I have a bit of a problem I could use some experienced voices on dealing with.
Back before Christmas I purchased a JRB Springer quilt. This quilt was rated to 40 degrees. It has 1 inch by 7 inch wide baffles and is supposedly overstuffed to an inch and a half with 9.6 ounces of 800+ fill.
The temps here were finally warm enough to take the quilt out on a trip, I measured 29 degrees on Sunday morning where we camped. I am a very warm sleeper, sleep in my layers with a wool watch cap and have no issues staying warm in these temps with any of my 35 degree synthetic quilts. I'm also a side only sleeper and tend to shift back and forth alot in the night from left to right.
Early Sunday morning I was quite chilled on my exposed shoulders and hips. In the morning when I got out of the tent, my wife and daughter held the quilt up in the sunlight and as I was looking through, there was virtually no down in the center on the quilt. It had all shifted to the edges in the night.
In talking with JRB, to try and figure out a solution or option to this, I was told this is 100% normal and that I shouldn't be using this quilt at these temps.
The issue at hand here is the shifting of the down as opposed to the temp rating or when I choose to use it. I do not feel there is an appropriate amount of down for the size of the baffles.
The Springer quilt is pretty massive compared to what a lot of you guys carry. It's 61 inches wide and 85 inches long. I'm a big broad shouldered guy and any quilt below 55-58 inches in width is not suitable for me, leading to my choice in the Springer.
I have been advised by others that the baffles sizes are too large for this size of quilt and amount of down.
JRB has given me two options:
#1 - Return the quilt for 80% of it's sale price toward a new quilt with a higher temp rating and more fill
#2 - If I keep my quilt, will give me 50 dollars of price of different model.
I have no use for 2 down quilts. I have 3 synthetics in closet already. So option 2 is out. Regarding option 1, the next size quilt is rated 25-30 degrees, has 2 inch baffles, with 6 more ounces of down. I personally feel if I took that option and paid them 112 dollars more for another quilt, I will be unhappy and still have the same problem based on the increased size of the baffle height. (maybe I'm wrong)
The last option I have thought about and am seeking opinions on, is maybe adding about 6 ounces of fill to the upper 2/3rds of the quilt to help eliminate the extreme shifting so that I have an even layer of insulation over me regardless of temp.
Questions:
#1 - Would adding 750 or 850 fill be more appropriate to the baffle size?
#2 - Would adding this much shorten the quilt length?
#3 - Anything you have to offer beyond those two questions appreciated.
I realize that my own inexperience with down quilts has led to this. I have never experienced this kind of shifting in a down sleeping bag. My expectation was that my quilt would have an even layer of down across it and I am finding that with the Jacks R Better Springer, this is going to be an impossible task.
Opinions on what you might do if the quilt were yours would be appreciated.
--Joe
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