Arrowhead Equipment New River UnderQuilt
Reviewed by
MHW
+267
April 5, 2019
Made-to-order synthetic hammock underquilt, full-length. The single most expensive piece of camping equipment I own, and worth it.
Pros
- Warm
- Easy to set up
- Reasonably priced (in comparison to others of its sort)
- Well-made and durable
- Good in wet weather
Cons
- Not as light or compressible as down
Warmth: It's a full length quilt, rated (when I bought it) to 20 degrees; the website currently says 25. I have slept in it comfortably at 15-20 degrees, and windy, but with a hot water bottle, and a poncho wrapped around the outside of the quilt. Given that I don't sleep warm, I think the rating is more than fair.
Fit & Comfort: The quilt is available in several lengths. Mine is medium and plenty long for 5'8." It is plenty wide to go well up the sides of the hammock.
Moisture: This is its best point, because the shell is water repellent, and the stuffing is synthetic. [I made an underquilt out of the famous Costco down quilt, for summer, but it gets damp just from the ambient humidity (in the Catskills) and seems chilly even in high summer.]
Packability: Not so hot. This really isn't a flaw, it's just the nature of the materials. It came with a nice little stuff sack (the only piece of cuben fibre I own), and it fits in neatly, but is packed firm, and over a foot in length.
Loft: The quilt fluffs up considerably when removed from the stuff sack
Ease of Use: Very. Comes with two little color-coded carabiners to attach lengthwise to the rigging at the head and foot of the hammock, and cross-wise cords to cinch it up tight for warmth or let it flap for ventilation. (This is how all underquilts work. It is remarkable only for the included carabiners, and the very generous length of the shock cord.)
Features: Apart from the nice extras of the sack and carabiners, no. Although you can pick from a wide range of colors. Also, the fulfillment of the order was very prompt (it said, if I recall, about two weeks, but it was more like two days).
Construction & Durability: The quality of construction (basically, the stitching) is perfect. Granted that the nature of the item is such that it really doesn't get hard wear (it doesn't get dragged on the ground or a splintery shelter floor like a sleeping bag) it's like new.
Conditions: About three years, for three-season trips, excluding very hot summer weather. Mostly in the Catskills and Mid-Atlantic seaboard.
Background
I have used this quilt in all but the dead of winter (when I don't backpack) or the very hottest summer weather (perhaps 50 nights, in trips of overnight up to a week). For the climate (Eastern, humid) the drawbacks of synthetic seem worth it to me.
Source: bought it new
Price Paid: about $100 (on sale)
