Now that the var
I bought a Varilayer heavy two years ago. I only did so because it was on sale and cheaper than just the regular supreme. I actually loved it. I definitely hugs your horse especially around the butt area keeping the draft out. I also find that when I’d turn my horses out at 5 am before work when it’s still freezing, but it then warmed up to about 45 during the day, they didn’t get hot. It seems you can leave this blanket on when you get those warmer days and know that they won’t overheat.
That said, I wound up taking mine back to Dover at the end of the season because it ripped about 12 inches on the inside. It was still working, but if I pay $400+ for a freaking blanket it better stay intact for a few years. I wound up exchanging it for the regular supreme because they didn’t have any Varilayers in stock.
I think my consensus is that they are great, but I wouldn’t necessarily limit myself to Varilyer…only when they are on sale. FYI check out Ebay. Great deals on there sometimes.
I, too, bought one a few years ago when it was on sale. It was great at first but the last time I had it cleaned the fill somehow moved around and became stuck to the outer layer. I am in the process of seeing if HorseWare will do anything about it. I won’t buy one again - it’s too expensive to only last a few years.
I have a few varilayer supremes in medium and heavy. They are great, no issues or shifting. I only launder at the end of the season, though.
i like anything that can get warmer with less weight.
I absolutely love the Supremes. I got a few on sale for under $300 a few years ago. I try to wait until they discontinue some color then stock up on the sizes I anticipate needing soonish. I have some Medium Wugs without Varilayer too and they are fine as well.
the medium Varilayer with neck feels lighter than the medium Wugs but that is my nonscientific estimation.
i would buy whatever I can get a deal on in the future as long as it is Rambo. I only have issues with Rambo if I wash them too much! Keep laundering to a minimum and they last.
I was interested in them, but I’ve had such rotten luck with the last couple Rambos I’ve bought that I’m hesitant to spend the money. I’ve had one that lost it’s waterproofing the first season worn (never washed) and another that the lining ripped in one season. These are retired horses that are not hard on blankets…in fact, I have several Rambos that are 15-18 years old, still in great shape and waterproof.
I had one and loved it, was great for my horse who ran pretty cold. I don’t have that horse anymore and sold it because it was huge and I didn’t want another horse that big! But it held up very well to 3 hard winters of mostly group turnout. I’d buy one again, but I DO NOT need any more blankets, really, I don’t. (It’s a constant struggle.)
I’m sticking with the unlined supremes and putting different weight liners under them. No problems with waterproofing or tearing in all the years my horses have been wearing them. The optimos are just as good as the supremes and the liners are interchangeable.
In my opinion, the vari-layer thing is a gimmick designed to appeal to human sensibilities.
Horses don’t lose a lot of heat over their backs. They are colder climate animals and can acculumate snow coatings over their backs without becoming colder as a result. Their own insulation is pretty good over their backs. Extra insulation in that area doesn’t seem likely to keep them that much warmer.
When I first saw a Vari-layer advertisement I was concerned that this was going to be the Horseware style going forward. I am very glad they kept the original blankets as well.
I got the Wug Varilayer heavy a couple winters ago. I got it because my horse had a tendency to be cold and also hated being blanketed. The Varilayer was much lighter than my other lighter-fill blankets (and was puffier, like a down coat). My horse seemed to really like it; it kept her toasty and she didn’t object to it like she did with her other blankets (some of which were also Rambo Wugs, so her objection seemed to be a weight thing and not a cut/fit thing).
I’d buy one again if I found it on sale. I’m not sure I’d shell out the extra for the varilayer over a regular.
I have a Heavy (really super-heavy!) Supreme with Varilayer I found in a Dover basement for $175! I am not sure it’s that different from the regular fill, but my mare loves it. She had 3 winters outside and it was used a lot. Now that she has a stall, it’s really too much most of the time, but this coming week she will go into it Tuesday morning and probably not come out of it for 8-10 days. as we are expecting super cold temps. Barn manager is very thankful already that she will not need to be switched to a stable blanket at night.
I have to say that there is nothing like Rambo Supremes for turnout. Nothing.
I’ve used the Supreme for years and switched to VariLayer when it came out. My guys are out most of the time, so usually in their turnouts. I appreciate the lighter weight and haven’t seen any negative difference in terms of function or longevity. Thumbs up!
I like them for foldability - they fit nicely on the stall fronts comared to the reguar ones. FWIW I have one varilayer and one regular (on two different horses) they both seem warm and happy so I really dont think the horses notice a difference.
I have both types of Rambos in medium weight and haven’t noticed a difference. I tend to see it as a gimmick, because you don’t really lose much weight overall. It’s more a redistribution of the bulk. Noting that the fill weight is measured in grams per square meter, the difference in fill weight of the vari-layer is insignificant – probably 3-5 ounces at most.
The area covering the back is probably close to half of the total filled area of the blanket. So, if your blanket has a total of 4 square meters of filled material, then two of those meters will be covering the back, with one meter on each side piece. That means you are getting an additional 100 grams of insulation on the top of the blanket and losing 100 grams from each of the side pieces, for a net reduction of 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces). Even if your total fill is reduced by 150 grams, that’s still only about 5 ounces of total weight.
Obviously this is just an estimation, but I don’t think I’m too far off. I think they found a way to get people to pay more for less! (I bought mine on clearance.)
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