UGQ Flight Jacket 30°

Warm, comfortable, excellently made, and made in the U.S.

So, back in August, Missy at UnderGround Quilts (UGQ) posted to their Facebook page, a custom top quilt (Flight Jacket) that was ordered by a customer in an abstract of the American flag. Well, I got the idea of ordering a 30° Flight Jacket in the colors of the Texas flag.

In emails back and forth with them, we came up with an abstract design. (They don't like to do straight representations in order to avoid offending anyone, hence the abstract. Doesn't offend, yet still conveys the theme.)

I couldn't be happier with this quilt. It's not only pretty to look at, but, like all UGQ quilts, it's soft to lay under and toasty toasty toasty. Their quilts come in 66", 72", 78", and 84". There are two available widths, 50" and 55". Mine is 55" wide by 78" long. This is mainly because I'm 6' 1" tall and broad around the shoulders. When I got my first top quilt from UGQ, that's the width Paul recommended I go with and I've been very happy with it.

The down fill varies in weight with each length of quilt. Mine is 12.5 ounces of 850 hyperdry Grey Goose down. (There is also an option for 700 fill Grey Duck down which weighs more than the 850, but costs less). What's really good about both downs is that they are DWR treated so they resist moisture just like the outer shell, which is also DWR treated.

It's got the snaps and drawstring footbox, and the ability to snap it behind your head and there's a drawstring at the top to cinch it tight around your neck if you desire it. I ordered it with an extra ounce of down fill. The outsde is a combination of colors as you can see below. They are Moroccan Blue, Bossa Nova Red and Glacier White. The inside is all Moroccan Blue (to honor our state flower the Blue Bonnet).

As measured by my scales, it weighs 22 oz. On their website the claimed weight is 19.5oz., but add an extra ounce of down, + the weight of the patch (I got that from the eBay), and the 22oz. is what came out. And as far as I'm concerned, it's worth every ounce.

The only thing I found somewhat annoying is the drawstring at the top. It was sewn on the inside edge of the quilt and right at the front. So, it tended to hit me in the face as I would adjust the quilt around my upper body, shoulders, or over my lower face. Not sure the result would have been any different if it were on the outside. I'm sure I can shorten the cord a bit, but I'm really reluctant to screw it up.

As for warmth, it certainly kept me warm when the temps fell into the 30s this past weekend. I had a UGQ 40° UQ under me and although my face outside of the quilt got cold, the rest of me inside was warm and toasty in just a base layer. It compresses well like all down, and is around what you'd expect for weight.  

It does pack down very well and comes with a stuff sack, however I personally like to use a compression sack to get it even smaller. In the compression bag it forms a roundish ball about 8 - 10" in height. (I'm not sure what the diameter of the bag was). Coming out of the bag, fluff it up a bit and let it sit for about 10 minutes to get full loft out of it. 

Like all quilts, it's a breeze to get into and the snaps at the bottom give you a real amount of entry adjustability. It's also not just for hammock use. there are triangle tabs all along the outside to allow you to attach it to a ground pad. I haven't tested how well this works as I hammock and don't need a pad. I can say that I had no cold spots throughout the night despite the drop in temps. And a bonus is that even with all the snaps closed, and the drawstring pulled down tight, I still felt like my feet had plenty of wiggle room in the footbox, and my legs never felt restricted. The drawstring also allows for venting at that end should you need it.

The workmanship is 1st class and when presented at the Texas Fall Hang, it was a hit. Paul McWalters (owner of UGQ) was there and told me he had already gotten four inquiries about it. He also told me that had I not "jumped the gun" on the design, they were going to make something similar as a "tree prize" for the after supper giveaway.

Honestly, I'm glad I jumped the gun. And equally honestly, I hope they get requests for other similar quilts. For fellow Texans who want one just like it...sorry. Paul told me that that quilt is now one of a kind and he won't reproduce it. I'm not even sure he'd do it for me should something horrible happen to it.

Great job, UnderGround Quilts. You have a very satisfied customer here.