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Down Sleeves

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Turn your “Sniveller” style quilt into a down jacket or parka or wear them with any vest to turn it into a jacket (JRB Down Hood available separately). Made of 1.1 oz. ripstop nylon with Durable Water Resistant (DWR) treatment and 800 fill power, Activ-Dri treated down. When worn under a light weight rain suit it approximates a winter survival parka. Weight: 5 oz. per pair. Available in Regular (R), and Long (L) sizes.

Note: This is a sized item. If you wear a regular dress shirt, sleeve 32-33, order regular. Sleeve length of 34-35 order long, Sleeve length of 36-37 and need extra girth order XL.

How To Stay Warm Hammock Camping

Staying warm involves a combination of factors including insulation (clothes, sleeping bags, quilts, etc.), generating body heat from consumption of food (calories), physical activity and external heat sources. The focus of this article will be on staying warm while sleeping in a hammock so the physical activity contribution will be minimal, unless you’re a really restless sleeper. Further, everyone’s metabolic rate is different. Some people are warmer (or colder) sleepers than others. There is no one size fits all solution to the problem of saying warm. Each person will have to apply the principles and ideas discussed in this article to their own situation.

Before going out on a backpacking trip, check the weather forecast. It is important to know what kind of weather to expect in order to guide the selection of the equipment and clothing you might need during the course of the outing. Generally we try to carry sufficient protection for 10 degrees harsher than the forecast conditions. Call that our safety margin.

If you want to stay warm – Eat, eat, eat! You’ve got to stoke the furnace. Pay attention to the types of food you bring. You need to restore the calories you burn during the day while hiking plus have plenty of remaining calories to burn while sleeping. Eat three good meals during the day and snack regularly between meals. Plan for a snack before going to bed. A snack consisting of a slow digesting food will last longer while you sleep. Hard cheese is a good option.

Slow your pace before you stop for the evening. Hike yourself dry. Don’t get stuck in the position of settling into camp with wet clothes on. Always have a dry set of clothes for the evening. This doesn’t mean carry a second set of hiking clothes. Change into dry socks, fleece long johns, and a dry t-shirt, or a fleece shirt. Whatever you’ve planned as your dry evening wear or sleeping clothes.

Remember, heat tends to escape most readily from your extremities. Therefore these are the areas to address first when trying to regulate your temperature. The balaclava is a staple in our pack and is almost always used when sleeping. An extra pair of socks, down booties, or down sleeves worn as sleep socks work for your feet and either socks or a pair of glove liners work for your hands.

For hammock hangers, keeping warm is a two plane issue. Most tend to focus on the bottom because it is the problem that is least likely to have been solved. The top, however, is the major warmth factor once bottom insulation is at least minimally provided. When cooler temperatures than your gear protects to are expected, you need to add layers or change quilts or bags just like a ground sleeper.

The Nest, Mount Washington 3, Hudson River and Sierra Sniveller quilts are baffled and filled with 800+ down to a thickness of 2.5 inches. Generally, this suggests a comfort range of around 20 degrees.

We have used the three season set in temperatures below 20 degrees. We slept comfortably in wool long underwear and balaclavas. Usually we start out with wool socks but remove them after 10 minutes or so. Be aware that nylon not in contact with you is cool to cold to touch, shifting around you will notice cold nylon – it will warm quickly.

Sleeping in wool long underwear and clean dry socks has a major impact on extending the temperature range of your sleep system. A word on wool long underwear, since we normally don’t carry spare pants or a spare t-shirt . The wool base layer is in the pack for two reasons: first to sleep in and second as our emergency clothes. They provide a warm close micro-climate next to the body.

Other routine supplements are a LightHeart Gear Neck Gaiter, wool glove liners (summer) and convertible fleece mitten/gloves (winter). It is rare to wear the gloves, but they are there for the totally unexpected temperature drop.

Ok, you have eaten well, you have put on a comfortable base layer. Consider these options.

If you are still carrying a pad use it. In addition to the standard mode in the hammock, the pad can be placed between the hammock and the under quilt. Both work well. Between the Hammock and under quilt is more comfortable. Additionally, it will allow better dispersion of non-sensible sweat so that you are not in the damp pool of sweat as when directly on a non-breathable pad.

To summarize each person will have a different metabolic rate. We sleep “neutral to warm” as opposed to “cold sleepers”. The following is our reference guide, you probable will want to adjust from it. It is intended as a starting point.

