Ray Jardine Quilt

[KIMBOKO]

Has anybody (in the UK as its where I live) made and used a Ray Jardine quilt?
I would be interested in a brief review if possible.
I was one click from ordering one for last years Christmas pressy but chickened out.
It seems to me that the insulation in a sleeping bag under this 18 stone person is squashed flat and no longer insulates. So the closed cell mat under me is the only insulation I have. So I might as well just use a quilt on top, which will save weight and bulk. I have often experimented using one of my Buffalo sleeping bags under me with the zip open and another as a quilt on top with the zip open.
But thats mainly because the bag I bought 25 years ago for a skinny teenager hasn't expanded into middle age like its owner!.
Talking of which anybody got any ideas how to start to get fit again after years of piling on the flab???

 

[wentworth]

I'd give you a review but I'm in Oz...

 

[Toddy]

Has anybody (in the UK as its where I live) made and used a Ray Jardine quilt?
I would be interested in a brief review if possible.
I was one click from ordering one for last years Christmas pressy but chickened out.
It seems to me that the insulation in a sleeping bag under this 18 stone person is squashed flat and no longer insulates. So the closed cell mat under me is the only insulation I have. So I might as well just use a quilt on top, which will save weight and bulk. I have often experimented using one of my Buffalo sleeping bags under me with the zip open and another as a quilt on top with the zip open.
But thats mainly because the bag I bought 25 years ago for a skinny teenager hasn't expanded into middle age like its owner!.
Talking of which anybody got any ideas how to start to get fit again after years of piling on the flab???

Haven't tried one of these but I freeze if I don't have a good thick isulation below me ( or a handy husband beside me) and weight definitely compresses insulation. It's quilt season now, lots of bargains/special offers available. Why not buy a cheapie and give it a shot first, even overnight in the garden would be a try out before you spend *money* on one.
Fit?/ weight? vicious circle I reckon.
Doc's advice is the clearest I've ever heard. "*Eat less, move more*"

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[KIMBOKO]

My new Motto E.L.M.M. Eat Less Move More.

I am happy with the principle of using a quilt rather than a sleeping bag and I did think of using a cheap quilt years ago, I got as far as buying one but havn't used it. I am certain that domestic synthetic quilts are not designed to be crushed down into a smallstuff sac and once crushed would rapidly loose their insulative properties. The "Ray Way " quilts are made from a more technical wadding that can accept crushing and "reflation" with little detriment. On the whole I think I would prefer a down quilt but judging by my experience of finding any sort of technical fabric in the correct weight let alone goose down I think I would rapidly abandon the project.
The Ray Jardine kits seems like a good way forward.

 

[arctic hobo]

Talking of which anybody got any ideas how to start to get fit again after years of piling on the flab???

Best thing (according to my old sports nutrition teacher) is to lower the carbs, and walk more. Don't run or anything, walking burns most fat - plus it's also easier to convince yourself to do than running

 

[wentworth]

I found the insulation got stuck in the foot of the sewing machine. What worked was using a french seam, so no insulation touched the foot.
The quilts are good and light. I especially like the look of that little gorget thing Ray has added, which I don't have on mine.
If you were really good at sewing and clearing up mess you could try making this 17 oz down quilt...
http://www.thru-hiker.com/MaterialDetail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=MG115&subcat=Kits

 

[KIMBOKO]

Wentworth. What an excellent link . I've not been to that site before. It will take a bit of time to read it all.
I thank you for volunteering a review it may not have too much relevance to cold damp England but I'm sure it would still be interesting.

 

[wentworth]

The beauty of these type of synthetic quilts is that even after they're finished, they can be customised. After I made mine, I found it was too wide and too short. This wasn't such an issue in the hammock, as I slept more curled up. So I added a hood as featured on Ray's site, and narrowed the quilt.
If I was going to carry 800 grams of insulation for sleeping, I would want it all to be on top of me. So for this reason the quilt works for me.

Sleeping under a quilt without a tent requires you to tuck the quilt around the edges to avoid drafts. I don't think this would be a problem as much in a tent. I haven't needed to do this in a hammock.
You don't need to tuck the quilt you sleep under at home because you have a sheet sealing off the gaps, probably tucked under your matress. This is what I believe the gorget on the Rayway quilts simulate.

When I used my quilt in winter, I put the hood over my head, with just my nose sticking out. This way, my head was fuly insulated, and I actually found myself overheating! To me it makes more sense to have the head fully covered (but allowing for breathing) than having the face exposed as in a sleping bag. Just my opinion. Hope this ramble helps you decide...

 

[KIMBOKO]

Just coming up for air after reading the Thru-hiker site.
I find it amazing that I can "talk" to someone I've never met on the other side of the world, about sleeping under quilts. Have you tried a down filled quilt?.

 

[wentworth]

I've used my hammock underquilt as a top quilt. It did feel strange to have a covering that only weighs 500 grams... like it might blow away! Some people have been known to sew tiny pockets to the edges of their quilts, into which they put things to anchor it down.
The only problem with using my underquilt on top was that the down moved around a little bit, which could have left cold spots. The company now has all it's quilts overstuffed, so this shouldn't be a problem. The thru hiker quilt looks pretty overstuffed too.