The $20 1lb. Summer Quilt - A Gear Review/DIY Tutorial

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MATERIALS:
Quilt: Available in-store at Costco only.
Grosgrain Ribbon: amzn.to/2cxQBQ8
Cord Locks: amzn.to/2bKup3W
Cordage: amzn.to/2cmZDvg
MORE INFO ON MY WEBSITE: backcountrybant...

[@woodythehikerw9323]

bought 2 last year from costco, tried them out in the high desert of johnson valley in February, stuck one inside my sleeping bag to help my 40 degree bag out, it worked kept me warm down into the 20's F. just bought one more to do Joes mod

[@tomkruczek668]

I don't belong to Costco but Bed Bath and Beyond has 650 FP 60x70" goose down throws for 19.99 on sale from 29.99. They are so good, I bought 4 of them. I'm taking two of them and putting Kam snaps into them for total flexibility, including a foot-box, layering quilts, and for using the quilts inside of my EE Enigmas to help lower the temp. Thanks for posting Joe as I would not have found those quilts without your help.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Cool!

[@bizob1]

Love your videos Joe! I'm an assistant scoutmaster and took a crew to Philmont in July. Our troop heavily promotes ultralight backpacking and have adopted many of your tips! I actually made two of these top quilts so you can put one inside the other and fasten with snaps. I successfully hiked 10 days 82.5 miles above 6k feet with temperatures as low as 40 and was plenty warm! Thanks for all you do!

[@darylgud7601]

totally inspired me. I have been a scout master for 40 years. I am 6'4" tall and this quilt was small, but I bought two of them. I took four squares off one and sewed it on the top of it. Out of the rest of the top quilt I made a pair of booties and a mini top quilt, that I can attach to the other one. Tested it out and with the booties and mini quilt attached and a puffer jacket I went down to thirteen degrees. It worked out well.

[@Brad-99]

Great for hot summer days when camping ,light ,warm tiny to pack👍👍

[@Gehtdichnixanoder]

Hey Joe, I'm an exchange student from Germany, currently living in Kansas and I am so happy that I saw your video. Before I wanted to buy a quilt for hiking and a blanket for my room in the dorms for the winter. Now I just have to buy this one. That saves me a lot of money which I can use for my trip to California. Unfortunately I don't have a car so I ordered it online but still cheaper than to buy a regular hiking quilt. Thanks :-)

[@amusingmyslf]

Sam's Club had these under the Eddie Bauer logo a couple years ago. I got one for myself and my boyfriend. I wear my packable down jacket under the quilt, with long yoga pants.

[@PracticalOutdoorist]

Great Video ! When cutting many pieces cord, rope, grosgrain etc. I like to use a tea lite candle for sealing ends.

[@DonP_is_lostagain]

These have become very popular in the DIY hammock community being used for summer underquilts. Been thining about getting one myself and DIY'ing it into a summer UQ. Thanks for the DIY tips! Another great video Joe.

[@outerlimitless]

Saw this video yesterday...flew over to Costco today. Picked up two of these...$40 investment and they pack up nice and small... less than 1 lb a piece. I'm trying these out tonight. So far, I'm pretty happy. Thanks for posting, great suggestion!

[@tony_r_pierce]

As another comment mentions, we also found the 60x70 650-fill at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Looks exactly like the Double Black Diamond you show here. Nice tip, Apache! This is a very versatile piece.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Good info, thanks!

[@1OTDM]

Tony Pierce I don't know if it's exactly the same. looks similar, but having just bought one it claims lower fill power (650), also at 70" I don't see how this will work for anyone more than 5'9". wish I had a Double black diamond to do a side by side

[@1OTDM]

also the cover is 100% nylon not a poly/nylon blend

[@WhatsUpWithSheila]

This is the easiest conversation I have seen!...sewing could even be done by hand.... THANK YOU 👍

[@BackcountryBanter]

It definitely can be done by hand!

