How is your loft holding up so far? Can you notice any significant loss?
Printable View
I can't say...my first quilt is only 2 months old!
I have read about others who don't compress more than needed and store at full loft using for 2-3 years without loss of loft. My guess is "Individual Results Will Vary"
But at the cost for a down TQ/UQ, I'll see how these work
I forgot to add that the insulating material in the Ray Way is rather aggressive at “re lofting”. Ray suggests making the stuff sack as big (Bigger) as the pack & just compressing the stiff as you put other items in your pack. Nope, I couldn’t do that. Well, I could have with about 2 other people helping me hold it in the pack. I found it easier to make the stuff sack the size I needed the packed quilt to be & living with the loft lost by being “too compressed”. Bear in mind that my quilt is rarely in it’s stuff sack more than about 24 hrs at a time, if that long, as I use it 2 of every 3 nights, so your mileage may vary. And, the first thing I do when I decide on a camp is set up the hammock & pull out the quilts to fluff up.
BB58,
Lots of light packs have adequate space to put the RW quilt inside. hanging stuff outside is rarely adequate.
I had made several Climashield quilts a while back. They're not RW quilts, but I figured I'd offer the info about sack size for them.
The stuff sacks I made for them are roughly 8" x 18" or so.
They are not packed super tight in there.
I haven't really noticed any problems with the insulation so far, but I usually un-stuff ASAP. I haven't used mine a whole lot yet, but I can tell that the insulation will eventually compress or whatever, as all synthetic does.
I also have to add that IMO it's not as warm as down. It'll do in many circumstances though!
I think it's an affordable option to down, but a short term option.
Perkolady
I don't think I would define the thru-hiker materials as a "kit". You are getting the raw materials and down and it's up to you to do your homework to figure our your own layout. There is no pattern supplied. Luckily, it's not that difficult thanks to many who have gone before us and have been good enough to post good directions. Mine came out great, but like I said, you are really just getting the materials if you go the TH route.
I made a Ray Way and an underquilt using Climashield 3D. The insulation for the Ray Way was loftier and softer than the Climashield, and it compresses better. I wish I knew what the Jardines use and where to get it.
I love the warmth of the Ray Way. I made a stuff sack per instructions and find that it's no sweat to pack the quilt and stuff it into the bottom of the pack, then jam stuff in around it. I got my hammock stuffed around it plus straps and long underwear.
When I made my synthetic underquilt, I briefly thought about ordering a Ray-Way, but the ramblings on the Ray-way site, particularly the stuff about the integrity paradigm, completely turned me off.
I ordered Momentum-90 and Climashield XP from thru-hiker instead. Before I made the quilt, Paul from thru-hiker talked to me for a long time and gave me many tips and advice on how to make the quilt. I was quite pleased with the result. The Momentum-90 from thru-hiker is really nice, well worth the extra money IMO, particularly if you consider the amount of time you spend making the quilt. I have found the temperature rating of 20 F for the 5osy XP to be accurate as well.
The Climashield does not compress so well. It took up a lot of space in my pack. I have since made some down quilts for that reason. If you are concerned about the compression, why not make a down quilt? It is not near as hard or messy as many websites suggest.