Quilts

>>>Will using a thicker quilt eliminate this hassle ?

Yes.

>>>How well do quilts work for restless side sleepers ? Do you have to constantly wake up a little everytime you roll over in order to retuck the quilt under you ?

Work well when turning. No adjustments necessary usually for me.

Were you using a mummy bag or a rectangular bag? The 'best' quilts are made with down and have an already enclosed foot box (eg Nunatak Alpinist). This greatly reduces the drafts down there. Can't comment on the relative pros and cons of weight, loft, pack space for the different synthetic fills though.

Again, if you look at places such as Nuntak or Jack's R Better, many quilts have straps that keep the quilt in place and tucked underneath your sleeping pad. I would have thought this important for tossing and turning sleepers, but YMMV.

–How well do quilts work for restless side sleepers ? Do you have to constantly wake up a little everytime you roll over in order to retuck the quilt under you ?–

I wake up almost every time I roll over no matter where I'm sleeping. Under my quilt I don't have to do much readjusting when I wake up though. I've never found that I have to completely resituate the quilt, normally a little tug is all it takes.

Also, an enclosed foot box makes a big difference in keeping me warm. I made my quilt with a convertible foot box, but it stays sealed up unless the weather is especially warm (like a Missouri summer night).

Adam

I have a Jacks'R'Better quilt, and have not rigged any straps to go under me or my pad, but haven't had any problems.

I don't toss and turn much in my sleep (I normally wake up if I move), but i sleep most of the time on my side or stomach, and have been fine with a quilt.

A bivy bag also mitigates any issues with drafts – I think a quilt and bivy is a match made in heaven personally.

I have no experience with synthetic quilts, but synthetic sleeping bags don't drape as well as down, so one may not fit around your body as well to eliminate drafts.

I was amazed how little adjustment I make with my Nunatak Arc bag. I guess the straps under the quilt have less friction with my clothing and tend to stay in place rather than shift with me, and there is not a hood to fight to keep out of my face.

I think the drape of the slightly short width seals the edges better than the longer length of the mummy bag. That may sound counterintuitive but it works.

As far as restless sleeping goes on warmer nights not requiring a battening of the hatches the quilt really shines. I just lays over you like a cotton sheet and you are free to wiggle. After a year of use I am a converted quilt man and never going back.

As for the compresses size I imagine it might be close with approximately 1/3 of the synthetic quilt not being there.

If the quilt is wide enough, side sleepers wont have problems. XP is the best. It packs larger than down, about the same as primaloft, smaller than 3D. Kids may need the security of being enclosed in a bag, others may have the enclosed feeling. either way, kids are also in the mode of a student in the backcountry. if you tell them a quilt is just like their blanket in bed, they should believe you. Its also why you can get them to dress funny.
http://www.columbia.com/Product.aspx?top=6&p=5548&cat=630&viewAll=False

Why do many people seem to prefer a quilt and bivy rather than a top bag ? I can see how the quilt would be more versitile since it can be used in warmer weather, and using a tarp / bivy combo rather than a tent / top bag combo would be lighter overall. Are there any other reasons ?

Also, doesn't using a bivy make the quilt hard to ventilate in warmer weather ?

Thanks.

My XP quilt, which is rated to 40 degrees and is minimally sized (figure about 6'3" long by 57" wide, tapering to 36" at the footbox) packs to a stuffsack measuring 7"x11"

Before I made it, I had an equal amount of 3 osy Primaloft Sport and 2.5 osy Climashield XP in front of me and I tried stuffing just the insulations to see which was more compressible. I found, just as a rought estimate, that the Primaloft was about 60-80% more compressible than the XP.

The quilts I use work great without a bivy which IMHO is used to compensate for too small of a tarp. The trademarked Draftstopper feature on the Ray-Way tarp kits works wonderfully. For restless side sleepers and double occupancy, a little extra width works better. If you make your own, you can tailor those bottom corners to eliminate your extra spaces.

I've been reading Jardine and Nunataks quilt info on their websites, and now have a few more questions…

1. Does down work OK in the South East – or does it go flat in 80-100% humidity areas (like Virginia summers) ? (I've been using a 3D filled bag).

2. When the straps on the bottom of the Nunatak Arc quilts are fastened in "cold weather" mode – how hard is it for a side sleeper to turn over onto their other side ?

3. What does the packed size of a Jardine synthetic (XP ?) quilt compare to a Marmot 30 degree Down bag (800 fill, full zip) ?

Thanks.

I have only used down the last 2 years in East TN and haven't had any problems about my down absorbing wetness. I do agree you have to be more careful with it, but it was very functional and didn't lose loft

Tommy

"2. When the straps on the bottom of the Nunatak Arc quilts are fastened in "cold weather" mode – how hard is it for a side sleeper to turn over onto their other side ?"

I think it would depend on how much you tighten the straps as well as how rigid your sleeping mat is. I find that a rigid sleeping mat is easier to turn over in than a soft one, i.e. A fully inflated and full lentgh Thermarest is easier than a short Z-rest. YMMV