Double wide quilt options

[Colin Krusor]

I made a double-wide down quilt with a 0.33 oz cuben shell almost two years ago, and my wife and I have used it so much that the cuben is starting to look worn and down is leaking out of constellations of pinholes. So, we're considering our options for a new quilt, and we decided that we want something with a breathable shell material. The small weight savings of the cuben was little comfort on clammy nights.

The Zpacks twin quilts seem like a good option. Does anyone have experience with these?

Has anyone tried double-wide quilts from any other company?

Any input is welcome.

[Roger Caffin]

MYOG, Pertex or Momentum.

Cheers

[Mike Van]

had a very large quilt made by Tim, both outside and liner 10D NB1. Soft, smooth, breathable and strong enough for my kind of use. Very happy with it.

[Anonymous]

There is still an Exped double quilt on STP for 315 without a coupon. With the coupon that i used, i payed 220 including shipping.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/exped-dreamwalker-duo-400-camp-bed-medium~p~5875j/?filterString=s~exped%2Fsports-and-outdoors~d~4868%2F&colorFamily=01

It's only rated for 45 degrees though. I haven't tried it out yet, but will tonight with a projected low of 39 degrees. Will let you know how it goes. It seems very well constructed. The quilt itself weighs 31 oz, with 14 oz of 840 fp down, and the dimensions are 71in X 86in. Packs pretty small.

[Colin Krusor]

Roger, I agree that MYOG would be ideal. I decided last year to make it myself, and ordered the Nobul1 for the shell, but I haven't had time to even unfold the fabric yet. I just don't have time for it. If I stick with my decision to make it myself, that fabric will still be on the shelf a year from now.

Mike, I asked Tim Marshal a while ago about making a double quilt and he said that they are a hassle to make because they are wider than the fabric, and he really isn't interested in attempting it. I also spoke to Javan Dempsey, but he is no longer in the quilt-making business.

Justin, that sounds like a good deal, but I'm looking for a temperature rating closer to 20F.

I think the 20F Twin quilt with 850fp water resistant down from Z-packs still looks like the best option. Thanks for all the input.

[Link .]

Maybe one of these ? I have never tried one.

[Colin Krusor]

Thanks for the suggestion, Anna. I also had forgotten about the Nunatak dual arc alpinist. These are the specs:

1. Jacks R Better Katahdin: 36oz $300 temp(<20F?) width 61"
2. Zpacks Twin Quilt: 28.5oz $600 20F width 84"
3. Nunatak Dual Arc Alpinist: 36oz $800 20F width 80"

The Zpacks quilt is in the middle of the price range (although not cheap), but it is wider (much wider than the Katahdin) and almost eight ounces lighter than the other two. The fill weight and loft of the Nunatak and Zpacks quilts are similar. The Jacks R Better is about 30% thicker.

I think I'm still leaning toward the Zpacks quilt.

[BlackHatGuy]

Colin,

Check out this post by Amy Lauterbach:

And follow the link within that post to the description of her love bird quilt.

While her's was an MYOG project, it might give you some ideas of what you'd want in a double quilt. Joe (and Matt) at zPacks are usually pretty accommodating about mods, so Amy's posts might give you some insight on what has worked for her and what you might want to add/change in any stock offering.

Doug

[john Tier]

You may want to read up on the JRB couples options to quilts … Wider, more flexible application, better safety/separation option and less cost than some double models… scroll downon this page, http://www.jacksrbetter.com/quilt-selection-guide/

Pan

[Colin Krusor]

John, thanks for that link. The page you linked to has some good points about the potential advantages of the two-quilt system.

But I don't think I'd be happy with the weight. According to the Jacks R Better website, that combination would exceed 45 oz. Thats more than 16 oz heavier than the Zpacks twin quilt. This is the same reason that I'd lean toward the Zpacks quilt over a Jacks R Better Family quilt with wings.

