Nunatak Arc Alpinist: What Customizations?

[Kendall Clement]

Hi Guys,
I've also been considering a quilt and I like what I see in the Alpinist. Can anyone tell me if you can sleep in different positions (i.e. on your side) without causing too much of a draft? I move around a little and I'm a cold sleeper.

[Jason Shaffer]

Can anyone tell me if you can sleep in different positions (i.e. on your side) without causing too much of a draft?

Depends on your body measurements and the clothing you'll be using inside the quilt. I'm a very restless sleeper and I find quilts far superior to mummy bags for 3 seasons – provided that the quilt is wide enough through the shoulders and torso.

For reference, I'm 5'9" 150lbs, size Medium t-shirt, also a cold sleeper. I almost always use a bivy or an enclosed tent. The 55" shoulder girth of the Arc Alpinist is plenty for me, maybe excessive if I were a gram-counter. I could probably go as narrow as 46-50" in milder temps. But I use my Arc Alpinist at 0-5°F with a winter parka, so the width is great for me. To be on the safe side, a gap underneath you of no more than about 8" is probably best. Wearing only a base layer and cinching the quilt snugly, the gap for me is around 2-3". Those numbers are just estimations though. Tom can make suggestions and customizations and needed.

[Jason Shaffer]

Thanks Matt, Ashley, Richard for the clarifications. Very helpful!

[Kendall Clement]

Thanks Jason,

Your answer is a big help. I'm also 5'9", but I weigh 190. Someone sent me a PM and suggested I get a couple of extra inches added to the width and a couple of oz of down added. From what you're telling me it sounds like that is also good advice since I have a thicker build. It's also good to know that with a parka you can get down to 0-5 degrees F. My rationale was to have a bag/quilt that I could use in a wide temp range. Also, I thought with a quilt I could just partially drape it over me if it was a warm night. Because of the price I want to be sure that I make a wise and flexible purchase. Thank you again for your help.

[Richard Scruggs]

Kendall,

I'm 5' 11" and weight 205 (plus/minus 10 or so depending on season), but I didn't ask to have any "extra" sizing added to the Arc's "standard" width. Only modifications I did have are described in my first posting for this thread.

Haven't had any problems with keeping drafts at bay with the standard width, whether on my back, side, or turning. I just tuck the sides in once I get settled or resettled.

The width (or circumference) for different sizes are shown at the Nunatak website, as you probably have already seen.

One way to check out "width" to see what works with your sleeping style (and assuming you already have a bag, with a mummy probably best for this experiment) would be to use your bag like a quilt, unzipped & drapped over you, for a cold night. Might give you a good idea how well a quilt the width of your bag would do for you. Then compare that width with the standard width on an Arc. Who knows, you might end up asking that the "standard" width be reduced.

JRS

[Jason Shaffer]

Kendall: Yeah, based on what you've said I'd be inclined to agree with JRS, you might not need extra width. It doesn't sound like you're that much bigger than me, and the Arc Alpinist is plenty wide for my build. My winter parka is huge too. Some people my size say they're happy with 46" girth, ala the Nunatak Ghost. 55" might be spot on for you.

As was suggested, you could just dress in the most clothing you plan to wear, and use a sleeping bag or flexible tape measure to get a sense of the girth you need. The pics on Nunatak's site give a good sense of how big the gap underneath you can be and still effectively block drafts.

[Kendall Clement]

Richard – Jason

I appreciate your advice. This is a new hobby for me and I'm grateful for any input from anyone who has more experience than I do. LOL I just came down to 190 lbs from 205 lbs since the holidays. I can definitely relate. I have to tell you that I'm even more excited now because what everyone has been been telling me and the posts and reviews I've seen about the Alpinist. Finally, I can make a clear decision!

I've been reading BPL for a couple of years now and been a member for almost a year. This is the first time I asked for any help in the forums. What a great resource! Thanks again. :-)

[Tony Wong]

Jamie,

Question for you as I torment me over the choices of what to spend my money on.

I have been looking at the Golite Ultra 20 too….it is a lot cheaper than the Nunatak.

What is it that you are not happy with that is causing you to move to a much more expensive quit?

I only ask because I am trying to make the same decision of which one to buy….the GoLite has a very attractive price.

Thanks for your thoughts.

-Tony

[CW]

Tony,

I too fell in to the attraction of the ultra 20 pricing. I was barely warm in to the low 30s and that was with wearing a MontBell thermawrap. For reference, I consider myself a warm sleeper. I sold mine after 1 trip out with it.

-Chris

[Matt Lutz]

Chris:

Did you get one of the early models? I believe there was an initial problem with them being under-filled.

[CW]

I purchased it from SummitHut in December but it's entirely possible it was old stock.

[Joe Clement]

I was warm in my regular Golite Ultra 20 down into the upper 20s, with a medium base layer, and a fleece jacket. I sold that bag and bought a long, and I feel the long I bought was overstuffed on the sides/bottom, and way understuffed in several of the chambers on top. The people I bought it from told me it was fine though when I sent it back.

[Jamie Shortt]

"What is it that you are not happy with that is causing you to move to a much more expensive quit?"

