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View Full Version : JRB High Sierra Sniveller wearable quilt 200909



VegaMike
09-28-2009, 12:02
JRB High Sierra Sniveller (http://www.jacksrbetter.com/Wearable%20Quilts.htm)

New it is but has anyone worn it? Slept in it on the :scared: ground (only in dire emergency, natch)?

Besides the Jacks, that is. Introduced September 2009.

Cannibal
09-28-2009, 12:28
Says it was designed with the ground sleeper in mind. That's enough for me to pass. :tongueup::D
Looks to just be a wider No Sniveler. Still, the more quilts the merrier.:shades:

Coldspring
09-28-2009, 12:49
Shush! I have mine on order and want them to finish it before word gets out.

I've never tried a normal No-Sniveller, but isn't a rectangular quilt a waste of space? This one has a tapered 42" footbox and wider 52" upper body, seems to make sense.

Cannibal
09-28-2009, 12:54
Didn't catch the part about the tapering footbox. Good point!

Coldspring
10-05-2009, 18:59
It looks promising and I'm hard to please. Very well made and has a good feel to it, although that's common knowledge on HF. Around 24 ounces for a long quilt that is supposed to be good to 25F. It's actually wide enough to fit around me, lying flat, as a ground quilt, although I don't think I'll be able to lie on my side on the ground. I'm kinda bigger around, and I haven't put any cords on it to keep it closed. I'm not sold on the "overstuff" yet...looks kind of flat in places. It doesn't bulge like a WM, put it that way. Please keep in mind this is a first impression, and I've never found a piece of gear that I'm truly satisfied with...not even my Blackbird. :)

I never liked the bright green for use as underquilts, but I wonder if it looks better than the olive green as a topquilt? :)

I commend the Jacks for their customer service, and putting a few of these quilts out early for those of us requesting one. I'll try it out here in a few days and see what I think.

VegaMike
10-12-2009, 14:46
Coldspring, did you have chance to try it? That 15% sale beckons me.

Coldspring
10-12-2009, 17:58
It's a good quilt. I haven't tried a No-Sniveller for comparison, but I assume this one's tapered footbox fits better. I'm considering having more down put into it, but I'm used to the loftiness of Western Mountaineering bags, so I don't know. The lower part lofts fine, but the upper part doesn't seem puffy looking. I only got 1 oz of overstuff and I would recommend getting the 2 oz overstuff if you want to use it in cooler weather. If you get the 2 oz overstuff, it kicks it up over $300 and then you get the 15% discount...

angrysparrow
10-12-2009, 18:17
If you add even more down to it, it's within an ounce or two of the Rocky Mtn No Sniv, which has another inch of baffles and more loft. That costs a bit more, but seems like it might be a better weight/warmth ratio when the temps drop.

Coldspring
10-20-2009, 22:13
I can't seem to stay warm under my Sierra Sniveller. 50F--was chilly. 42F was cold. 30F was the absolute coldest feeling I've ever experienced in my life. How is a guy to get any sleep if they have to worry about hypothermia? I'm not so sure there is enough down in the upper section to spread entirely across the baffles, I know I was well aware of the part under my chin being flat as a pancake. And when you are literally shaking and shivering...tossing and turning to stay warm, there is no way the velcro is going to remain in place in the footbox, which lets out the built up foot area warmth. I've also never experienced getting up for that midnight nature call and getting back into a cold sleeping bag, but this quilt had no warmth left, after only two minutes.

Take-a-knee
10-21-2009, 07:24
What did you have on your head Coldspring? Had it been a JRB Hood, methinks you'da slept like a baby.

bear bag hanger
10-21-2009, 08:01
I use a standard no Sniveller, which I got shortly after JRB started business. It doesn't have the "overstuff" feature he advertises now. Biggest problem is the flatness of the quilt up near my shoulders and the velcro at the foot end won't stay together during the night. The new ones apparently have tie strings at the top of the velcroed foot box - sounds like they are needed on all his quilts. I also have problems with the slight opening at the bottom of the foot box. I know, just stuff the hole with a pair of sox or something and everything should be good. It's been good as an underquilt, but as an overquilt, it doesn't work as well as my lighter weight Nunatak Arc quilt. I use the JRB Hood extensively and it makes everything else feel so much warmer - don't know how I survived cold weather backpacking before it.

Take-a-knee
10-21-2009, 15:04
I use a standard no Sniveller, which I got shortly after JRB started business. It doesn't have the "overstuff" feature he advertises now. Biggest problem is the flatness of the quilt up near my shoulders and the velcro at the foot end won't stay together during the night. The new ones apparently have tie strings at the top of the velcroed foot box - sounds like they are needed on all his quilts. I also have problems with the slight opening at the bottom of the foot box. I know, just stuff the hole with a pair of sox or something and everything should be good. It's been good as an underquilt, but as an overquilt, it doesn't work as well as my lighter weight Nunatak Arc quilt. I use the JRB Hood extensively and it makes everything else feel so much warmer - don't know how I survived cold weather backpacking before it.

I believe the original JRB quilts had 1.5in baffles, current production has 2in baffles plus 15% (?) overstuff, so we are talking quite a bit more down. You should order some down from Ed Speer and plus that thing up, use Just Jeffs' shop vac technique to transfer the down. Just add one "puff" per baffle until you get the loft the way you want it. It wouldn't take you ten minutes to finger sew some gutted 550 cord at the top of the foot end velcro. Minor stuff.

Bulldog
10-22-2009, 23:53
I looks like my griping had paid off. By the way Jack, the wide Stealth you gave me rocks. I should get a pic of me wearing it in the station. speaking from experience of using a wider Jacks quilt, you cannot go wrong.

This author of this post was A+Ox3, although slight under the effects of ETOH :laugh:. Wow, I am ready to PM school to END. June can't come soon enough no more school and too many trails to follow.