Wonderful quilt from undercling-mike

I posted about sleeping bags versus quilts for camping and hiking, back on March 20, 2021:

https://bkhome.org/news/202103/sleeping-bag-versus-quilt.html

Here is a photo from that post:

In that post, I didn't reveal who makes them. Will do so now. His name is Michael, known as "undercling-mike" on the Aussie Bushwalking forum. This is the thread where you can find out all about them:

http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=24995

Mike started making these in 2017, I think as a hobby, presume that he has a day job. Unfortunately for Mike, news got around how nice these quilts are, and the orders flooded in. The manufacturing delay got longer, then in December 2020, Mike declared a hiatus, he wanted to rest awhile.

But people still kept requesting them, myself included. I placed my order on March 11, and received it just over 3 and half months later. Despite the hiatus, Mike has kept making them, just very slowly. In his last communication with me, he indicated that he probably won't accept any more orders for awhile.

Anyway, what I have is this:

-8 degrees C rating, regular-length, wide-width, 950 HyperDRY down (ethically sourced), 10D burnt-orange taffetta fabric inner and outer, straps and 5L stuff sack.

Weight, in the stuff sack and including the straps, is 633g.

Dori is a lass who lives here in Western Australia, and she acquired her quilt from Mike in November 2020, and has posted a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtA7wT56ppQ

Hers is a little bit heavier, as she went for the 850-loft down and 15D fabric.

Mine would have been 594g if had also chosen regular-width, but was enticed by the possibilities of that little bit extra width. In the above photo, you can see the gap underneath. The wide-width fills that gap, which makes it, I think, more usable without straps, saving about 20g -- so, my pack weight will be 613g.

Here is a photo of a wide-width, you can see how the gap has been filled:

When mine arrived, I threw all the blankets off the bed and slept under the quilt. Lovely! So light and warm.
And so beautifully made -- as a beginner sewer, I marvel at the perfect stitching.
One thing I like about the burnt-orange 10D taffetta fabric is that it is translucent, and I can see how the down is distributed -- yep, it is spread everywhere.

If you are a camper/hiker and are drooling over these photos, unfortunately you cannot currently place an order. I have had feedback from a couple of people that Mike has not responded to their inquiry. That's because, as I stated above, he has taken a break from making them. He will of course complete the ones that he has accepted an order for, but be patient. He indicated to me that he will do a reset and resume making them, so probably best to just wait until he announces that on the forum.   

Tags: light