So I decided to get some hang time in Thursday night since it was gonna be in the upper teens and decided to go ahead and use my -10° Burrow & Incubator. I set up my rig : 11' diy hammock, HG quilts and 2QZQ UQP and was instantly reminded why I love HG quilts so much. The night was clear , slightly breezy and the temp had already dropped into the low 20's by the time I fell asleep watching a movie on my kindle. Unfortunately though, my alarm went off at 0630 and I was forced to climb from my cocoon of downy goodness and get up for work. But before I did, I decided to hit the snooze button just once and enjoy my toasty warm quilts just a little longer. Well, when I woke up a again it was almost 7 and I still had to shower and be at work by 8...... and it's a 45 min drive on a good day. Up I sprang, and within 15 mins I was ready to hit the road , coffee in hand.
Before I leave I always do a quick check to make sure I have everything, work keys, bag packed with stuff I might need for work etc. Normally, at this point I would have checked the weather as I was drinking my coffee to make sure it was safe to leave my gear outside but on this morning it was clear and I was running late. VERY LATE. " It'll be fine, it's not cloudy " I thought. Boy was I wrong! I made it to work on time and as I sat at my desk, drinking my coffee, checking my emails and planning my day , I decided to check Accuweather. Just as I began to type in the web address, my phone rang and I had to deal with the first of several STUPID people trying to steal from the store that day. By the time I got a chance to relax for a few mins it was almost noon, so I decided to head outside for a quick smoke and get some lunch. That's when I realized it had been raining for about 2 hours! I frantically called and texted my wife , hopping she was home and could get my gear in for me. I just have called 20 times but no luck. I checked the radar and it was indeed POURING at my house and wasn't gonna stop until well AFTER I got home at 7 that night. All day, all I could think about was the soggy, muddy, ruined pile of feathers and fabric I would have when I got home. I was actually depressed. Not because I was sure I was about to lose over $700 worth of quilts and hammock gear, but because I enjoyed using them so much and because I had planned on letting my daughter use them in a few weeks so she would be warm enough and would be able to hang with me and other HF members at my group hang.
6:00 couldn't come fast enough. All day I tried and failed to get a hold of my wife and when I finally left work, I raced home to see just how much water was pooled in my hammock. It was raining hard when I squealed to to stop in my driveway and sprang out to try and save my precious. I unclipped the whoopies from their tree straps and brought the entire, dripping soggy mess inside and into the bathroom. Their were puddles of water in the hammock and puddles in the UQP. The Argon outters of both quilts were 100% saturated and the down inside.......... WAS NOT CLUMPPY. To my amazement both quilts were still extremely lofty and , while slightly heavier due to the added water weight in the shells , the down hadn't absorbed much water AT ALL. After being left out in pouring rain for 8+ hours and they were still semi-useable. My mood instantly got better. I took a towel and dried the shell of both quilts and then turned on the heat in the bathroom to see if they just might be salvaged. 45 mins later and I was amazed... Both quilts were almost totally bone dry. The draft baffles were the only parts still damp. Had this happened on the trail, I would have been able to use them and survive a fairly cold night at that point.
So, to Adam and everyone at HG, the quality of your products is next level. To have quilts that wet , yet still that dry, is amazing. I know I will ALWAYS request treated down in my quilts and will be a HG customer for years to come. Thank you for such well designed and high quality gear, my quilts are still 100% because of it!
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