Also, the Zpacks twin quilts have continuous horizontal baffles. We can just push some of the down over to my wife's side of the quilt, so we don't need two quilts in order to meet our differing needs for insulation. The Jacks R Better website also notes that the two-quilt system for couples can be handy because each person can have a quilt of the right length for them. But the only reason to want the quilt to be shorter on my wife's side would be to save some weight (the extra length doesn't affect the function), and the two-quilt system doesn't save any weight. Also, when we backpack I carry nearly everything. My wife just carries a daypack, and we almost never separate in the backcountry. So, the safety advantage of two quilts is less of a benefit to us than it might be to other couples who each carry their own gear and often go exploring alone.

Thanks for posting the link to that page, though. Hopefully some of my thoughts about our needs are interesting to you as a maker of quilts.

[Aiyana .]

I haven't used one, but another option might be the Feathered Friends Penguin Nano 20, used as a quilt, or with a zip-on groundsheet. Hoods are optional. Also available in other "warmths". $439 for quilt, $70 for groundsheet, $65 per hood. 2 lb, 11 oz for the quilt only.

http://featheredfriends.com/penguin-20-sleeping-bag-1234.html

[Colin Krusor]

Thanks for the Feathered Friends Penguin Nano recommendation. I wasn't aware of that one.

It seems that the Zpacks twin quilt is in a league of its own in terms of weight. It has all the features we need, and we are accustomed to treating our quilt gently, so I think the light shell should be adequately durable. I'll probably place an order this week. I'll post a short report on our impressions once we've used it a couple of times. Thanks to everyone who posted input.

[BER —]

This was a timely thread as I was contemplating the same issue. I had also come to the same conclusion that the Zpacks looked like the right choice. Glad to see someone else thought so too.

[Colton Akers]

I recently purchased a Zpacks 30 degree quilt for my wife and I. We haven't used it over night but we have gotten in it a few times. Im 5'9" and my wife is 5'6" and we got the long version so we could put it over our heads if it got very cold. As long as you don't mind sleeping close it works well. We plan on trying it out on Friday night and it should get down to 34-35. The craftsmanship is great and have I found no flaws.

[Colin Krusor]

Thanks for those impressions, Colton. I'm looking forward to hearing how the quilt performs in temperatures within 5F of its advertised comfort limit. Will you be in a tent or under a tarp (in a mostly closed or mostly open shelter)?

[Megan P]

Hey Justin,

Did you ever try out the Exped Quilt? What did you think of it? I'm thinking about buying one and curious. I would only use this for summer trips in Northern California. I'm worried about it only being 45 degrees.

What are you're thoughts on the quilt?

Cheers,
Megan

[Anonymous]

Hi Megan,

Yes, I have used it several times. One example was in early April with a low of 39 F. I wasn't wearing any thermal type clothing and I was plenty warm but I am a somewhat warm sleeper. But as I do most of my backpacking in winter, fall, and spring I often do bring a UL down jacket and other thermal type clothing with me anyways. I could easily take it down to freezing but I wouldn't recommend that for most women since many tend to be colder sleepers.

I did notice that like with most double wide quilts and sleeping two people that there is the draft issue at times, especially if one or more of the people are restless sleepers.

I plan on sewing on some silk on the middle top to help with that for when it gets colder again.

BTW, both my wife and I also have separate single quilts to use when its below freezing. Hers is a 32 degree quilt and mine a 40 degree quilt. I find having the 2 single quilts with 1 double gives us a great flexibility and a lot choice with backpacking trips, especially since she is a much colder sleeper than I and that she doesn't always accompany me. There are times when she will bring one of the single quilts and I carry the double, which both of will use. We haven't tried it yet, but if it was significantly cold like 20 degrees and less, then we would bring all 3 quilts. (She rarely accompanies me when its that cold though.

Anyways, I think the quilt is pretty good for the price I paid for it–i had a 35% coupon for STP.

[Megan P]

Justin,

How do you feel about the sheet they supply you with? I have heard that it's not very comfortable, polyester, and makes you sweat? DId you experience that? ALso does it hold your pads together pretty well or do you still need extra rigging?

Thanks so much!
Megan

[Anonymous]

Hi Megan,

I haven't actually used the sheet yet. I put some silicone glue on the bottom of our air pads and I've tried two fasteners. One was sewn together elastic waist bands (2 of them) and another was dyneema cord with micro cord locks. If I end up using the sheet I will let you know.

[Author]

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