Tony, I can only admit this here…there is absolutely nothing wrong at all with my golite ultra 20. I consider it to be the best sleeping item on the market when judged by performance, weight, durability, and price. It is incredibly roomy inside… a true 19 oz quilt keeping me warm at 20 degrees at 5500 feet (east coast) with wind is amazing to me. What can beat it?

So you ask why am I looking elsewhere? the truth is I am about out of things to tweak. I have purchased and repurchased every piece of gear many times over. I absolutely love researching something, putting in the order, waiting for it to come, then plannig a trip to try out this new piece of gear!

Since using the golite ultra 20 on 3 trips I have found that I really like a sleeping quilt. The idea of researching and having a custom quilt made to my specs trying to beat this great quilt seems fun. Can I find a better solution?

And last of all….I want an all black quilt. The golite blue is actually pretty nice, but I prefer my all black marmot hydrogen for looks.

All this being said I am not sure I can beat it. Based on input from Thom I am now leaning towards the Arc Ghost, 2.5" baffles, 2 oz extra fill, in .8 oz quantum (both sides). This bad boy should be as warm as my ultra and weigh in at 17-18 oz I'm guessing, but will be noticable narrower and cost $400+ bucks with a 6+ week wait.

As much as I want a custom quilt I'm having a hard time justifying it.

Jamie

[Tony Wong]

Jamie,

Thanks for your honest self evaluation.

A lot of this gear stuff is about finding that perfect kit for yourself.

I have to say that the sex appeal of having a custom quilt made is pretty powerful, but I am trying to see what all the options are out there.

Heck, I was thinking of a heavier option of supplimenting my 40F bag with my thermawrap pants that I already own to keep me from spending more money. :)

Thanks for the feedback and good luck to you on your quest to resist temptation. :)

-Tony

[John Haley]

As the proud new owner of an Arc Specialist I'm glad I spent the extra bucks and got just what I wanted. Custom fit to 6'1", 1.75" loft, 1oz overfill, and 0.8 Pertex inside and out. I was hoping to get the weight down to 16oz, but the overfill made it exactly 17. Adjustable fit is big enough for down clothing underneath while side sleeping and still be comfortable. I had planned to get a summer weight quilt, Ghost sized with .75" loft and a total of 6oz of down, but this one may work out fine for beyond 3 season use.

[t.darrah]

Jamie, Just order your customized all black quilt from Tom at nunatak and put this issue to rest. You will be very pleased and wonder why you procrastinated for so long.
"Just Do It", hey someone ought to pick this up as a company mission statement :)!

[Greg Mihalik]

John,
Did you stick with the standard 55/45/38 on the Specialist or did you do some tweaking there as well?

Thanks.

[John Haley]

Greg…
I kept the Arc Specialist at the standard numbers since I hope to use it in conjunction with down clothing very deep into the fringe seasons. Using it like that, and since I'm a side sleeper, I didn't want to trim it down too much. If I had been going to use it only above freezing I would have opted for the Ghost with no overfill. Right now I see this one working well for me.

Jamie… Got it in all black 0.8 and it looks great.

[Joe L]

Buy a used one of either size to find whether it fits you. They are mostly only two widths, wider for the more wintery models. Put it on the scale to determine if overfilled or not, assuming that you know the fabic from the color on the website. When finished with your personal testing, sell the used one for near what you paid. Order your new one.

[Jamie Shortt]

Thom, My wife wants you to know that she really appreciates your support during this difficult time of decision.

And John just when I think well maybe I'm ok with the standard 1.0oz Quantum you have to go tell me you love the .8.

To make matters worse I emailed Tom about differential cut. He replies "I'd only recommend it if it is the
most tricked out quilt you seek, max warmth for weight etc"…its an $40 extra…. hmmm, this is sorta the reason for buying the new bag, but it doesnt sound like I really need it.

The bag would be Arc Ghost ($328) + .8 Quantum ($50) + 2 oz Overfill down ($30) + Differential Cut ($40) + Shipping ($15) = $463.

Its still a difficult decision. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Jamie

[Jamie Shortt]

I'm still pondering, trying to get something my wife will view as sane.

Arc Ghost in 1.0 Quantum + 2 oz overfill + shipping = $373

or maybe a good compromise is

Arc Ghost in .8 Qunatum + 2 oz overfill + shipping = $423

Any thoughts?

[t.darrah]

Go with the 1.0 Q option if it keeps the wife happy.

Are you going to opt for the 2.5" baffles or the 2"?

[Jason Shaffer]

For a piece of kit that you'll presumably want to last awhile, I don't get paying an added premium for the privilege of replacing it sooner. The weight savings & enhanced breathability over 1.0 has got to be negligible. The vapor transport of these fabrics will vary anyway according to how fresh the DWR is. Differential cut saves a bit of weight too, and at least that actually enhances performance. Then again, conventional SUL doesn't wow me much anymore, so as always HYOH I guess.

[Jed Augustine]

Can somebody explain this "differential cut" whackness to me?

[Jason Shaffer]

Differential cut is when the circumference of the lining (inner) fabric is less than the shell (outer) fabric. This means less wasted fabric, greater ability for the down to loft, and a tendency for the baffles to 'plump' inwards, around you. Lots of good mummy bags have this too. The less loft the item has, the less important diff cut will be.

[Author]

Posts