Blueboltgear.com soft launch

Here is a clickable link to my site: blueboltgear.com

That is an impressive looking bag!

Great timing for me as I am currently replacing all my down products.  I am intrigued.

Interesting. A few questions on your solo quilt:

• How much does the 10F model weigh?
• What weight of Climashield Apex do you use in the 10F model?
• What is the recommended height limit? 84 inches length should fit someone how tall?
• Does it have a neck collar to block drafts?
• Does the inner waterproof silnylon fabric feel clammy in warmer/humid conditions?

Thanks.

— Rex

Hi Huzefa

It’s great to see new cottage suppliers emerging! But I think your store still needs a bit of development.

You asked for feedback, and I spent quite a lot of time in web marketing and copy-writing.

You just about cover the basics, but as Rex’s post illustrates, there are still important details that are missing. For example the insulation thickness, weights and packed volumes for each version – I’d have thought a 10f synthetic would be pretty bulky and heavy? And there are options you don’t illustrate, like the two foot-boxes. And how does the draft collar work? What about pad attachments? And so on. This is a technical purchase aimed at geeky customers – you need to give them all the detail they need.

More generally, I think you need to flesh out the details of your design approach. What’s different about your product, and what niche do you feel you are filling? You say you developed a new fabric, but this sounds surprising from such a tiny outfit – you need to flesh this out a bit to make it credible. You say you have a patent pending vapour barrier – I would need to know the details. Why would I even want that in a 25f or 10f quilt, when it’s usually used for severe cold? And how does it work? What are the pros and cons?

A good exercise would be to comb through your competitor’s sites and see how they have tackled these issues. Nunatak, for example, do a pretty good job:

https://nunatakusa.com/nunatak-premium-quilts/197-arc-ul-10f.html#/new_quilt_straps-none_/new_arc_width-48/new_arc_length-62_extra_small/new_arc_footbox_width-36/new_down_type-900_fill_power_goose_down_rds_certified/new_quilt_bag_down_overfill-no_overfill/new_quilt_liner-black_10d_taffeta_lightest_most_breathable/new_arc_temp_range-10f_12c_includes_differential_cut/new_quilt_complete_partial_wpb-no_thanks/etc-no_thanks/new_quilt_shell-10f_forest_green/stuff_sack-yes_please_include_a_stuff_sack

You also have to address the issue of customer trust. You are new, and based overseas for the UK and US markets, so customers would have to take a risk with you compared with going with an established supplier. Literally 100 years of practical testing has proven that reviews and testimonials are the way to build trust in direct marketing – you need as many as possible from credible and experienced users.

Also, colour. I’ve spent a fair bit of time in India, and am aware that we in the West have a different aesthetic from you guys. Personally, i would find the blue/black/yellow/red combination hard to live with. You might want to offer some choice, or if that’s not practical, make your standard offering a bit more conservative and muted like, say, the popular MLD quilts. This would have wider appeal, I think.

Finally, in this day and age, there’s a lot to be said for encapsulating all this in a video – it would make the product much easier for customers to visualise. As a cottage supplier you don’t need to worry too much about production values – people will be charitable. Simply show us the product in as much detail as possible.

Bottom line, as your site stands I wouldn’t feel able to make a purchase without bombarding you with questions, which takes time and effort. There are lots of good alternatives in the market, so if you make it hard for me to buy, I’m probably going elsewhere.

I hope you don’t mind me being blunt – this is offered in the spirit of constructive criticism in the hope that it will help an interesting new supplier get off the ground.

That feedback bar on the side of your site makes me not want to bother looking through, as it blocks part of the page.

I like it. Looks great, combining new and tried ideas. Good luck!

Guys, thank you for taking time to visit my website and sharing your comments, questions and feedback.

Please keep them coming as I am keen to learn and improve. I highly appreciate your time and input!

Matt,  Thanks! I sent you a PM.

Rex, great questions. Thank you! I sent you a PM and will update the details on my website.

Answers to your questions about solo quilt:

• How much does the 10F model weigh? 30.4 oz w/ sack
• What weight of Climashield Apex do you use in the 10F model? 7.5oz / sqyd
• What is the recommended height limit? 84 inches length should fit someone how tall? Fits upto 6ft, I can customize it as per user height.
• Does it have a neck collar to block drafts? No neck collar but it has draft stoppers which block drafts effectively.
• Does the inner waterproof silnylon fabric feel clammy in warmer/humid conditions? In testing 10F quilt below 30F, there is no clammy feeling. The breathable draft stopper allows moisture to breath out.