[@darylgud7601]

Joe, I love your DIY tips. I have one for you. I got two of these Throws at Costco. I am 6'4" tall and it wasn't quite tall enough. So I took 4 squares off one and sewed it on top of the other one. I also made a small tube and sewed it on the bottom of the quilt to make my foot box. Then I sewed a few small loops onto the blanket. I now can take some paracord and put it through the tube and the loops to create a great foot box. This left me with a part of the blanket I had cut into. I took four more squares off the bottom of the quilt and made another tube out of it, cut it in half and created two booties that go up to my knees. I had six squares left that I turned into a mini blanket. I sewed four loops on the mini quilt and then matching loops on the top quilt to be attached to add loft to the top quilt over my vitals. I live in Utah and I went out to try the set up. With the booties, top quilt and mini quilt combined I slept comfortable in it and it got down to between 5 -13 degrees that night. So now I use the set up for summer and winter. The booties made it easy to go down to the low temperature. I also had a fluffy jacket with me just in case but I really didn't need it. It is very versital and still weighs less than 2lbs with everything combined. 1lb 1/2 oz if I only need the summer top quilt. Try it out its great.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Wow very cool. I love it. I've been thinking about making a down jacket and pants out of a spare blanket, but like the idea of booties as well. Do you have any pics of them anywhere?

[@darylgud7601]

No, I don't. But you wouldn't see much. Just long tubes half the size of the blanket across the bottom of the blanket. It took 4 squares to make the tube and it is six squares long.

[@homesteadonomics]

Great overview and tutorial!😊👍

[@Loathomar]

For non costco members, you can get it on Amazon for $40-50 and ebay for under $40.

[@meriwethersayan]

Thank you for the amazing DIY. I modified mine a little but now I have 2 summer quilts for under $20 each.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Awesome!

[@joshbrenhaug7587]

Nice! Was thinking of picking one of these up, now definitely going to. Also, the unexpected use of The Force at 2:50 blew my mind.

[@BackcountryBanter]

My secret is out!

[@CraigSheppard]

I've seen these in Costco for a while and twice picked them up just as a "nice to have", but ended up putting it back to try not to let the Costco bill get out of control. But I gotta say having seen this, maybe third time's a charm--what a great idea! Nicely done, Joe.

[@farmdoctor615]

Dude, you remind me so much of myself...30 years ago, that is! I love all of your DIY ideas and have used several of them. I'll pack this quilt as I head out on the AT this coming February (2017). Thanks for sharing, happy hiking and may Buddha bless!

[@BackcountryBanter]

Nice, have fun on the AT! As a side note, you'll definitely want more than just this quilt on the AT in Feb, it'll be super cold!

[@TheGoatMumbler]

Nice budget find. Perfect for Texas camping.

[@AndyOnTheMountain]

Wow good find my friend. This will be great to add some extra warmth to my current quilt. I camped Friday night near Arapaho Pass in the Indian Peaks, temps hit low 30's, this would have been perfect. I could see this perfect for my dogs camp blanket too. So versatile. Andy

[@sinfonianbarelytone9191]

I too would be interested in this as an under quilt. My guess it would be as easy as putting the loops on both sides and creating a stretch cord loop through them.

[@What_If_We_Tried]

Awesome tutorial! Will use your Amazon link as soon as I can find a friend with a sewing machine.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Thanks!

[@caseyclover1867]

just starting out in UL hiking and pack/quilt making here in the UK loving the channel, super helpful !

[@TubaSolotheHiker]

I got one of these and had the mother in law sew the bottom closed for me on her fancy machine. But I think it's time to go get another one and try this new design you've demonstrated. Certainly gives the quilt more options. Your videos are always very helpful. Thank you! P.s. The cape part was pretty funny, with the hissing and all. Lol take care.

[@uncatila]

I just got the lb and 1/2 marmont hydrogen. I'll use this quilt as a liner or mix and match

[@bP-yr3po]

Save the trouble. Buy a much nicer version from Anti Gravity Gear. 60 bucks and much nicer fill. Or 4 about 40 bucks you can get Ion argon and some apex and make a super 50 degree quilt

[@Ureyeuh]

So I tried this quilt out for about a year and I just wanted to say that it did not work for me. I did not perform any sewing or modifications to the quilt, but if I did things might have been different. I utilized this quilt in the Rockies on a quick 3 night 2-day backpacking trip (four pass loop [A+ loop btw]) and a few other out and back 3-day trips in various parks out west. I found myself to be quite cold still with a sleep setup as the standard NeoAir Xlite regular, this quilt, a lightweight thermal base layer, thick wool socks, and a long-sleeve Rab baselayer. I wished the quilt was wider and capable of being strapped around my pad. Again, I could have modified the quilt to do this job, but I didn't. The low temps nearly every night I used the quilt were between 27-38 degrees, and the wind was never fierce outside of my Big Agnes Fly Creek UL HV 2. TL;DR If you can modify this quilt to better fit your needs, or you sleep on the warm side, and you don't need a wide quilt then this may be for you. For me, this quilt would have been a decent early-mid Fall quilt at best.

