MYOG Two Person Backpacking Quilt Overview
My Wife and I love backpacking, and have found two person backpacking quilts the best way for us to stay warm in the backcountry. She sleeps cold, and I sleep warm... the backpacking quilt allows me to sneak a leg out on the other side if I get a little toasty. Having a backpacking quilt vs two mummy style sleeping bags helps us cut on weight allows us to snuggle.
We currently have been using a Enlightened Equipment Accomplice as our two person backpacking quilt on all of our adventures. Our Enlightened Equipment Accomplice is a 850 Down, 30 degree size regular.
Since we go on a lot of kayak camping adventures, I wanted to make a two person backpacking quilt out of Apex Climashield insulation. Since Apex is synthetic it can hold more heat than down when it's wet. I also wanted a second quilt to take on our Winter Clouds Rest snowshoe backpacking trip to Yosemite National Park.
Last time we went snowshoeing in Yosemite at Dewey Point, a bit of the condensation on the tent dripped down on our sleeping bag and I was worried about the down retaining heat. My plan was to create this Apex two person backpacking quilt to layer on top of my Enlightened Equipment quilt for extra warmth. Also having the synthetic quilt on top of the down one, I figured it would work as a moisture barrier to any drips.
ℹ️ Gear Recommendations
Check out the Ten Digit Grid Gear Locker for expert gear recommendations for your next adventure, including detailed descriptions of why each item belongs in your pack.
The Apex Climashield Two Person Backpacking Quilt Design
At this point in my sewing career I have sewn six backpacks and two Apex Climashield Quilts. My first MYOG quilt, much like my first MYOG backpack, was an experimentation and I didn't write any articles on it. My second MYOG quilt I custom printed a map of the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the fabric!
I really wanted to do a fun design on my two person MYOG quilt but decided to keep it cheap and simple. With a two person quilt, I would have to sew two lengths of fabric together and didn't want to deal with the hassle of lining both up perfectly for an image to look right.
Despite the weight savings from a tapered design, I decided to go with one big rectangle. A tapered design makes it an odd quilt to use at home on the couch when watching a movie. So again for simplicity and for multi-use I decided to keep the design pretty simple.
I did add snaps to the side and a drawcord footbox closure so we could trap some extra warmth in around the feet.
Main Materials Used:
- 1.0 oz HyperD - Moroccan Blue / Uncalendered
- 1.0 oz HyperD - Black / Uncalendered
- Climashield APEX - 5 oz/sq yd
Two Person Apex Quilt Build Instructions
Until I find a design that I love on a project, I kind of make it up as I go and then iterate through designs each time I make a new one. As I start to find what I like, I start taking notes. Since this is really my 3rd quilt and first ever 2 person quilt, I have not quite dialed in the design yet. As a result, I basically just threw my Enlightened Equipment Quilt on top of the fabric I purchased to get a rough width and length for my quilt.... I know that will super bother some people reading this.
Once I had the General measurements for width and length I got two pieces of Moroccan Blue 1.0 Hyper D and used Ottemax Multipurpose Sewing Clips (Amazon Affiliate) to attach them together lengthwise. This is where I would sew my centerline to get the width I would need for a two person quilt.
After attaching two lengths together for my quilt’s top fabric, it was super wide. I folded it in half at the centerline so it was overlapping itself. This shortened each side of the centerline the same length to keep it even as I cut it. I used some large flat wood pieces to help make straight cuts along with keeping the fabric from moving while I cut it.
Once I was done with the Moroccan Blue topside of the quilt I repeated the same steps with the black underside of the quilt. I sewed the two lengths together to create the centerline. I then again folded it at the centerline in half to evenly trim the side down to the right width. This time I laid the Moroccan Blue fabric on top of the black in order to make sure it matched the width exactly.
Once I cut the black fabric to width it was time to repeat these steps a 3rd and final time. This step was a little more challenging because I was sewing together to lengths of 5.0 oz Climashield APEX...
For sewing the 5 oz Climashield insulation together I had to use large binder clips to hold the two pieces flat together. It was a little challenging to sew but not too bad.
After sewing the two pieces of synthetic insulation together I folded them in half and placed the folded Moroccan Blue fabric on top. I then cut the insulation down to the correct width.
Now I officially had all three layers the correct width for a two person quilt! I had one more quick step before starting to sew them together. When you sew two pieces of 5.0 oz Climashield APEX together you get a rather large bump down the center line when you lay it flat.
I very carefully took sharp scissors and trimmed the bump down as close as I felt comfortable along the center stitch line that connected the two pieces together. After trimming this, excess weight and ugly bump off, it layed just a little bit flatter overall.
After trimming the bump off the APEX Climashield it was time to lay out the entire quilt! I stacked all three layers on top of each other carefully aligning all the edges. The layer order was, insulation, black, then blue on top. This would allow me to sew three sides together and then flip it through the last open side to make everything right side out.
After sewing the top edge straight closed, I wanted to make sure both the left side and the right side of the quilt were perfectly straight with no excess material on either side. I used the wood from earlier to make straight clean cuts on either side and then they were both ready for sewing shut.
Afterwards I sewed both the left and the right edges shut and flipped the quilt through turning it right side out. Now it was beginning to look like a proper quilt! Finishing the quilt is always the hardest part. Once you sew three sides shut, I struggle on how to close it up with a clean finish.
For my Outdoor Ink MYOG Quilt I tried rolling the top part over a few times, but it didn't come out as clean as I wanted.
For this quilt I decided to close it up at the bottom this time. I always like sewing a drawcord at the bottom for the quilts footbox, and figured I could maybe hide the rough edges of the quilt in the channel for the drawcord.
I started out by just sewing a quick top stitch over all the fabric on the open edge of the quilt to sew all three layers together on the final side.
Next I cut out the zipper channel which was one long rectangular piece of fabric.
Next I installed an eyelet in the middle for the drawcord to come out of and sewed in two anchor points on either end where the cord would be tied to. I then attached one of the long sides of the rectangle to the main quilt along the top stitch I previously made to close the quilt. I attached it using a zigzag stitch to cover up the rough edges of the rectangle.
It looked really messy at this point... and I was just kind of winging this closure but it seemed like it would work out in my head. I closed it by aligning the second long end of the rectangular drawcord channel with the same stitch I made on the other side. I again used a zigzag stitch to sew it up and hide the rough edges.
Overall I was shocked at how it came out! It wasn't perfect but it was the most professional looking closing on a MYOG APEX quilt that I finished so far! This blanket ended up being huge, and was perfect for me and my wife to bring along on our winter Yosemite adventure! IThe quilt kept us warm and dry and even packed down pretty dang small despite being synthetic!
