My much anticipated package arrives today. I'm getting a catch-all and a Trail Winder and some peak bags! I don't get how Jared can make all this gear overnight, but I REALLY don't get how he can get USPS to move that fast.
My much anticipated package arrives today. I'm getting a catch-all and a Trail Winder and some peak bags! I don't get how Jared can make all this gear overnight, but I REALLY don't get how he can get USPS to move that fast.
I suppose it depends on your height and width, but I think you will really like the trailwinder. If he was willing to make them with 850 hyperdry down, they would be perfect. It fits me and my hammocks better than any other UQ, and is as fiddle free as can be. Its not terribly heavy as is, but the weight savings and comfort range of down would literally make it the best on the market.
I'm considering having him make me one out of Argon 67 to save some weight.
I'm 5'9" but I got the 10' TW to give myself ample space if need be. It's a 20*, relegating my Flicker to backup UQ/fall TQ. My thought is I could use the down 20* Flicker over the TW, and use that for a winter setup along with a 0* sleeping bag as a TQ. Not the only reason I got the TW of course...a lot of really appealing reasons for that.
I love my 40° Trail Winder. Mine is just the standard 9' version, but with Argon 90. I did contact Jared about a possible down version, but he said that down is just too much of a hassle to work with. And as a one-man shop, adding down quilts to his business model would inevitably lead to longer wait times for gear. He has made such a name for himself with such rapid turnaround times, I completely understand why he would not want to risk ruining that business model. It's definitely his claim to fame!
I was worried when I saw the box because it was much smaller and lighter than I had expected. It was all there though, and everything looks very well made. I put it on my 11' 2.2oz hex70 XL (72" wide after hemming the edges) and I could sprawl out so much more than I could with my previous underquilt. Adjustment was simple, and hopefully will work across the board with a variety of hammock widths without further adjustment but if it needs to be adjusted again I'm confident it would only take a moment. I'm going to sleep in it tonight!
It's so nice to be able to sprawl out. I slept fairly well, but since the TW doesn't impede on my ability to lay in the slightest I've still got to adjust to keeping my head at a different angle. Can't say enough good things about the Trail Winder, though.
Thanks for reporting back your feedback on it. The Trail Winder certainly gets glowing reviews, and there's very, very little weight penalty associated with Apex (compared to down), and very little with the TW specifically, that I’m becoming very interested.
Plus, it's only a little more expensive than my beloved Jarbidge, which gets more use than my HG Econ 20. And it sounds like it won’t require as much fiddling.
But the most compelling feature might actually just be that it doesn’t seem to restrict the lay. I’ll go back and read the mega thread on the Trail Winder sometime soon to get some more recommendations about this, and about recommended length.
All this to say, it's a product that wasn’t on my radar at all, and isn't something I was even in the market for, but now I'm kinda wanting to pick one up.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Glad you like it, they are the best design I've seen.
Bookmarks