I finally got to test this quilt in cold weather, so I thought I'd write it up.
I made a Ray-Way Quilt kit with Alpine upgrade with all the bells and whistles (draft stoppers, Gorget, etc.) last year. It was my first sewing project, and I had some sewing tutorial and oversight help from blackbishop351. I never really got to test it out in cold weather. The temps warmed back up as soon as I finished it (figures). This quilt has two layers of .9 insulation (Polarguard 3D). The rated temp was I think around 28°F.
Set up in the back yard Saturday night with my 11x12 silnylon HH tarp staked to the ground. Hammock sock, hammock, KAQ underquilt, with the JRB Stealth as underquilt layered between the hammock and the KAQ. One triangle from my 9x9 Neo tarp tied into one end of the tarp to block breezes (experimental).
I wore 3 layers of Nike drifit shirts, silk long underwear pants, running pants. Fleece vest, Micro Fur Stretch tube (Turtle fur). Hat. Oh yeah, socks.
Temps were in the low 20's to high teens. I had to hang really low to fit under the tarp, which only gave me about 4-5 inches off the ground. My polypro straps stretched and slipped in the cinch buckles, and at one point I ended up actually ON the ground. Got up and readjusted. The Ray Way quilt itself worked fantastically. I was very happy with the results. I had the draft stoppers to keep the quilt firmly around me, and the extra insulation kept me very toasty on top all night long. I think with this setup I could go 10 - 15 degrees colder at least and still be warm. I had ice under the tarp when I woke up, but none inside or outside the sock.
The underquilts were the only problem I had all night. Since I was so close to the ground, my underquilts got compressed under me a bit. This left me open to some heat loss, which did occur. I was able to wrap up more in the top quilt and it was not too bad. (I was able to go back to sleep). I finally got up around 8am, as the neighborhood crows were above me and calling to each other. No sleeping once they arrive...
I'm going back to polyester webbing, I have not had good luck with these polypro straps. Without them slipping and stretching, I would have been able to hang in that space without compressing the underquilts.
Hope this helps somebody out there.
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