Places to buy quilts

**whatnowmitch** · 08-17-2008, 07:01

Why are good underquilts and topquilts so hard to find?
It seems like JacksRBetter are the only guys who make good solid quilts.
Why haven't more manufacturers/companies started making quilts to broaden the market a little bit?

I only ask these questions because I am looking for quilts to buy for my hammock in the near future, and close to $300 isn't really in my budget right now. I know there are alternatives, but eventually I will have to make the plunge before i thru-hike.

**FanaticFringer** · 08-17-2008, 07:24

Speer hammocks also makes a nice underquilt and topquilt.
I'm sure in the future more companies will offer them but for now the fact that
hammock camping is still kinda in it's infancy place a huge role.

www.speerhammocks.com

**Tobit** · 08-17-2008, 08:51

All I can say is try to save up for a really nice JRB quilt if you can't make your own. The $300 for a nice quilt is worth it even if it isn't in your immediate budget. There is a lot of labor involved in making quilts and, combined with demand, this is the reason why there just aren't many folks making them.

After labor, the down is another big expense in quilts. I have about $170 worth of 900 down in my two quilts. The shell material and other items such as noseeum, grossgrain, etc. came to around $115. So that's $142.50 total per quilt in materials before labor for quilts very similar in design and size to JRB's Large Series of quilts. I can't sew so I have additional labor costs involved as well.

**whatnowmitch** · 08-17-2008, 14:08

yeah but speer underquilts are another $50 more expensive than the jrb.

**Hector** · 08-17-2008, 14:14

You get what you pay for, from what I've seen. If you want cheap, get a rectangular down bag like the Campmor or Kelty and cut off the zipper and other stuff you don't need and rig what you do (like a suspension system for underquilts), or make your own. But if you aren't willing to pay for a good one, don't expect to get a good one. TANSTAAFL.

**Preacha Man** · 08-17-2008, 17:45

After Amanda and I sewed quilts, Synthetic and Down, JRB and Speers are a good price. For anyone who has ever made a down quilt, or any quilt period, there is a lot of time involved to do a good job. I agree, you get what you pay for, and Speers and JRB both are great companies to deal with.

Dwight

**FarStar** · 09-02-2008, 01:19

Fanatic Fringe (http://www.fanaticfringe.com/page6.html) makes more affordable quilts -- topquilts. They use synthetic fill. Prices range from $129 to $189 depending on fill and whether you want a 40-degree or 30-degree quilt. My son has the Delta fill quilt; it is too narrow for me to use on the ground, but it should work well in a hammock (I haven't tried it yet).

Integral Designs (http://www.integraldesigns.com/produ...roducttypeid=1) has a Primaloft 50-degree quilt (topquilt) that's wide enough for ground use. This is my preferred topquilt for the hammock, but is limited to summer use. It has a zip hole for the head in the middle so can double as a poncho liner. Only $150.

FarStar

**Just Jeff** · 09-02-2008, 06:00

There's also a place called DownWorks in Santa Cruz, CA, that makes very light quilts. Last I checked they didn't put any sales on their website, but everything in the store was very high quality.

**Hooch** · 09-02-2008, 08:46

Nunatak makes top quilts in good range of temps from summer to winter. They're a bit pricy, but look like quality stuff.

**pedro** · 09-02-2008, 21:46

The magic triangle states that there are three qualities: cheap, good, and fast. You may pick two, but it is very rare to get all three. When I got addicted to this stuff I realized that I was far too cheap to spend the real money for the quality manufactured quilts, socks, etc. I bartered with a friend to teach me how to sew. Cost in my time to make anything? Much more than it would cost to go and buy it. Satisfaction, experience and knowledge gained? Priceless.