@Luke Schmidt:
>> What causes the stitching to give out on a sleeping quilt? Is it just wear and tear over time or are you a really active sleeper?
Rolling over certainly places stress on the seams. After pulling the quilt apart and looking at the construction of it, especially the baffles, there were some limitations in how it was built. The construction quality was actually pretty poor, really basic stuff – the baffle stitching was terrible, and sewn with improper thread tension. Ah well. I'll write it off as a young manufacturer with inexperience.
>> You seemed to be mostly using synthetic quilts for a while. What's your criteria for choosing one over the other these days?
Sustained wet conditions. I used a synth quilt last year in Canada in July, during an extraordinary wet weather cycle. I used one in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in early season, the west slope of the Northern Rockies is wet. I use one in the Olympics all the time, and I use on in most of Montana once the fall patterns start (October?) and the spring patterns end (June?). Otherwise, during high pressure windows and dry areas, I prefer down.
>> I thought you'd mentioned that 900 fill power down is quickly compromised by humidity. Would you use that down jacket on other trips or just shorter and drier trips?
Yep, dry trips for 900 fill down. Long dry trips are ok too. I just like to dry my stuff in the sun every few days if needed.
