My experience -
I camp in 3 season weather (and mild 4 season weather) in Colorado's mountains. Occasionally with camps near the tree line. Since I converted to hammocking this summer I have been looking and researching how to keep warm. I decided to purchase two new quilts from JRB - the Hudson River. As I get more experienced I would like to try DIY, but for now I was looking for a good commercial solution - the Hudson River is an excellent solution.
Purchasing experience -
I purchased online - the initial response was fast, shipping was quick and the product arrived in a very timely manner. Prior to the arrival of my quilts I was contacted by the mfg. and was asked to carefully inspect my quilts as they had some shock cord turn up in their manfacturing area and thought it might go with my quilts (although they indicated it was unlikely that that had passed their outgoing inspection). My quilts arrived complete - but it was great to know that the Jack's were looking out for me as their customer.
Initial Quality -
The quilts came in two clear plastic zippered quilt bags, with care instructions and a stuff/compression bag. The quilts looked great. The Hudson river is basically a JRB Nest without the slit for HH entry. Since I didn't have an HH that is what I was looking for and I didn't need the camp wear functionality of the No Sniveler. The seams were well stitched and all materials and workmanship looked first class. I weighed both quilts and they weighed virtually identical and consistent with mfg specs. All in all, I was very impressed with the quality out of the box.
Field trial Underquilt -
8500 feet in Pike national forest. Low 1st night 38 farenheit mild rain. Low second night 40 clear skies. I used the JRB suspension system for attaching to my Jungle Hammock. Instructions included for hanging are specific to a HH. This was not too helpful. I got it on, but at first the underquilt was too far from the hammock creating a dead air spot around my shoulders and mid section (it got cold quickly). After reattaching the underquilt and cinching tighter it was better, but still not what I need. Finally I took some spare cord and used the HH tie out loops on the quilt to tie to the hammock and cinch in those 2 places - Heaven. The down quilt adjusted properly was able to provide plenty of insulation for the conditons and it was fairly easy to setup (after I got it figured out). I think that this underquilt alone should be sufficient for me down to about 20 farenheit.
Field trial as Overquilt -
The second quilt was used as an overquilt. I was initially wearing socks, underwear, a thermal top and a beanie. This was too hot with the quilt, I stripped clothes down to underwear and beanie and was still plenty warm. But since it was a quilt it was easy to ventilate (versus a bag) and I was able to get comfortable. The footbox was plenty warm without other foot insulation, so with insulation on my feet and a thermal layer I could go much lower (again depending on the layers quite a bit lower - it would be bounded by the underquilt).
Price -
The Hudson River (Long) lists for $234.95 US (each) - I got it on the summer sale for less than that. While the price is dear, for the quality and performance it is well worth that price.
Summary - I am very pleased with the JRB Hudson River Quilt if you have a non-Hennessy hammock and are looking for a quality underquilt this is a great choice. It also makes a wonderful top quilt.
I couldn't be more pleased. Thanks to JRB for the great service and the quality product.
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