Question About Nunatak Weights

My Nunatak Arc Specialist with custom 6 foot length, Epic shell, and 2oz overfill weighs 19oz. Keeps me warm comfortably to a good 30 degrees. I have slept in low double digits with Hooded Skaha comfortably.

From Nunatak I have the Arc Specialist, Skaha Hoody, and Arc Alpinist. The Alpinist is my winter bag with 6 foot length, 4oz overfill, Epic shell and weighs 30 oz. I have slept down to zero with the BMW Balaclava and just my silkweight Capilene.

I love the Nunatak gear. I have bought and sold various gear over the years but I will always keep the Nunatak stuff.

I did buy from the Gear Exchange a Nunatak Ghost that I should have kept but I prefer the Epic shell and the better coverage of the girth of the Specialist and the Alpinist.

I have not bought a quilt (yet) but do have mukluks that I bought and reviewed for BGT, and then bought another pair for my Brother-in-law. My weights were right on I guess…

"Weight listed: 10.5 oz (297 g) Verified accurate (one mukluk was 5.2 oz and the other 5.3 oz)"

Quality top notch. They get raves everywhere people see them. (But not many do in the middle of winter.)

Tom (I believe) is a very nice guy to deal with in my recollection. Much like Henry Shires. He wrote to me to thank me for my review and said he was going to incorporate a comment I had made about them in future designs.

My Medium Ark Specialist in Pertex Quantum is 16oz which is Nunatak's stated weight.

My Large Ark Alpinist in Pertex Quantum is 23oz, which is 1oz over their spec's. Maybe I got a little extra fill by mistake?

I have not had my quilts long, but they seem to be very well made. The Pertex Quantum seems very fragile, so if your rough with gear, you may want to go with the heavier Epic Fabric.

I'd consider myself a cool sleeper, and I've been slightly chilled using the specialist. Not in the upper torso but in my legs, this was while wearing Capilene 3 bottoms as well.

I wore a Montbell Thermawrap Parka, so I was very warm up top. Night time temperature was probably 30 deg possibly, slightly lower.

This was sleeping in a TT Contrail as well, with a fairly stiff breeze, which I felt occasionally.(1st night)
On my 2nd night, I pitched the Contrail down tight, and then got major condensation, including on top of the quilt. So the extra condensation could had added to me becoming slightly chilled.
On both of these nights on the same trip, I actually didn't get chilled until very early in the morning, like 4-5:00am, and I also had to pee, which as most of you know, will chill ones body too.
I normally use a bivy with the quilts, when using a tarp, but for some silly reason, I thought the Contrail would hold a little more heat in, which didn't seem to be the case.
If your going to buy a quilt you might want to get a bivy as well, especially, if you plan to use a tarp too.
A bivy will help to block drafts, wind blown rain, condensation and trap more body heat as well.

John, The quilt (Back Country Blanket) and sweater (Skaha Plus) I bought were spot-on with the weights posted on Nunatak's website. I recommend that you speak with Tom Halpin, Nunatak's owner, before buying anything. Nunatak is a custom shop – Tom will work with you to accommodate special sizing or modification requests. He's well aware that his products cost more and he wants his customers to be pleased with what they receive.

Mine seems to be nearly spot on. Custom 6'1" Arc Specialist with 1oz overfill and 0.8 Pertex inside and out weighs right on 17oz. Although it's a fairly new item for me I'm really happy with it. Heading out on the Long Trail again for 3 days later this week and the Specialist is already packed.

My Large Arc AT is 9.75 oz (0.75 oz overweight)

My Large Skaha w/ 1 oz overfill and kobuck sleeves weighs 13.6 oz. Not sure why it is so overweight, but it is warm as heck.

Thanks for all the comments.

So far Tom has answered my questions and provided feedback in a timely and helpful manner. Along with your feedback, I now feel reassured in my decision to go forward with a purchase from Nunatak at some point in the near future.

I was just a little nervous because of some negative feedback in the " customer service – review" forum – especially considering the expense of the custom quilt I want.

John,
Regarding service: Tom has worked with me on a number of products and I really can't imagine someone having a bad experience with him. His products and service have always been top notch with me. I have been discussing a custom Raku with him off and on for quite some time…he has never pushed to close the sale and always answers/discusses my questions. For this, I will be ordering it over the summer.

John,

After trying the quilt I bought from you, I decided to get one from Nunatak.

After speaking with Tom, I felt very comfortable in ordering.

He told me upfront that it would be 6 weeks. He was very helpful in determining my needs and then suggesting a quilt. I ordered a Specialist, with a larger footbox, extra 2 oz of fill in footbox, and .8 oz Pertex Quantum shells.

Two more weeks…

Nick,

You'll have to let me know how you like the quilt when it arrives. My planned purchase is a regular Specialist + 2 inches in 0.8 quantum so we're talking a very similar piece.

John,

Will do. Probably won't get it until the beginning of May. I do have a couple trips planned in May, so it will get some use.

Hello,

I had ordered the Arc Specialist small in 1.0 Quantum. I am a warm sleeper and after speaking with Tom the standard small size and fill should be fine. Tom told told me 6 weeks and that 6 weeks is up on 04/27/09. So I am waiting. Will let you know what it weighs when I get it.