Above 80 degrees

Open the “windows” and no top cover or a fleece blanket/quilt liner (See “Nesting Tricks of an Old Coot” article)

70 to 79 degrees

Open the windows, top quilt without footbox formed

60 to 69 degrees

Close windows, top quilt with or without footbox

50 to 59 degrees

Top quilt in footbox configuration and balaclava

40 to 49 degrees

Top quilt with footbox, silk weight long underwear top and bottom, balaclava, possibly wool socks

30 to 39 degrees

All of above, plus gloves, Shake down of the under quilt to the center areas before retiring, consider extra clothing options available

20 to 29 degrees

Winter weight long underwear top and bottom and all of above, substitute or add down booties
* Alternatively, shift to winter loft/weight under quilts and top quilts.

10 to 19 degrees

A Winter Nest, Mount Washington 4, or Old Rag Mountain on the bottom. An Old Rag Mountain or High Sierra Sniveller quilt on top, winter weight long underwear top and bottom, balaclava and wool or fleece watch cap, wool socks or down booties

0 to 9 degrees

As above, add gloves, consider wool socks and down booties, consider second fleece shirt and or breathable wind breaker
* Alternatively shift to a warmer under quilt such as the Mt Washington

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Waypoint and Azimuth 2014

Waypoint and Azimuth

January 2014

 

It is time to review how the year went and plot the course of progress for the next year.  As we stand here in the middle of the shop, surrounded by hundreds of quilts, tarps, hammocks and other stock items we are in our tenth year.  We just registered for JRB’s eleventh annual Trail Days at Damascus in May.  And the following month, on 4 June, Jacks ‘R’ Better LLC will celebrate its 10th Anniversary.

OMG, I just realized the Original under Quilt, The JRB Nest, prototypes actually had their 10 year anniversary last month … They were literally sewn up during the Christmas Holidays of December 2003 and tested on a 27° night the week between Christmas and New Years on a windy bluff high above the James River a few hundred yards north of Jamestown, Virginia, the site of the first permanent English settlement in America.   Guess that settlement and the JRB Nest under quilt have success and staying power in common.

Like our country which has sure seen growth and change in the last 237 years, the Nest has seen its fair share of growth and change … 19 changes and improvements in its first decade.

 

Waypoint

 

2013 was an excellent year by every standard.  Quilt sales, our primary yardstick, continued our 10 year growth pattern by an amazing 50 percent.  We are thankful to the Lord and our customers.  We hope that our business conduct is pleasing to Him and you, and that you are warmly enjoying your JRB gear.

2013 saw the conversion of all top quilts to the new 14 baffle design for improved down control.

2013 saw the introduction of hydrophobic down, Activ-Dri down, as an option in all quilts and our standard offering in both JRB down hoods and down sleeves.  Activ-Dri Down is a polymer treated down, independently tested to be five times slower to absorb moisture and three times faster in drying than un-treated down.  The recognition of the value added by Activ-dri down is shown by the high rate of customer preference.  Fully 75 percent of quilt orders since its introduction have opted for Activ-Dri down.

Our continued growth demanded increased capacity for 2013.  For the second consecutive year we added permanent staff and machine capability to the JRB shop.  As importantly, we increased USA factory production by well over 50 percent and local sub-contractor production by 25percent.  These increases insured our fundamental commitment to customer service.  Our goal of same or next business day shipping was met on 99 % of orders.

Rounding out our tenth year we added new items to both our kitchen section and repair section.

The OliCamp XTS Pot, with its heat exchanger, for faster boils and fuel savings, joined 2012’s selection of 15 tasty Enertia Trail Foods Meals, the Vargo Titanium Long Handle Spoons and the Vargo Titanium Spork.

Mc Nett product availability increased with the addition of Tenacious Tape and SILFIX to the previously available SILNET, SEAMGRIP, as well as their ReviveX Down Cleaner Concentrate and ReviveX Durable Water Proofing.

 

Azimuth

 

Looking ahead to 2014, Jacks ‘R’ Better will debut a new quilt for our Tenth Anniversary.  Initial prototyping and testing is well underway.  It will be available at Trail Days … We expect it will be a big item on launch.  Hope to see ya’ll in Damascus.

We will be expanding our available pads for the ground sleepers.

We currently have two prototype tarps in development, both with increased design capability and new material capabilities.  Look for a spring introduction.

Minor design improvements are in store for the Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock, deluxe models for 2014.