[@twinbo100]

Great channel mate :) Just picked one of these up over here in the UK, gonna layer it up with my JRB Quilt for winter camping.

[@astrog8tr]

Awesome job, and looks super easy (even hand sewable).

[@kevingraham7039]

Haha mostly just capes! Great video, goes to show there are some great deals out there.

[@MrGreen83100]

I maid this in to my under quite last year... I love it... it works great ...

[@backpackerdad6905]

Great video. I did the mod on my Costco quilt and it works great. Thanks bro! My system is modular I use this quilt, a sleeping bag liner and SOL Escape bivy and sleep pretty comfy down to 32 degrees. Thanks for the video's.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Nice! Glad to hear it worked well for you.

[@alexdetrojan4534]

Great instructional video! Off to Costco. 😉

[@nickdean4864]

Thanks so much for the helpful video, brother! As someone still relatively new to backpacking, this is such a great piece of kit and from such an unexpected source no less.

[@echo1er]

awesome job. foot box and a under quilt

[@BackpackingBen]

I took mine down to 50degrees as a under-quilt Friday night. It got down to 47degrees that night and I got cold. Threw on all my clothes and then I warm as could be. But I felt comfortable around 55degrees.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Good to know! Thanks.

[@Northwestbackpacker]

Great video! The foot box design is really clever

[@BrumCraft]

Wish we could get these in UK Costco's

[@elitegraphicarts]

Heading to Costco as we speak, another great video Joe. Thanks again for this great tutorial! Happy trails.

[@CalmVibesVee]

Well done!

[@nerys71]

looks like it would make a nice looking pretty warm skirt too.

[@DonMilligan]

Nice DIY tutorial Joe, I've been looking here in AZ, but haven't found double black diamond quilts, yet.

[@beckergretchenm]

Check out www.amazon.com/Double-Black-Diamond-Packable-Throw/dp/B015D47MVW

[@NoTrail]

jacked up price

[@alexk6444]

Any chance you could show us how to make this thing into an underquilt?

[@BackcountryBanter]

It is very possible. I'll have to come up with some designs first.

[@kookiemoose]

Great find Joe. The internet killed television the way quilts seem to be killing sleeping bags. Everyone laughed at Ed Viesturs 15-20 years ago when he changed over to a down quilt. Great tutorial.

[@VeggieHeather]

this is amazing, I'm so going to Costco today to try to find this!

[@dawno8943]

Great job. Thank you

[@bigjj974]

Joe Costco online sells them 2 for $39.99 plus tax and shipping. I ordered the 2 because my closes Costco is 45 miles away. Got them delivered in California for $51, a very good deal for me. Question: What do you think about sewing the 2 of them together on top of each other to increase the insulation?

[@RideAlongside]

Still have your singlespeed Salsa El Mariachi?

[@michaelcleveland98]

Very cool DIY project. Also, a very well done instructional video. I wish we had Costco in Switzerland but it's not going to happen. This kind of reminds me of the Sea To Summit quilt/bag thing they sell. Just FIY - the ribbon is called grosgrain en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grosgrain

[@davidson_oldbull_sectionhiker]

Great design and I am interested in the under quilt piece.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Just as an FYI these very recently showed up in most US Costco stores, but they tend to go fast. Get one while they are still around! If they haven't shown up in your local store yet, keep an eye out. Also, thanks for watching! You can check out the article on this (with links to the DIY gear) at my website here: backcountrybanter.com/2016/09/03/20-1lb-ultralight-summer-quilt-gear-reviewdiy-tutorial/

[@chrishurlbut1478]

Hey Joe! Love all of your videos! I really want 2,3 of these for DIY projects, but where I live in Massachusetts we don't have any Costco stores, and I am not paying $50pc that people are selling on Amazon. I've been trying to find someone in the hiking/backpacking community with a Costco store near them to purchase and ship them to me, with PayPal or another way. If you happen to see/hear of anyone willing to do this, please let me know. I'm sure that their are plenty of others out there in my situation as well. Feel free to email me if you happen to come across anyone in our internet communities willing to do something like that... Thanks, Chris... [e-mail]

[@elitegraphicarts]

I live in MA also and have a couple of these to sell, have a grey one and a navy, $29 each www.ebay.com/itm/-/162190750429? www.ebay.com/itm/-/162190753609?

