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How to Strap this Quilt?


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  • #1305023
    Delmar O’Donnell
    Member

    @bolster

    Locale: Between Jacinto & Gorgonio

    By reading BPL for several months, you folks convinced me I should try a quilt because I mainly camp in moderate weather, and I sleep best on side with one knee out (impossible in a mummy!). I got the idea that quilt sleeping was more like a traditional bed, where the bottom mattress (the pad) stayed more-or-less put, and the top blankets (the quilt) stayed more-or-less put, and the sleeper could roll about, inside this envelope. So I purchased a RevelationX quilt (30 degree) and am in awe of it–but don’t fully understand it. I’m a little confused about how quilts work together with straps.

    The quilt came with four straps. Two are elastic straps, each with two small “male” buckles, one on each end. The other two are webbing straps with three small “male” buckles along the length of the web strap. To mate with these, are two “female” buckles on each side of the quilt, at about waist and under-arm levels. [EDIT: My description here was wrong! See my post below, all becomes clear.]

    My understanding is that you can either (1) strap the quilt under the pad (on warmer nights) and enjoy thrashing about, certain that the quilt will mostly stay put, or (2) strap under the body, keeping you warmer, but allowing less carefree movement during sleep (unless you rouse and shift the quilt). Method (2) seems widely preferred here at BPL, by those who strap at all. However it would seem easy to get tangled in the straps in a “strap under body” configuration, and I’m puzzled how you’d keep the bag on top of you, if it were strapped to your body, and you oscillated from side to side during sleep.

    The elastic straps with a “male” buckle at each end seem to work well for strapping the quilt under the pad in moderate weather. I’ve strapped under a ProLite Plus and it worked well (except it was a little difficult to exit…you have to find a small buckle and press it, to get out from underneath the quilt).

    But I have no idea how the three-buckle web straps work, or why, or how you’d use the web straps instead of the elastic ones. Why three buckles on each web strap? Neither do I understand how you’d strap under your body and be able to keep the quilt on top of you as you turn from side to side. Explain please? [EDIT: No, dummy, there are FOUR buckles, not three. It all makes sense. See my post below.]

    #2003384
    Marko Botsaris
    BPL Member

    @millonas

    Locale: Santa Cruz Mountains, CA

    Generally speaking the straps go under the pad when it is cold enough that "tucking" like a blanket my be to iffy. When it is not too cold leave off the straps entirely and use like a blanket, tucking or not tucking as required. I can't speak for what methods other might utilize but I would never put the straps under my body – I think your initial reaction to that possible configuration we more or less right on.

    Lots of people, myself included, hate straps. Velcro patches on your pad and quilt work well. I'm looking forward to getting my "zip-up" one from zpacks. Hopeing it will be a nice fusion between a bag and a quilt.

    #2003397
    BlackHatGuy
    Spectator

    @sleeping

    Locale: The Cascades

    Have you tried it without using the straps at all? I used straps when I first got into quilting (running only the middle one under my pad), but stopped pretty quickly and haven't used straps since – 3-4 years or so. And that includes winter camping – quilt with no straps. And I'm a tosser and turner, even in winter.

    Generally, I wake up slightly to turn, I grab the middle top the quilt, rotate under it, go back to sleep. My quilt stays on me, I stay comfortable, no straps. YMMV, of course.

    #2003400
    David Ure
    Member

    @familyguy

    I usually don't use them but when I do, I strap around the pad but only one side of the quit. I leave one side of the quilt unattached. That way I can get under the quilt easily and it is tucked nicely on one side.

    #2003424
    Nick Gatel
    BPL Member

    @ngatel

    Locale: Southern California

    You need straps with small girth. Small girth saves weight, but is harder to keep you covered.

    #2003623
    Delmar O’Donnell
    Member

    @bolster

    Locale: Between Jacinto & Gorgonio

    No Doug, I admit I haven't gone "unstrapped" yet. I will try it.

    My confusion with the straps was resolved this evening by an email from Tim, who made the quilt. I did not notice this, but the web straps he sent had a female buckle on one end that escaped my notice. So I was wrong in my previous description–these web straps have THREE MALE buckles and ONE FEMALE buckle.

    What this allows you to do (per strap) is use a male (on one end of the web) and a female (on the other end) to circle around and secure to your pad. That leaves two free males floating in the middle, on top of your pad, which you adjust to mate into two females on either side of the quilt.

    This is pretty clever. These four-buckle web straps allow you to keep the quilt (1) ABOVE the pad, (2) tucked and buckled in place under your body, and simultaneously, (3) secured to the pad. So you can roll around and still be "tucked." Nice.

    The other set of straps that come with the RevX, the elastic ones with a male buckle at each end, are for encircling the pad (or, if you wanted to, encircling your body above the pad–which I guess would work if you slept in one position all night long.) I'd never use the elastic straps to encircle my body, so I guess those will be my "warm weather" straps that "inefficiently" tuck the edges of the quilt under the pad.

    Confusion resolved. Thanks all. Will also go "strapless" and see what it's like.

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