In closing, we intend to make 2014 another great year of value in both products and customer service.  Our pledges:

*Great Quality

*Fair, Competitive Pricing

*Responsive Communication

*And, as always, “Same or next business day shipping”

 

HOIL FYN!

Jack & Jack

 

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Way Point and Azimuth to 2009

Way Point 

2008, our fifth year of operation, what a great year!

We began the year with a small but growing national advertising campaign including Banner ads on Both Hammock Forums and White Blaze and quarterly ads in “Backpacker Magazine”.

We entered the wholesale market in addition to our internet retail base.  JRB exhibited at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Utah in August.  Currently there are four retailers carrying JRB gear.  There is a small presence of JRB in Georgia, Ohio, Louisiana, and Front Royal, Virginia.  The web site has a tab for our retailers.

Speaking of the web site, the site got a total makeover in late fall.  Of special note, although JRB still does not do custom work, we have added a page of frequently requested available options.  Some are even FREE.  You will find the page link on the Products page of the new site.

Three new quilts debuted this year:

Our Fifth Anniversary Special, the Winter Nest debuted at Trail Days.  This is primarily the Original Nest, a tried and proven performer, with a 50 percent increase in both baffle height and down.

A totally new quilt the Mount Washington was debuted at the OR Show.  This is a dual differentially designed, body contoured winter quilt.  As an under quilt, it is a simple attach and snug up, error free installation winter quilt.  With loft of 4-5 inches that cannot be compressed by the occupant of the hammock, in normal use, this quilt is zero degree capable.

A special limited offer 2/3 quilt, the Torso Length Wearable Under Quilt, was available for one month special order in November/December for Christmas delivery.  This quilt transformed into a parka length vest and with the addition of JRB Sleeves and Hood becomes a full parka.  It has ¾ inch baffles and is all black in color.

Several other new products found their way to market this year at JRB:

JRB Tri-Glides were developed for no-knot and lashing free hanging by users of 1 inch web straps.  They are machined of 3/16 inch aircraft grade aluminum.  Anyone who can fasten a tri-glide belt buckle can now hang in secure, easily adjustable, knot free confidence.

A Strap set of two 12 foot lengths of 1 inch polypropylene webbing with sewn in loops on one end and an included pair of JRB Tri-Glides quickly followed thus providing a complete package for use with hammocks that do not come with straps.  They also provide the most simple, and normally the lightest form of replacement suspension for those desiring such a conversion of other hammock suspensions.  In fact at 4.2 oz per set, the set reduces an Eagles Nest hammock itself by 0.3 oz when the stock hardware is totally replaced by the JRB Hammock Strap set … That’s right!  The Eagles Nest hammock with JRB Strap set weighs less than the basic Eagles Nest hammock alone … plus the suspension is then included.

The first production run of the Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock, the world’s first and only commercially available, true lay flat, lay straight hammock was received in January and sold out 25 percent faster than forecasted.

The JRB 11×10 Cat tarp first production run was also received in January and it too sold out far earlier than expected.  Subsequent production runs of both the BMBH and 11×10 Cat tarp have been received and continue to do well.

The first true hammock tent, the JRB Hammock Hut, finalized prototyping, trial runs, and also became a full production capability in 2008.

All new color options for tarps and tents, moss green (olive) and cattail brown replaced the original kelly green color.  This customer desired change has been well received.

In an effort to support customers in this uncertain economy JRB experimented with a 60-90 days same as cash sale program during the Annual Early Bird Special Holiday Sale.  We are pleased that those who elected the approach, a strictly honor based, no contract approach, were 100 percent faithful.  We will consider making this optional form of purchase available during future holiday sales.

Finally as a State of the Market Report to the hammock community, hammock camping certainly appears alive and well to us.  Jacks ‘R’ Better grew by over fifty percent in sales volume during the down economy of 2008.  We enter 2009 ready to support your hammock, hammock insulation, and hammock accessory needs.

Azimuth 2009 

First, all of the current JRB items will continue for 2009.

All of the Standard Family of JRB Quilts, the 48 inch width quilts, will be made fully reversible for all model hammocks, including the Hennessy Hammocks.  Look for this change in late January.

There will be a three season model of the Mt Washington family of quilts.  We expect it to début at Trail Days in Damascus Virginia, mid May.

Finally, JRB has obtained a large volume, assured source for a new outer shell color of quilt material.  Same great 1.1 oz DWR rip stop nylon … just a new subdued color … a near return to the original olive color.

HOIL FYN!

Jack and Jack

Jacks ‘R’ Better, LLC