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Howdy All,
First time UQ buyer here. I am looking at the Cedar Ridge UP and the HG Econ. Both 20 degree. I was wondering if anyone has experience with the Cedar Ridge UP? I see lots of info and reviews for the HG, but not the Cedar Ridge. If anyone has had both, pros and cons please. Or if anyone has the Cedar Ridge UP, pros and cons please.
Blessings,
Jtidesmith
One is duck down...the HG.
The CR UP is synthetic.
So that is a big difference right there.
Shug
I have a Cedar Ridge goose down 20* UQ and it’s been exceptional. I’m changing over to a mostly bridge setup, so I have it for listed in the for sale forum if you’re interested.
But either way, both vendors have very good track records.
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If you don't need to be able to compress the UQ as much as down allows and you don't mind a bit of extra weight, there's certainly an argument for considering synthetic. If you think synthetic suits your needs, a few vendors offer such UQs.
It sounds like you're just starting out. If you get totally hooked, you'll probably end up buying more hammocks and insulation over time and might even end up with high-end, premium down quilts!
BTW, starting with a 20 degree UQ is a great idea.
Thanks Shug! I understand the difference. I guess my question should've been which performs better? One is $135 and the other can exceed $200 easily. So budget is a factor.
I'll have to check that out. I was looking at the synthetic one on dutch's site. How does yours compare?
Thanks for the insight. Yes, I'm definitely just beginning. O have everything except insulation.Quote:
Originally Posted by TominMN
Arrowhead Equipment (AHE) and Simply Light Designs (SLD) have some good synthetic options to get you started. The AHE Jarbidge or New River are good budget UQs, and the SLD Trail Winder insulated UQP has been a big topic of discussion recently.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jtidesmith13
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Where are you getting that pricing? The Convector is $135, and the Econ Incubator is $179.95, according to their websites. So the down Incubator costs basically 25% ($44.95) more, weighs 16% less (25.45 vs. 30 ounces) and is probably 20 to 30% more compressible.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jtidesmith13
Compressibility is a huge selling point for me. If one quilt takes up 20% to 30% less room in my backpack, that's major. Also, from a warmth perspective, I'll take down over synthetic any day. Down warms up quick. While all my quilts are HG Premium water-resistant goose down, I used to own non-water-resistant goose down quilts and only upgraded to water-resistant because I felt that was the only area that synthetic might be superior. However, I've never gotten my down quilts wet enough to affect my warmth, so I'm not sure it was worth the upgrade.
I purchased a 20 degree cedar ridge UP underquilt (my first) a few weeks back from dutchware and have used it a total of four night so far with my chameleon. Low temps ranged from the upper 60's to the lower 50's and has worked great so far. I have another trip this weekend by ORR, MN with lows predicted in the upper 40's. That trip is my wife's first hammock camping and I also purchased her the same 20 degree UP quilt to user with her new chameleon.. I paired my UP with a Sierra Sniveller 20 down topquilt because I needed it quick and JacksRbetter had them in stock and ready to ship. I have no regrets with the down sniveller.
Part of my reason for buying synthetic was that I only do canoe camping so far and didn't really care too much for the extra packability of down, although I hope to try that out next year.
These are all compelling reasons if the OP is to be backpacking, except for the implied idea that down "warms up quick" and that synthetic doesn't. r-value is r-value and the only "warmth" one feels is the inner shell material. Furthermore, although it is "only" a $45 difference, that's still real money to many people. Sure, "buy once, cry once" comes to mind but most of us end up buying a lot more often than once anyway.Quote:
Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr
No doubt if this set-up is to be used for backpacking, go for down.
Another consideration is that synthetic fills generally lose their loft much quicker than down.
Maybe UP is the exception, I dunno. I can say this: I've had some fairly old (+25 years!) down sleeping bags that were as good as new. One of them was a Campmor brand 25deg rated bag that I donated to a friend's Boy Scout troop only because I transitioned to quilts and wanted something with higher FP and lighter shell.
I was dubious about the water resistance of treated down but I have had enough experience with it by now to say that there's definitely something to it.
I'm sure that depends on what the synthetic insulation actually is. I also have an old bag. It's rated at 20deg, it's synthetic, 30+ years old, and it too is still going strong.Quote:
Originally Posted by cmoulder
No direct experience with the CRO quilt, but I made my wife an underquilt using UP that should be around a 20 degree. She's used it a few times now, and also throwing in my testing, I'd say it definitely works as well as a down quilt, just slightly heavier and bulkier. A plus is that it seems to compress better than my kids' Climashield quilts.
My kids are fairly young so we primarily car camp right now making weight and compressibility non factors. If I were buying a single set cost wouldn't be much of a factor but when you start adding up the price for 4 setups with the varying temps we get in the northeast it gets steep fast. I have an assortment of top quilts/underquilts, down and synthetic, new and used that I've accumulated over the last few years and I can say that in my experience I prefer the convenience and cost of synthetic for under quilts and the comfort of down for top quilts. Again- specifically for car camping. All my insulation has performed exceptionally well (AHE, Hammock Gear, and EE) and I have no complaints about any of them. That 40 degree Ridge Creek gets slapped under my Ridge Runner all summer long though and I laugh about how little I paid for it.