Why We Changed the Tundra Base – Designing for Real Adventure

July 6, 2026

When we first began developing the Tundra Quilt System, we had one goal: create the sleep system we always wished existed for adventure riders.

Every decision was driven by one question:

"Will this make life better for someone living off their motorcycle for days or weeks at a time?"

Like any product development journey, not every idea survives real-world testing.

One of the biggest changes we made was to the Tundra Base.

The Original Concept

Our initial design featured a soft polar fleece inner lining. On paper, it seemed like the perfect choice. Fleece feels warm, comfortable and familiar, making it an obvious material for the quilt closest to your body.

But products aren't judged on paper—they're judged after thousands of miles, changing weather, repeated packing, and countless nights under the stars.

As testing continued, the compromises became impossible to ignore.

The Problems We Found

The fleece lining introduced three major issues.

1. Too Heavy

Adventure riders are always balancing comfort with weight. Every gram matters when you're carrying everything on a motorcycle.

The fleece added unnecessary weight without providing enough real-world benefit.

2. It Packed Too Large

Pack size is just as important as weight.

Bulky gear means less room for food, tools, spare clothing and everything else needed for life on the road.

The fleece prevented the quilt from compressing as much as we'd hoped, making it less practical for riders where luggage space is always at a premium.

3. Moisture and Odours

Perhaps the biggest drawback was how fleece behaved after repeated use.

It tended to retain moisture for longer and could begin to hold onto odours after several nights of camping—especially during extended trips where washing your gear simply isn't an option.

For a product designed for adventure travel, that wasn't good enough.

Back to the Drawing Board

Rather than accepting those compromises, we went back to testing.

Our goal wasn't to make the cheapest quilt.

It wasn't even to make the warmest quilt.

It was to build the best-balanced sleep system for motorcycle adventure travel.

After extensive evaluation, we made the decision to remove the fleece entirely.

The New Tundra Base

Today, both quilts in the Tundra Quilt System use a premium taffeta nylon fabric on both the inside and outside.

The result is a material that feels incredibly smooth against the skin—soft and silky—while being far more practical for adventure use.

The new construction offers several key advantages:

Lighter overall weight.
Smaller packed size.
Improved durability.
Faster drying after damp conditions.
Less moisture retention.
Better resistance to odours during extended trips.
Easier to clean and maintain.

It's a change that makes the entire system more versatile without sacrificing comfort.

Why We Chose Synthetic Hollow Fibre Insulation

Insulation was another area where we refused to compromise.

We chose a premium synthetic hollow fibre fill because it delivers the dependable performance adventure riders need.

Unlike traditional insulation that can lose effectiveness when damp, hollow fibre continues to provide warmth even in challenging conditions. It also dries quickly, retains its loft well, and stands up to repeated compression and packing.

For motorcycle travel—where weather can change quickly and gear is packed and unpacked every day—that reliability matters.

Better, Not Just Different

Product development isn't about proving the original idea was right.

It's about listening to feedback, testing relentlessly, and being willing to change when you discover a better solution.

Removing the fleece wasn't a cost-saving exercise.

It was the opposite.

It was a decision to prioritise performance over familiarity.

The Tundra Quilt System is now lighter, packs smaller, dries faster, stays fresher for longer, and is better suited to the demands of real adventure travel.

That's exactly what we set out to achieve.