*The people at Mountain Hardwear gave us this product in exchange for our honest review. We do not receive any commission should you purchase this item.
BEST FALL AND WINTER DOWN CAMPING QUILT
Heading into the fall and winter camping season, we all need a little something extra to keep us warm on those cold mornings and evenings. Whether you are in a tent, in a van, or just hanging around camp, cotton and wool blankets just don’t keep the heat in. Down has long been cherished among adventure seekers as a go to source for trapping in your body’s own heat.
For anybody who owns a down jacket, you already know the benefits of down. From its compressibility to the amazing warmth it provides, it’s no wonder a down quilt would easily become your best friend at the campsite.
We were excited to try the Mountain Hardwear Stretchdown Quilt on our latest trip down to Big Sur California. The coastal weather can get quite chilly and the dense towering redwoods further add to the chill by blocking the low arcing fall sun.
What We Love About This Quilt
One of the many things we love about this down quilt is how compact and easy it is to store. Van life, or adventure vanning as it is sometimes called, is all about taking as much as you can with you in the smallest amount of space.
The quilt stores easily in a bin that holds our chairs, canopy, picnic table cloth and shoes. It compresses so easily you can fit it in just about any space you can find.
When the temperatures don’t require the extra warmth of a down quilt, you can use it as a pillow when it’s stuffed in its bag.
In addition to being used as a pillow, you can also use it as a picnic style blanket, bed comforter in your van, extra sleeping bag warmth, poncho or just a blanket to keep you warm around the morning and evening campfires.
The stretchdown fabric is super soft. We were expecting the standard slippery cool nylon shell, but we were pleasantly surprised to see and feel the softer and warmer material. More details on the shell materials below.
Features
- 650 fill down traps your body heat inside.
- Dimensions: 82″ x 59″.
- Durable stretchdown fabric handles anything your camping trip throws at it.
- The iron oxide color is perfect for hiding dirt that inevitably finds its way onto your clothes and blankets.
- Fabric shell: 20D durable stretch doubleweave is 87% nylon and 13% elastane.
- Weight is 1lb 15.4 ounces.
- Bottom edge snaps together to create a nice pocket to keep your feet warm.
- Snaps can turn it into a hands free poncho you can wear.
The stretchdown quilt folds into its own bag which is sewn into the quilt itself. You just turn the bag inside out and stuff the quilt inside. Within a minute your quilt is compactly stored inside a small compressible bag that takes up very little space.
At first we weren’t too sure about the color, but it quickly grew on us. It blended well with the outdoors and easily hid any dirt that would managed to get on it.
The single snap secures it inside the bag and a handy loop at the top makes for an easy way to carry or hanging it.
On nights where you might not need the extra warmth it provides, you can use it as a soft down pillow.
It also makes a great gift for that person in your life with an adventurous spirit.
One Thing That Took Some Time To Figure Out
We quickly figured out how to snap the bottom of the blanket into the cozy foot warming pouch, but the poncho configuration took some time.
The pictures and instructions didn’t tell us how to do it. We did eventually figure it out through trial and error and once we did, it was a game changer.
The poncho really kept the heat in around the whole body and allowed us to easily wear it around camp.
Our Conclusion
After using various blankets, sweatshirts and jackets to stay warm on our recent cold weather camping trips, the Mountain Hardwear Stretchdown Quilt has outperformed them all. This amazing down quilt will be going on all of our trips from here on out. In fact, in order to stop us from having to flip a coin in order to see who gets to use it, we will probably be purchasing a second one very soon. I am sold of the thermal properties of down… I may add a jacket to my Christmas list.
We highly recommend this product for any outdoor activities you might experience where extra warmth is required. Thank you to the people at Mountain Hardwear for giving us the opportunity to review one of their many high quality outdoor products. See you on the mountain! Oh and don’t forget to read our review on the Mountain Hardwear Camp Awn Shelter.
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