[@beckergretchenm]

I wish these were only $20, but www.amazon.com/Double-Black-Diamond-Packable-Throw/dp/B015D47MVW

[@MsMckeown77]

did you see that they have down jackets? 0° 650fp... kinda heavy though. I got one. gonna weigh it when i get home.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Let us know what it weighs! Didn't see those.

[@Sol-x]

i have worn out countless shoes. i have found that american made shoes last 2 and even 4 times longer then china shoes. the advantages are cost. 12 dollar shoes last 500 miles, 45 dollar american shoes last 2100 miles on average. china shoes are very light. american shoes are heaver. would like to hear you do a review on shoes and even pertaing to cost effectiveness. thanks

[@lindseyran]

You should check out instructables.com and consider making this in to one. You would only need to write up some documentation.

[@udmbfckx2916]

Thanks for your video. I also have purchased a couple of these. One of them I turned it into a quilt by lazily using Monster tape on the inside and outside of the foot-box and up to the knee level. I haven't been able to test it yet due to the cooler weather. I know you mentioned 50 degrees, but how low have you tested it and what were you wearing? Thanks !

[@brentwelborn25]

Joe- So, I year later, do you have an update on well it worked out for you. Did you use it much? How low of temps did you try it out at? Durability?

[@RichardBuckerCodes]

Just for grins... this quilt sells for $50 on amazon and I was not able to find it on the costco website.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Woah, that's crazy. And yeah, in-store only for now.

[@RichardBuckerCodes]

Joe Brewer I wish I lived in a place where I needed a quilt... but I live in Florida so the best I need is a sleeping bag liner.

[@MsMckeown77]

you probably double them up and make a cold weather quilt. :o

[@BackcountryBanter]

I sort of want to give this a go :-)

[@jsaenzMusic]

Man......wish I this video would have came out before I bought a damn Thermarest Regulus blanket for $70! Errrr. Not your fault though Joe. Thanks for the vid!

[@mikebox]

very nice idea and great video. Thanks. Question: Have you ever thought of using the US GI Issue Poncho Liner to do the same thing?

[@BackcountryBanter]

I have, but the weight has always turned me off from it. Before these down quilts were so wide spread, I remember seeing many poncho liner mods for quilts and under quilts. It is definitely a possibility.

[@mikebox]

Problem with the down quilts from my experience is that humid climates they aren't very effective. In fact the Indian army uses a duel bag system. The down is used inside with a synthetic outer bag to wick the transpiration away from the down bag. Also, down looses about 30% of its insulation ability once wet.

[@ryanfahey4997]

Wish they still sold these

[@adventureswithfrodo2721]

look up match coat it would be simple to do.

[@scottmacs]

I'm gonna make this.

[@scottmacs]

I made one for myself today. I think I might make an underquilt using the same type of quilt.

[@howdydoughty7634]

Nice joe I was gonna add this to an Aegismax down bag to see if I could use it at lower temps. Trying to save some money, think it would work?

[@BackcountryBanter]

It would definitely add warmth!

[@osgiliath4]

Are these possible to get anymore?

[@RobWalsh3]

Joe, This is so cool! New to sewing here... mind if I ask What size needle and thread did you use to sew the loops?

[@BackcountryBanter]

Check this thread out: bit.ly/2nYAoJ3 And these are some needles I've used before: amzn.to/2ABdBZP They are size 9, for really fine fabric work.

[@dawno8943]

What size compression sack do you suggest for this?

[@christinamforte]

Man I saw these last week and didn't grab one =/

[@christophergallagher4892]

Very interesting video! What has your experience been using it outdoors? I'm thinking about getting one (you can still find them online, although they aren't $20 anymore 😢) and using it with a 750 fill underquilt. I'm backpacking through Yosemite later this summer and wondering if this quilt would keep you warm in temps sinking to the 40s or possibly 30s.

