Planning a trip to Colorado high country in June, it occurred to me I needed a top quilt to stay warm in the mountains. I was clicking through the forum here and saw a mention of Mid Atlantic Mountain Works, makers of what looked like a very nice quilt.
I contacted Jared there to see if there was any chance he could make one for me before I left in just a couple weeks. He got right back to me and let me know that although he had a quilt ahead of me, that person was willing to wait and he could deliver in time for my trip. (THanks whoever that was!). I put in an order for a Seneca 35 in green and charcoal. It arrived just as promised. At first I couldn't figure out what was in the tiny little box that came via US mail. Unreal how small these things pack down.
The trip started with three days of mountain biking at Buffalo Creek trail system southwest of Denver. We were camping at around 7,500 feet and temps were in the low 40s. I crawled under the Seneca and immediately felt warm. It actually felt like there were little heaters inside that thing. I toss and turn a lot but the quilt stayed put. I ordered mine with a half taper, the options include no taper and full taper as well. It fit me perfectly. I had more than enough quilt to tuck under me to keep my sides warm. After three days we headed to Mt. Evans for an "assault" on the 14er. There were no camp sites left due to a bike race that weekend. Undaunted, we loaded up our packs and headed up the Rest House Meadow Trail. We found a nice flat spot off the side of an otherwise near vertical trail. As we set up camp, I realized I forgot the little ziplock bag where I keep my tree straps. Panic time, but I improvised. I put the hammock on the ground for a ground cloth, put my Thermarest on top, added a sleeping bag and crawled under the top quilt. I hung my tarp low to the ground so it acted like a tent. At 11,000 feet, there weren't any bugs.
So glad to add this top quilt to my gear. The workmanship is exquisite, and it has all kinds of adjustments to get it just right. I wish Jared would add bottom quilts to the mix as I am now in the market for one of these. Here's a few pics:
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