Hey, I saw a video from hangcon which mentioned that JRB has an alpha direct summer quilt/liner out. Has anyone tried one yet and can speak to roughly the warmth rating? Does it require a windbreaker like the equivalent sweaters in order to be effective? This seems like a viable option for the warmer months where my down quilts are more burdens than assets.
Been looking for something like this but with something like a 7d nylon layer attached. Seems like it would be the perfect summer insulation as well as adding to a winter kit.
I purchased an Alpaca liner from Appalachian Gear Company. Not the same material, obviously. I bought it less for weight savings and more for its soft, warm, and moisture wicking alpaca goodness. I own an Alpha Direct hoodie and it has snagged about 4 times in 10 wearings, so take that FWIW.
Iceman857
"An optimist is a man who plants two acorns and buys a hammock" - Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (French Army General in WWII)
The JRB grid fleece liner makes a great summer quilt here in SE NC; I don’t know how much lighter the Alpha Direct would be. As a liner, I really like how the grid fleece just fills in the empty spots under my down quilt. Even aside from the extra insulation, it just feels warmer (cue cutesy snuggle-related language).
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Don, hooked me up with the original prototype. Mostly because i was hugely skeptical when he asked my opinion on it. But after 7 nights in it. Of which 3 were on the ground. I can say for me that sleeps fairly even.
I kept temperature neutral down to the 46-52° range. The one morning i wanted to be snuggly and tossed a 40° quilt on top, that lasted about 3 minutes.
Down to 24° with a 20° quilt set and i was beyond toasty. I would say as a layer it would add between 10-15°.
As always your mileage may vary.
"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.”
― Norman Maclean
Alpha Direct 90 is very good for heat retention relative to its weight, but without a shell, that does go out the window pretty quickly with any sort of breeze. As an active layer when it's cooler out, it regulates very well without a shell.
While sleeping though, your metabolism slows right down, so if you're thinking of using an AD90 bag liner on its own, that might only work well on very warm nights, unless you're pretty well isolated from any potential wind. Without any wind, it could probably take you down as low as the 50° range, after which normal down or synthetic quilts start to become essential.
If you could buy or DIY a 7D or 10D shell for it, to either use with the AD90 liner or not as needed, that would make a difference and could be a versatile addition to a summer sleep system.
As said above, YMMV.
Over on BPL, Monte Masterson has made such a lightweight liner / quilt.
Originally Posted by cmc4free
We are in the process of finishing up a shell for the liners.
Jacks R Better, makers of the of the Original Under Quilt and Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock.
www.jacksrbetter.com
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The little shop of hammocks has an alpha direct quilt with shell. I didn’t get it because it’s too long for me (85 in) and has a zippered foot box which seems unnecessary to me in a summer quilt. They have an over bag with alpha direct/argon at Timmermade. The JRB with a shell sounds perfect. I ordered some alpha direct with wool from ripstopbytheroll that I’m going to use with argon 47 to make an underquilt. Then maybe I can feel like I’m ensconced in velvet. I’ll post back if it works but won’t be till the summer I expect.
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Last edited by gringoperdido; 01-18-2024 at 16:06.
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