Bought an Aeronaut Hoverquilt based on the feedback & discussion here. It was a big expense for me, but quality sleep is a top priority. Can’t wait to test.
To add to the positive feedback, I made a mistake when ordering and their customer service was next level. I really appreciated their kind and straightforward handling. I am not a person that likes a lot of brands and badges or reps for companies online. There are no sponsored posts in this thread. But standout service and thoughtful design like I have seen from Aeronaut and GFC is deserving of every last post and recommendation.
I really really love the quilt. It stuffs super small and is still warm. But, one thing that I found is this…
If you use the quilt on top of other bedding, it tends to wander significantly during the night. I would sometimes wake up partially uncovered. I added buttons to my other bedding to utilize the integrated button loops on the quilt. They work great and the quilt stays in place perfectly without worries all night.
I never thought a down quilt could be that much of a game changer for sleeping, but damn, it really is. Being warm and sleeping loose is so awesome, and to have that size of blanket (for my wife and I and our tiny dog) is luxurious. As close as it gets to sleeping at home.
Thank you for the tip. I’m going to see if I can manage implementing this before going out this weekend. I’m really lucky in that I have a full sewing setup in my prototyping shop so adding connection points should be straightforward.
I also splurged a bit and decided to get one cause my previous sleeping bag was just so big and bulky and was a pain moving up and down. It was very comfy though. I’ve had 3 nights in the hover quilt and it’s been amazing. Kept me perfectly warm in 30-35 degree weather and I can leave it in the tent when I close it down. The size of it also compliments the GFC really well as opposed to other similar quilts. Overall, I think well worth the money.
Also had a solar panel fail today. I think the reputation on these flexible panels may be well deserved. But also added a cutoff switch and diodes today. Fingers crossed.
Thanks for all the love everyone! Let’s hook you up with some Aerostraps — and for you too @GFC706@tbacon4758 and @weightshift. Shoot me a DM and I’ll toss some over to you to test out (free!)
These straps help keep your quilt in place - hook one clip to the loop, then run the strap under a mattress or whatever, then the other hook clips to the loop on the other side of your quilt. Then you can tighten or loosen however you’d like. I should probably do a video or something about it
Because my truck is small, the panels were basically exactly at eye-socket level.
I had a great discussion with GFC Support (thanks, Cole!) . They gave me some good insight, and followed up repeatedly. A+.
Here’s the new bracket design, which moves the pivot 3.5mm higher, and 12mm toward the hinge. If I did it again, I would move the pivot 5mm higher for just a little more clearance.
Still figuring out spots where I can “camp” in a sort of 40 mile radius around Los Angeles. Makes me wish I knew some real experienced folks bcause there are a lot of non-obvious forces at play. I’m all for quasi-legal stuff but you have to know what’s enforced and what’s not.
Anyway, went exploring last night, ended up taking a long peaceful nap on the side of Highway 1. The Hovernaut quilt made it very comfortable, and the height of the GFC really changes your view of the world. I really love the feeling that happens when you get the back door and side door(s) open.
I saw how the new Yotas have bed rails or tracks or whatever they’re called. Often I want to tarp over the whole bed for concealment or just to quickly attach a bag or object somewhere. I’ve also always wanted to use L-track in a project so I bought some.
Best deal I could find was Mytee . I bought 6x 48" sections of the black track. The real aerospace stuff is built better and often has a taper/chamfer. I’ve seen it run between the ridges in the beds of trucks. I’m no expert.
The top of the bed on these old Toyotas is just two thin layers of metal spot welded together. To reinforce the back/under side I made large, 25mm square 4.8mm thick nuts on the waterjet from some scrap aluminum. Then I clamped the L-track in place, drilled the holes 1mm oversize and in-place, and attached it with lots of flat head M5 screws. Overall the whole thing took a couple hours and was very satisfying.
I tested these on my last trip. I really like them for the bottom half of the quilt (I sleep with my feet at the narrow part of the wedge). With one strap on that side, I can still sneak my feet out the end if they need to cool off, but the quilt stayed put.
It’s weird, but the quilt has really given me some mental peace. I know I can camp in almost any SoCal weather and I will be in comfort. I normally like (really) heavy blankets, but now I really love how the hoverquilt is super light. It’s almost like having a blanket of nothing but warm, still air over your body. So far, I’ve always slept with the front windows wide open, and sometimes the cool cross breeze would be uncomfortable or wake me up. But with the hoverquilt, that’s not a problem anymore.
Love this! Yeah we’ll crank out a video soon, that would be perfect to show folks. And also the other fun uses for those straps. I’ve used em for crampon and ice tool attachments on climbing adventures, lashing kayaks together, a ton of stuff in the truck…
Hey and I’m stoked the quilt is helping out so much! Thanks for sharing this!
On the California freeways, there are sections that make my truck porpoise (rock front-to-back) pretty badly. It’s the worst between 60 and 70MPH. Seems to be between 2-5hz, pretty rapid and pronounced. I can probably get a dashcam video. I don’t see other vehicles having problems.
I have airbags on the back, and I keep most of the load right behind the cab. Different pressure settings seem to help .The truck has brand new Bilsteins all the way around, I think Bilstein B6 4600s.
How would you approach this problem? What would you try?
This is a picture of one of those spots - cement with grooves and horizontal/sectional cuts about 20 feet apart.
I also experience undesirable vehicle dynamics when driving my truck. It seems like our trucks are some of the oldest on this forum. I can relate to your situation!
Note:
Most of my recommendations focus on the rear as the main issue. My suggestions are based on how I use my truck: 70% daily driving on-road for maximum comfort, and 30% off-road camping, light off-roading, and high-speed vehicle dynamic activities. (I used to be a club racer pretending to be a Baja driver.)
Areas to explore following the 80/20 rule:
Try changing your driving speed to see if it helps.
Adjust the air pressure of your tires, with the rear having lower PSI when carrying a very light load.
Consider using airbags to modify the airbag pressure.
Add weight to the bed of the truck.
Now, let’s get serious:
Get a custom progressive leaf pack from Deaver.
Invest in better shocks with quality valving. You can even consider internal bypass shocks, but avoid external shocks as they tend to be noisy and expensive.
Lastly, re-design suspension to a 3 or 4 link rear. Lots of money to burn and time is required.
However, physics ultimately governs everything when it comes to our trucks. I found that accepting this truck will not drive like a newer one has been the most profound fix.
Quick look with the spectrometer at noon in SoCal. The honeycomb roof absorbs/blocks most UV and most of the blue energy. The highest energy ends up around 600nm(ish) so it appears yellow. No surprises here but it backs up what I’m seeing.
