Print PDF
Favorite
Email
If you are like me, the most unforgettable image of your childhood was the innards of a tauntaun spilling out onto the icy ground as Han Solo created a makeshift shelter for his buddy Luke to survive the frigid Hoth night. Also if you are like me, your head nearly exploded when you received your thinkgeek.com April 1st email catalog, tried to order their new tauntaun sleeping bag, and found out it was a cruel joke taking advantage of our collective need for Star Wars merchandise. Due to the demand, they did eventually start producing those sleeping bags, which you can purchase here for around $100.
While I thank ThinkGeek for their idea(I can't believe I didn't think of this first), I decided to make my own because I found a flaw in their design: Their sleeping bags are for indoor use only(you could not actually survive a night on hoth!) thus defeating the purpose of having a trusty tauntaun in the first place.
Therefore I have created(with a lot of help from Mrs. ihrtglfx10) my own version of the sleeping bag using an old Trekk bag that is rated for -20 C so this model can actually be used for camping trips spent in frozen wastelands. It is being given as a Christmas present to the next generation of geek, my nephew, to help him survive winter in the Colorado rockies.
Please message me if anything isn't clear or you need advice/tips/hints with your own tauntaun.
While I thank ThinkGeek for their idea(I can't believe I didn't think of this first), I decided to make my own because I found a flaw in their design: Their sleeping bags are for indoor use only(you could not actually survive a night on hoth!) thus defeating the purpose of having a trusty tauntaun in the first place.
Therefore I have created(with a lot of help from Mrs. ihrtglfx10) my own version of the sleeping bag using an old Trekk bag that is rated for -20 C so this model can actually be used for camping trips spent in frozen wastelands. It is being given as a Christmas present to the next generation of geek, my nephew, to help him survive winter in the Colorado rockies.
Please message me if anything isn't clear or you need advice/tips/hints with your own tauntaun.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1Materials and Required Skills
This is a bit of a creative project so the exact design and materials are up to you but this is the list of materials I used:
- old sleeping bag
-gray fleece for the outer layer, legs, head, and tail (get this as close to tauntaun fur as possible)
-pink flannel for the inner layer (soft as possible)
-faux suede fabric for the saddle (got to ride in style)
-scrap black fabric for the detailing
-small amount of tan fabric for the horns
-paper for the patterns
-your wife's sewing machine and scissors, pins, etc.
-black and gray thread
-a patient wife
Total cost (not including wife): $45, less than half of the cost of the official version for sale.
Total time: around 3-4 hours of continuous work
As for sewing skills, this is the first time I have ever used a sewing machine so most of the fine detailing was done by the missus, but since the sleeping bag is already put together, a lot of the sewing was simple, straight lines. Just be aware that some skills are required, not a beginner project.
*WARNING* Wives will not sew geeky sleeping bags for free. This project will most likely cost you a few foot rubs and movie tickets to the latest teenage vampire film. It helps to clearly establish payment before starting this project.
- old sleeping bag
-gray fleece for the outer layer, legs, head, and tail (get this as close to tauntaun fur as possible)
-pink flannel for the inner layer (soft as possible)
-faux suede fabric for the saddle (got to ride in style)
-scrap black fabric for the detailing
-small amount of tan fabric for the horns
-paper for the patterns
-your wife's sewing machine and scissors, pins, etc.
-black and gray thread
-a patient wife
Total cost (not including wife): $45, less than half of the cost of the official version for sale.
Total time: around 3-4 hours of continuous work
As for sewing skills, this is the first time I have ever used a sewing machine so most of the fine detailing was done by the missus, but since the sleeping bag is already put together, a lot of the sewing was simple, straight lines. Just be aware that some skills are required, not a beginner project.
*WARNING* Wives will not sew geeky sleeping bags for free. This project will most likely cost you a few foot rubs and movie tickets to the latest teenage vampire film. It helps to clearly establish payment before starting this project.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
Now what you need to do is make a Custom travel bag that looks like the body of the Tauntaun, maybe have the arms and legs join to make a backpack of sorts, Just to push it pass wonderous!
I know you are tempted to say "and I though she smelled bad on the outside!"
but don't do it. resist the urge!