a decent enough technique to get all the baffles, spaced 5" apart filled with about 13g of down each.

Super stoked on how it turned out. Can't wait to test it out in less than two weeks!
Adam.

[Yagi]

Dang, man, looks nice... the multitude of possible uses is what you need to keep the sack light for your race.  Good luck in the AZT, and keep us posted on how the Nappin' Sack holds up and works out.

[roadpacker]

How'd she go?

[Adam Alphabet]

How'd she go?

Really well.
I removed the straps and added snaps as closures. I then added arm holes. When cinched with the shock cord at the top and bottom it goes from my neck down and covers my butt part way down my upper leg. For sleeping I tuck my arms in the arm holes and it's like I'm wearing a sleeping bag. To get up in the night or when packing up in the morning I stick my arms out and go about my business while staying warm.

*For the AZT it was my only insulation and worked well
*For a 5 day bikepacking trip in the Chilcotins I combined it with a down jacket and an elephant foot synthetic quilt and cuben/pertex bivy I made for very warm bikepacking/touring sleep system.
*For the CTR I used it in combination with a synthetic hooded vest I made and driducks. Slept well enough at 11000' for a few hours a couple times.

Over all I'm thrilled with how it performed and don't see myself going back to a standalone quilt for the time being. I love being able to wear it out of bed to retain the heat.

[roadpacker]

Addy,

I've suspected this to be the end-game for a minute now. I'm going after tbese long distance bike goals which demand the flexibility of these kinds of weird garments.

A touch of hand sewing would have me there for the quilt.

I've really resented my time in true bivvies. I'm running a Rab Ridge Raider, at 35 oz. it's an apartment building by bivvy standards. The cuben/eVent occurred to me before I knew it had already occurred to everyone else. I wonder what my DIY hoop options are. It's all about the hoop. I know MLD has some consumer versions of this.

If you use it as only insulation you must not keep it all rolled together as a single sleep system. I assume you just stuff the elephant foot in the bivvy since you only use it for sleep.

Always a step ahead, brother, I like your style. If I play my cards right I could be tempting the gods (and my employment status) by having an unnoticeably small amount of crap that permits me to go on and on and do stupid things like 36 or 48 hour rides punctuated by naps. It's the end game now.

Inspiring stuff

[Adam Alphabet]

Addy,

I've suspected this to be the end-game for a minute now. I'm going after tbese long distance bike goals which demand the flexibility of these kinds of weird garments.

A touch of hand sewing would have me there for the quilt.

I've really resented my time in true bivvies. I'm running a Rab Ridge Raider, at 35 oz. it's an apartment building by bivvy standards. The cuben/eVent occurred to me before I knew it had already occurred to everyone else. I wonder what my DIY hoop options are. It's all about the hoop. I know MLD has some consumer versions of this.

If you use it as only insulation you must not keep it all rolled together as a single sleep system. I assume you just stuff the elephant foot in the bivvy since you only use it for sleep.

Always a step ahead, brother, I like your style. If I play my cards right I could be tempting the gods (and my employment status) by having an unnoticeably small amount of crap that permits me to go on and on and do stupid things like 36 or 48 hour rides punctuated by naps. It's the end game now.

Inspiring stuff

Thanks man,

Once it gets in your mind it's hard to look at commercial gear the same. I just can't anymore, it's too singular, too 2D.

I've been following this weirdo next level stuff for about 10 years and the ideas of the myog people, while super niche and may never trickle (up/down) to the industry are always the most forward thinking.

Bill Fornshell is one of the god fathers. He was doing cuben myog nerdery first.
Here's a hoop bivy option he came up with almost 10 years ago.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=4054

This dude too, Aaron Sorensen was all about the JMT and made some pretty next level stuff for his record attempts.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=5734

It's cool to be able to apply ideas to a bikepacking perspective.

RE: sleep system... As I've been using a dropper post this year I finally came up with a good seat bag design that works with the full travel of the dropper. So the split sleep system actually works better for packing as the dropper seat bag is quite a bit smaller than a typical branded seat bags. Works well though. V2 will be better, got one adjustment to make. Always thinkering.

I can't wait for the AZT300 next year. I'm coming prepared now that I know what to expect, so stoked!
All the best in your adventures man, sounds like you've got some pretty rad stuff in the works.

[Racingguy04]

Did you sew through for your baffles? or did you use fabric on the inside to give them a 3D shape?

[Adam Alphabet]

Did you sew through for your baffles? or did you use fabric on the inside to give them a 3D shape?

Sewn through. For so little down baffles would've been a lot more work that I didn't feel was worth the effort.

[roadpacker]

I've decided as winter rolls in here in the mid-atlantic, that I'm going to cut a head hole into the center of my 30* quilt for use during camp instead of a spare layer. Basically copying the Jacks R Better No Sniveler quilt. Wondering if you think this is a totally bozo idea. I think velcro will hold the hole closed, as it does on the Jacks quilt, but I'm imagining warm air just pouring out of there overnight and me being pretty bummed I did it.

That said, I anticipate perhaps wearing down pants in conjunction with my nanopuff jacket. In past winters I have simply combined my summer and fall quilts, but I want to reduce redundancy... so long story short, I think I wont notice a velcro hole at my hip if I've got down pants on.

Maybe I answered my own question. But I'm wondering your thoughts all the same.

Keepin' the hustle strong.

-R

[Adam Alphabet]

I've decided as winter rolls in here in the mid-atlantic, that I'm going to cut a head hole into the center of my 30* quilt for use during camp instead of a spare layer. Basically copying the Jacks R Better No Sniveler quilt. Wondering if you think this is a totally bozo idea. I think velcro will hold the hole closed, as it does on the Jacks quilt, but I'm imagining warm air just pouring out of there overnight and me being pretty bummed I did it.

That said, I anticipate perhaps wearing down pants in conjunction with my nanopuff jacket. In past winters I have simply combined my summer and fall quilts, but I want to reduce redundancy... so long story short, I think I wont notice a velcro hole at my hip if I've got down pants on.

Maybe I answered my own question. But I'm wondering your thoughts all the same.

Keepin' the hustle strong.

-R

I'd say go for it. Heat escape will be minimal if it's sealed up tight. There will likely be some bunching and overlap where the velcro now rests but otherwise I think you'll be fine. Be sure to sew around first and then cut between the sew lines otherwise you risk a down explosion! unless you used synthetic fill then less of an issue.
Let er rip!

[roadpacker]

Synthetic, like 2ish inches of Apex. It's 20d though pertex maybe on both sides, I don't think I can hand-sew (all I can do right now) the fabric velcro I've got to the pertex without it coming apart over time from getting yanked on with strong velcro. I might sew it straight through, in an inch or two from the seam, to seal with overlap.