Geoff, wow. This is great feedback! Thank you.

I am working on implementing all it asap.

Paul, Thanks for your feedback! I have removed the side feedback bar.

Nunatak down gear, Thank you! I am glad you like it.

I want to elaborate on “combining new and tried ideas.”.

The design is inspired by the tried ideas of Ray Jardine, early pioneer of UL backpacking who has used 2-person synthetic quilts successfully in Greenland, South pole, Vinson and Aconcagua.

1. Draft stoppers along the edges
2. Gorget – a shaped top section which insulates the head.

Some new ideas I have added to improve the performance:

1. Built in Vapor-barrier to stop condensation
2. Breathable, windproof draft stoppers (instead of Silnylon Ray Jardine uses) to let moisture breathe out
3. 3D foot box for comfort and higher thermal efficiency.
4. new 10D fabrics – lighter, better performance
5. Climashield Apex insulation –  improved insulation performance.

Huzefa

Big improvements on the site! Needs a bit of proof-reading though, and I think you’ve got the wrong weight of Apex in the specs for the 10f solo quilt.

Much clearer about the thinking behind the design, but I do still have some questions.

First, do you really get a dewpoint inside the quilt at just -5C? From what I’ve seen, people generally begin to use barriers or double-quilt systems at much lower temperatures than that.

Second, you say that you found the VB added 10-15f compared to a breathable fabric, which seems a lot. What do you think is going on to cause this?

And lastly, one of the big advantages of a quilt is the ability to use it in a wide range of temperatures. In the Western Alps, for example, you could easily spend one night at -5c on a high camp and at 18c on the next night in the valley. How would the vapour barrier work on a warm, humid night? I’m guessing that in the Himalaya you won’t be experiencing such extreme variations, but this is quite common in lower ranges.

As I’ve said, great to see someone thinking outside the box. I hope this takes off for you!

Just a thought about extending the temperature range, assuming you agree that the VB wouldn’t work at higher temps.

For a MYOG project for my own needs, how about making the quilt with

• A waterproof breathable outer like the RSBTR .7 oz MTN
• A 7d breathable inner
• A detachable VB (using snap clips?)

That way you could have it breathe a bit more when it’s hot, and clip on the VB when it’s cold. And you could  dry it quickly if it got wet.

The weight penalty would be around 2 oz, which is hardly crippling – with Apex, I’d feel comfortable about using a 7d fabric for the breathable inner. What do you think?

I’ve done this (or, more correctly, enlightened equipment did this for me). I have a 30° quilt and a 50° quilt that can snap together for extra warmth if needed. I also have a cuben quilt liner that snaps into either quilt. All 3 pieces work separately or together in any configuration. Works great.

Hi Geoff, thank you for your feedback and excellent questions!

I will get the site proof read by some one and I have edited the incorrect Apex specs you pointed out.

>>First, do you really get a dewpoint inside the quilt at just -5C?

Dew point can be inside the quilt af -5C or even warmer temperature under certain conditions such as

1. when sleeping out in the open under the stars (radiative heat loss)

2. when single wall tent / tarp camping in snowfall and the bag is touching the tent / tarp wall (high humidity + conductive heat loss)

I have read many post on BPL where people had condensation in the bivy in the condition 1 and then concluded the issue is with the bivy. Without a VB inner, the condensation is in unavoidable.

>>Second, you say that you found the VB added 10-15f compared to a breathable fabric, which seems a lot. What do you think is going on to cause this?

The convective, conductive and evaporative heat loss is minimized by using zero permeability (0 cfm) VB and low permeability (5 cfm) windproof shell. CFM means cubic feet of air per minute and is a number that measures air permeability. For comparison, Membrane 10 from RBTR has CFM ~48.

>>And lastly, one of the big advantages of a quilt is the ability to use it in a wide range of temperatures.

Peter Van Geit tested my solo VB quilt in extreme variations between 1000m – 5000m in the Indian Himalayas for 4 months and found the quilt comfortable – – he was able to adjust its coverage as needed.

I found VB inner quilt works fine at higher temperatures as the quilt breathes through the breathable draft stopper. Feedback I got from early users supports this.

One way to take VB to warmer condition with more comfort is to make a convertible footbox that can be opened in warmer conditions. I offer this as a custom option.

