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Instant, indestructible, nearly free, homemade drawcord threader

5/27/2013

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Not being so delicate with my equipment, I broke the drawcord threader. Looking closer at it, I realized there was no way this thing was going to last long anyways. I looked around on the net for a more durable replacement, but it just wasn't happening.

So, I went walking around Ardeth backpacking gear's compound to mull it over, and in the garage, I realized that the trimmer cord we had for the weed wacker would do just perfectly.

I cut off about a meter long piece and used one of my propane-powered mini torches and a pair of Kleins to shape loops on the ends.

Instant, indestructible, nearly free, drawcord threader!
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Embroidering onto lightweight nylon fabrics

5/18/2013

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Here are a bunch of samples that I was working on - different images, stitch densities, and whatnot.
We've been embroidering the Ardeth backpacking gear logos onto our sleeping bags, backpacking quilts and backcountry blankets, but stabilizing lightweight fabrics has been a challenge.
On the left, is 1.1 oz. ripstop as backing, which does not work very well. It's too slippery for the hoop. On right is commercial stabilizer, which is very heavy, stiff and painfully obvious in the finished product. On the bottom is the PrimaLoft One scrim that I remove before quilting the insulation. It's firm, sticks well in the hoop and very light. Not noticeable in the finished product.
I discovered that I can use my millions of yards of unused Primaloft One scrim as the perfect backing. Works better than anything else I've tried in the last year. I did six tests while testing various designs and they all came out great!
-Jason
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Cutting lightweight nylon fabrics.

5/17/2013

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Cutting lightweight fabric panels for specialized sleeping bags and quilts can be tricky.

Here is a panel of Primaloft One insulation that we quilt in-house with a custom made rig. We're sewing this panel into a Cathedral backpacking quilt. But cutting nylon with a knife or scissors leaves ends that can fray and weaken the stitching. Cutting with a hot knife not only seals the edges of the fabric, but also bonds multiple layers of material together, making our stitching more precise.

Some of the tools we employ to cut panels like this are:
Butane powered hot knife.
Steel sheeting.
Door thresholds.
Magnets (also good for holding down curves).
Various pieces of metal from the backyard junk pile. I mean, "resource" pile.
-Jason

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Cathedral Peak backpacking quilt - 4th prototype

12/12/2012

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We've completed our 4th Cathedral Peak backpacking quilt prototype! We've refined many of the features that make a backpacking quilt so great, including shaping it to work in conjunction wit the North Rim series of sleeping bags. We're holding off releasing much of the information and photos on this quilt until we have temperature data in from the field, which will be soon.

The Cathedral Peak series of backpacking quilts are excellent quilts for the backcountry adventurer as well as fitted to be used with our North Rim sleeping bags as overbags. Engineered to be highly compressible, lightweight and durable, look for the January release of the Cathedral Peak backpacking quilts by Ardeth backpacking gear.

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A better way to test sleeping bags than the EN 13537

3/30/2012

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The patent pending test uses credit card sized dataloggers.
When I started building sleeping bags, I found that I could not use the EN 13537 sleeping bag test standard - it was cost prohibitive and provided me with too little data. So, I started reading everything I could get my hand on about how humans generate and retain warmth. I started finding out that the EN 13537 standard just wasn't good enough. I needed something better.

I came to realize that testing a manikin in a laboratory would not provide anywhere near the results that I would get if I tested real people in the real world -- during real backpacking trips. Manikins are nothing like real people; we move, we perspire and, well, we're human -- we get up and down during the night, put on and take off clothing, and adjust our gear for comfort. So I set out to find a test method that would work, and what I found was a relatively simple, inexpensive, and repeatable method that will help us to build -- and buy -- sleeping bags.


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Our 4th prototype sleeping bag is complete!

3/16/2012

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    We are very happy to announce that Ardeth's 4th prototype for the North Rim sleeping bag series is complete. This sleeping bag series is intended for the lightweight backpacker who is looking for a bag that is more versatile than a strictly ultralight bag. The North Rim series has a greater width (32") along the torso and hips to allow for ease of movement for side sleepers, or someone who likes to sleep with one knee up, and those who tend to toss about in their sleep. The North Rim series has no insulation on the bottom of the bag, saving weight and bulk. Instead, it uses integral straps to secure it to a wide range of sleeping pads.
    Using 3 oz. Primaloft One insulation and 1.1 oz. ripstop nylon fabric, this 6' 6" long bag weighs 1 lb. 3.75 oz. and compresses down below 9" x 9" x 7". It is intended to comfortable down to about 30°F.  Test results from our patent-pending sleeping bag test protocol will help us to establish the true temperature limitations of this bag.
    We hope to have testing completed by May 2012 and have this sleeping bag ready for market by June 2012.
    Ardeth sleeping bags are vegan and are handmade in America.
-Jason
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Primaloft One's excellent drape settles nicely around the sleeper, reducing dead air space.
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In repose with one knee up.
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Side sleeping.
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New Sleeping Bag Test Method?

2/5/2012

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My first post on Trailspace.com about the new sleeping bag test method that I hope will come to replace the EN 13537 test method: http://www.trailspace.com/forums/gear-selection/topics/115783.html
Link to the test protocol on Ardeth: ASSP and an article I found interesting on EasternSlopes.com:
http://www.easternslopes.com/2010/03/08/the-new-sleeping-bag-paradigm-does-en13537-testing-really-work/

Do I want to revolutionize sleeping bag testing? Yes.
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