[@BackcountryBanter]

I haven't had too much experience with this quilt backpacking yet as it gets too cold here in Colorado to use it. To be honest, I would think Yosemite temps would probably be a little too cold for this quilt, though maybe in the dead of summer it'd be fine.

[@Brad-99]

Wtf 20$ I got same one from mountain Warehouse 70$ on sale lol 🥺

[@atartt123]

Say it ain't so, Joe! Your blog seems to have disappeared! What gives?! Enjoy your videos and your writing. Will we be seeing more down the road?

[@BackcountryBanter]

Not sure what happened, some sort of hosting issue. It should be resolved now though! More is coming. I've just been swamped with work and life activities. I'm working on two videos, but I just don't have the time I once did :(

[@gwmtnbiker]

Do you think sewing 2 of these together into a double thick quilt....would get a person down to 35 degrees?

[@sandrazern649]

I did just that and am taking it out this weekend but it's only supposed to get down to 59. I was in it a few days ago for about 1/2 hour at about 45 degrees and was toasty warm.

[@darekdarek9793]

Hi Sandra can you tell me more about putting 2 together.did you just sew them together, one seems to be too skinny.if this works that would be big saving .. $$$$ .I just bought one and thinking about second and use as a sleeping quilt for my hiking.thank you..

[@gwmtnbiker]

Somebody recommended that I make two separate ones...stay single layer during warmer temps & stuff one inside the other when it gets colder...thus, keeping maximum flexibility!

[@sandrazern649]

That's what I did but I stuffed one with more down that I removed from an old down coat.

[@wilardo]

dude! this is awesome

[@abitofthisabitofthatwithda5379]

come on peeps!!! 2000+ views and only 135 likes! i been roulg around in the woods for 30+ and im not big on a lot of hacks! i really like this one A LOT! THIS DESERVES THUMBS ON EVERY VIEW!!! SO THUMBS UP EVERYONE!!!

[@chrisz.9974]

Can you just use this without modifying it?

[@BackcountryBanter]

Definitely. It may be a little draftier but that can be fixed with a little tucking.

[@JS-tb9hu]

Awesome video, what temperature do you think it would be suitable to?

[@BackcountryBanter]

45-50 F* is probably the lowest I'd go.

[@scottmacs]

Awesome!

[@my_everyday_carry]

What type of cycling do yo do?

[@timsmith2193]

I have a 32 degree down bag now. If i made this and put around/over that bag, how much do you think it would add to the rating? anyone use this over those react liners to add to the temperature rating? I have to imagine this would be better and cheaper.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Really hard to say. I think it'd definitely be cheaper and warmer than a liner though.

[@markcummings6856]

Backcountry Banter katanatic site has a chart that shows total temp rating when combining different bags together.

[@enjoyinglife9611]

What's the weight of this quit?

[@whengrapespop5728]

Would this work for a hammock?

[@BackcountryBanter]

It could! It is a little short, but perhaps if you modified it. People also make underquilts out of these.

[@zanthornton]

Total cost? Thanks

[@Kenneljagtlivet]

Nice summer quilt.

[@danc420]

Is that a single speed?!

[@BackcountryBanter]

Yeah haha. Salsa El Mariachi SS. I really enjoy it, but I'm thinking about doing a 1x10 conversion for Bike packing.

[@balkangetaway]

so I just spend 200 dollar for a similar cumulus quilt. great.

[@T25de]

40$ at my local

[@thomaszabel1521]

The $40 price is for a 2-pack though. I don't think they sell single ones any longer. For hammock campers, you can actually use 1 to make the topquilt, and use the other for an underquilt. Great videos out there about the underquilt version if you search.

[@stoood12game28]

That ad was freaking weird.

[@Saw_Squatch]

unfortunately the market has just realized that they can make more money off of us than they originally thought because I can't for the life of me find this item on line for less than about $40 after shipping :/

[@BackcountryBanter]

It's only officially sold in-store at Costco (it's not even on their website.) Which means if you're seeing anywhere else, the price is going to be jacked up.

[@MsMckeown77]

o.o duuuude!

[@35ABSTRACT]

"I hate the term hack."

[@ryanpatrick1189]

Great deal but for that price, I'd be very concerned if the down was obtained responsibly.