The reason I made a custom 10d taffeta silynlon is to have a more comfortable fabric next to the skin than other 15D and 20D coated fabrics. IMO it feels nicer than the 7D ripstop from RBTR which I have worked with.

Your idea for MYOG project is one I have considered before. One issue with this approach is that it will result in condensation in many conditions where i want to avoid it – just search “waterproof bivy condensation problem” and you will see what I mean. If you decide to go this route, use eVent or fabric used by milesbivy as these have been found to have least condensation issues. But the penalty is weight – these fabrics are 2+ oz/yd² while the 10D shell I am using is 0.74 oz/yd².

The issue I have with using 7D waterproof breathable with VB inner is that the quilt would be difficult to dry if it did get wet.

Did anyone wind up getting one of these? Is the BPL15OFF expired?

Hi Joel,

Code BPL15OFF is expired now. What are you interested in buying? PM me for a code.

Well, the solo 25F quilt looks promising, but I was hoping someone else here had already taken a chance on it and could report back so I would have something to compare: e.g., is 25F a comfort/low limit or in the middle; how well does the “draft-stopper” actually work, compared to a standard draft collar; etc. I haven’t seen any new reviews, so I’m wondering why I would choose this quilt over say a comparable one from HG.

Hi Joel,

Have you seen some recent customer reviews on my website?

Would you be interested in an opportunity try out the quilt and write a review? I can offer you a 60 day trial period at the end of which you can return the quilt for full refund. Or keep it.

I will answer some of your question but don’t listen to me. Get a quilt and try it out for 2 months for free.

– 25F  is a comfort/low limit. Confirmed by users and my own experience.

– “draft-stopper” have been used by  Ray Jardine in very cold places like South Pole, Greenland, Aconcagua. It’s simple and very effective.

The quilt uses innovative design and material which significantly improve the cold and wet weather performance.

Briefly:

1. Roomy design with 54inch width (customizable)

2. Draft stopper blocks the drafts, yet lets the moisture breathe out.

3. With enough length to keep your head warm, #1 critical part of the body.

4. Anatomical shape cocoons your body

5. 3D Sewn Footbox for maximum warmth or 3D zippered footbox for versatility.

6. 10D windproof DWR shell fabric – one of the lightest currently available<span class=”Apple-converted-space”> </span>

7. (Optional) Integrated Vapor Barrier inner, keeps moisture out of the insulation in bad weather without clammy feeling

8. Climashield Apex insulation – insulates even wet and dries quickly.

You will find more in-depth information on my new blog at blueboltgear.com

Thank you.

Any experience with the VBL option in coastal conditions? 5000m in a desert mountain range is about as dry at it gets.  I’m guessing 40F, 75% humidity at 500 feet is going to feel clammy?

I’ll pitch in here since I just got a quilt from Bluebolt.

I’ve only had the chance to use it two nights in my back yard so I’m not going to be able to go very in depth, but night one it got down to 34 degrees rain+windy and I was comfortable wearing a base layer. Another night my thermometer showed a low of 27. I wore my EE Apex jacket and wool base layer and was pretty comfortable – I woke up with chilly feet around 4 am, but adjusted the quilt and fell back asleep and woke up @ 7am comfortable.

I was impressed how well the draft stopper worked – the draft stopper I got on my quilt acts a bit like a fitted sheet and loosely tucked itself around my shoulders so even if I was shifting around the quilt didn’t slip off or let a significant draft under me. I don’t have a lot of experience with quilts in cold weather, so I can’t say how it compares it to anything, but I will take it out again at those temperatures.

I’m no expert on fabrics or vapor barriers so I can’t add too much, but it is way more comfortable than the usual inner liner in sleeping bags. It’s not soft like silk or cotton, it still feels like a synthetic fabric, but when I get a bit sweaty it doesn’t stick to my skin.

The stitching on it looks very clean and tight, I have not had any stitches coming loose or any loose threads. I asked for a wider quilt and he made it to exactly the right dimensions – and it arrived a few days before he estimated.

The dimensions for my quilt were 78″x58″  and it weighed in at 25.23 oz without the stuffsack. The stuff sack it came with weighed .51 oz.

I’ll try to leave some more details later once I’ve actually taken it out to use it, I figured I’d post something. When I was researching a quilt I couldn’t find much on the company, but it was in my price range and I gathered Huzefa has been making gear for at least a few years from browsing Backpacking Light. I can post some more pictures or info if anyone is interested.

G’day Joshua- you don’t say which variant you purchased.

Hey Graham,

My bad, I got the 25 degree variant.