Hi John,

I've ordered several items from Nunatak:

– Arc Alpinist + 2oz overfill. weight exactly to spec (22.1oz)
– Skaha Plus +2oz overfill. heavier than spec (14.4oz, although I added elastic on the sleeves)
– Arc Ghost 0.8 quantum + 1oz overfill. heavier than spec (16.6oz)

So I wouldn't say their weights are entirely predictable, which obviously irritates some. But when things have been over the listed weight, I haven't minded because there is simply zero wasted weight in their gear. All it means is that it's going to be warmer, there's no variety in the shell weight. You can send it back to get less fill to match the spec, but it just means it won't be as warm.

And if you really aren't happy with something, Nunatak will make it right for you. I originally ordered my Skaha Plus in the wrong size (size S instead of M), and also got the sleeve length wrong. Tom told me to send it back and they made another one for me.

Gear can take a long time to turn up, esp at busy times.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy more gear from them (I've got a Skaha Vest on order right now). They will also do modifications on gear, after a year of use, now that I have the Ghost, I'm getting extra-extra overfill added to my Alpinist to push it as far into winter as possible.

Absolutely no issues with quality or shedding of down.

Hello All,

My Nunatak Arc Specialist arrived yesterday (05/15/09) 8 1/2 weeks after ording. The wait was worth it. The fit is perfect I love this quilt. It seems very light but also feels like it has a little overfill. I will be getting it weighed later today. The straps are very long though and I will be cutting these down. 2 of 3 straps are longer than the usable width. There is no wasted fabric on this so if its overweight then its the fill.

James,
Try the straps before you cut them.

They are '2x +' long so the end can be reached from the side of your pad Opposite the buckle. That way you can pull away from the buckle to tighten quilt to pad.

Otherwise, if short, you have to reach under you pad at the buckle side and "push" the end towards the center of the pad.

Of course this is not the case if the straps run over the pad.

The 'tangle factor', not the weight, is the issue, but long straps do provide good options.

Greg,

Thanks for the suggestion. I had already thought of this. But to shave a little weight I dont mind the little extra work. Putting the straps under the pad would be seldom for me most of the time I wont even use the straps. And if it gets cold enough I would just cacoon myself then lay on the pad. I just cut the styraps down then posted this during my lunch break at work. Cant wait for work to be over so I can go weigh this over at the local post office.

John,

I would buy again from Nunatak in a heartbeat. My Arc AT came in dead on, weight wise, and was of excellent quality. I was told 6 weeks and that was right on also. Well worth the wait and money.

Hello All,

My small black on black with Pertex Quantum Arc Specialist. weight as delivered 17.8oz. After straps were cut back a little 17.7oz. This is more than I wanted but there is no wasted fabric and the dimensions are what I wanted. So it has extra fill. This is all fine for me as it is still light and the extra fill will make it warmer.

As far as customer service goes Nunatak is tops in my book. Tom Halpin is great and will work with you and make sure you get what you need.

My custom ghost just arrived! It is a piece of fantastic work. It fits me like a glove. I did increase the footbox by 2", increase the width by 2", and increase the length by 1" (size medium). I added 2 oz of extra down and used the .8 pertex. This was done by several emails with Tom and finally a lengthy phone call. It did take awhile, but it was worth the wait. It looks solid and appears to be lofting to about 2.5". The footbox is extra lofty. I think this thing is going to take me to 20 degrees…lower in a pinch.

The weight….drum roll… is 15.55 oz:)

Jamie

Yes I've been very impressed by my Ghost, even more so than my Alpinist. That sounds about the perfect specs, although I don't mind the stock width on my footbox+hips, I think an extra couple of inches around the shoulders is a good idea.

..that weight is confusing though! Mine is 16.5oz, stock measurements and 1oz overfill.

John,

"After trying the quilt I bought from you, I decided to get one from Nunatak.

After speaking with Tom, I felt very comfortable in ordering.

He told me upfront that it would be 6 weeks. He was very helpful in determining my needs and then suggesting a quilt. I ordered a Specialist, with a larger footbox, extra 2 oz of fill in footbox, and .8 oz Pertex Quantum shells."

There was no spec, since I got the optional .8 oz Pertex Quantum. The standard medium is posted at 16oz.

I just took a quick look at it and threw it in my back. I have to finish a project for work. Leaving tomorrow at 0:DarkThirty for a 4 day hike.

Hi Nick,

Thanks. Subtracting the extra overfill would put your quilt pretty close to the estimate they gave me.

Enjoy the long weekend hike.

John

Edit: It looks like I'll probably have to wait until next winter to order my own Nunatak quilt, but I'm really looking forward to owning one after reading all positive first hand accounts.

John,
Don't wait.

If you put it off to long you'll be out another season and pay more.
Step up now and be ready to go. ;-)

Just a general observation: raw material weights can (and do) vary by batch from the manufacturer. The Momentum I recently used for a project weighed about .99 ounces sq. yd. instead of .90 ounces. Seems like little difference, but for my bag it meant the shell weighed about 4.9 ounces instead of 4.1.