Quilt Advice Sought

[J-L]

I've been considering switching to a quilt lately, not so much for the weight savings but for comfort gained. I'm a stomach sleeper and I've always had a hard time getting comfortable in my mummy bag – the hood gets in the way and everything ends up all twisted up. I also tend to overheat during the first part of the night. From what I've read so far, it sounds that a quilt might help me in both of these situations.

Anyway, I just started bivy and tarp sleeping and am looking for some system to keep me warm down to about 30 or 35 F. The two main quilts I have been looking at are the MLD Spirit 30 and the GoLite UltraLite 1+ Season quilts. Does any one have any experience with these quilts or have any other recommendations? Is the MLD quilt too narrow for a first time quilt user? I'd like to keep the price below $200 if possible.

[Jarod Fleming]

I used this quilt recently on a 10-day AT section hike. Lows got down to freezing at least 1 night, and supplementing the quilt with a couple of extra layers (down jack & wind shirt, plus base layers) made it quite comfortably. I was in an AT shelter, not a bivy so that should add some warmth as well. I liked the neck snap and it made it easier to tuck the quilt's sides beneath my body (side sleeper)

[Rakesh Malik]

I have a Spirit, and love it. It is a bit on the narrow side if you use a tarp and/or plan on using it in cold weather and prefer to run the straps under your pad rather than directly under your body. I prefer to run them under the pad, which gives more room to move inside, but requires a bit of extra width to keep the draft out.

You can always as Ron to make one a bit wider than standard, of course. MLD's reputation for customer service is well-earned.

[David Ure]

I had a Spirit but it was much too narrow for me. My Golite quilt in 'long' is 11" wider and is just about perfect in this regard.

[Evan McCarthy]

Pricier but what about the Arc Ghost? I have the Arc Edge and think it's just about perfect.

http://www.nunatakusa.com/site07/arc_products/arc_ghost.htm

[Ultralite Hiker]

I have also heard great things about the Ghost. Mark Verber has a fond review of it on his site.

[J-L]

@ Jarod: Good to hear about your experience with the temperature rating of the GoLite quilt. I'm 5'6'', so I would go with the short version. It's supposed to have 7.3 oz of 800+ fill while the seemingly gold standard Nunatak Arc Ghost quilt (rated to 32 F) has 7 oz of fill in the small version. Maybe that's why the GoLite 1+ season quilt can be pushed past 40 F? Also, @ David, good to hear about the width of the GoLite quilt. I tend to toss and turn sometimes, so I think the extra width would help.

@ Rakesh: Your point about having a wider, custom-made Spirit 30 is good. The one really attractive thing to me about the Spirit 30 is that the foot box be completely opened so that it can be used as a normal blanket or comforter. Have you ever used that feature or think it's useful?

Unless some one wants to sell me there Nunatak Arc Ghost, it's a little out of my price range. What about the Nunatak Arc A.T.? That one I might be able to splurge for, and it's so light I wouldn't mind carrying a heavier jacket to use with it. Or is the Arc A.T. just a bad idea for me?

[Andy Anderson]

There is a pretty good deal on Golite quilt on Gear Swap right now. $85.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=45974

[Rakesh Malik]

"The one really attractive thing to me about the Spirit 30 is that the foot box be completely opened so that it can be used as a normal blanket or comforter. Have you ever used that feature or think it's useful?"

I have used it in mild weather, and I do find it useful, partly because blankets are comfortable, and partly because putting it atop another blanket adds warmth.

[Joe Clement]

You might check out Jacks 'R Better quilts too.

[Troy Ammons]

Been down to 14dF in my Golite ultra 20 in a hammock.
Weighs 21oz for a long.
Cant beat that.

[J-L]

The JRB No Sniveller sounds like a pretty great and versatile quilt. It's really tempting since it's on sale right now…

[Evan McCarthy]

Dude. Get the No Sniveller. It's cost effective and a great quilt.

[todd]

John,

I own a Golite quilt and am a side sleeper. The width makes helps make it nearly perfect for me.

I used the No Sniveller for years and really liked it. In a hammock it was perfect. On the ground, I always found it lacking – but only in width. I toss 'n turn and added width makes a world of difference. JRB now makes wider quilts and their quality and customer service are great.

Todd

[Eddy Walker]

have you looked at these cottage companies yet?

http://www.hammockgear.com/ or http://warbonnetoutdoors.com/topquilt.php

[J-L]

@ Eddy: The Hammock Gear Burrow quilt seems to be almost exactly the same as the JRB No Sniveller. They are both 78'' by 48'' and weigh within 0.9 oz of each other. Do you have any experience with The Burrow quilt? I can't get any of the pictures to enlarge, but it looks like it can lay completely flat. This seems like an awesome deal for $229 plus $5 shipping. It seems the only "downside" is I couldn't wear it like I could the JRB, but I wouldn't say that's a deal breaker.

Edit: I just got off the phone with Adam from Hammock Gear about The Burrow quilt. He said that all his quilts use 900 down fill now and he could probably ship one out for me by Friday. Thanks for the tip! At 48'' wide, it is a few inches narrower than the GoLite quilts, but since I mostly sleep on my stomach I think it should work out fine.

[John Donewar]

John,

Have you considered Enlightened Equipment?

Prodigy
The Prodigy uses Climashield APEX Synthetic insulation and high quality INTREPID 20D 0.9oz Nylon…

Temperature options:

2.5oz Climashield APEX good to approximately 45*F
5oz Climashield APEX good to approximately 25*F
7.5oz Climashield APEX good to approximately 15*F
Sizing:

Junior: 46" head x 34" foot over 70" long- Will fit small adults or older kids shorter than 5'2"
Regular: 50" head x 39" foot over 78" long- will fit avg to large sized adult shorter than 5'10"
Tall: 52" Head x 42" foot over 84" long- will fit Tall adults built up to XL shorter than 6'4"
Big 'N Tall: 58" Head x 44"foot over 84" long- will fit very large adults up to 6'4"
Contact us for custom sizing at approximately 20% premium in cost
Pricing:

Reg-B'NT 2.5oz APEX – $160 – 16oz*Reg | 17.5oz*Tall | 19.25oz*B'NT
Reg-B'NT 5oz APEX – $175 – 23oz*Reg | 25.5oz*Tall | 28oz*B'NT
Reg-B'NT 7.5oz APEX – $205 – 30oz*Reg | 34oz*Tall | 37oz*B'NT

You also might want to check out the thread on Apex Insulation.

Hope this helps.

Party On,

Newton

[J-L]

It seems like the Prodigy is basically a slightly wider, slightly warmer, and slightly heavier version of the MLD Spirit. Is this correct? Are there any other differences?

[Konrad .]

John, there is an ultra20 on gearswap right now for 150…which is a very good deal imo. I find that Golite quilts are a bit wider, so they are easier to tuck in and prevent drafts. Forget the 1-season golite quilt you are considering, and get this older, discontinued one. It's a superior quilt for 3-season use. I've always been comfortable with mine down to the mid 20's with an appropriate sleeping pad, and a down sweater of some sort.

RIchard also provided an incredibly useful chart to give you an idea of expected comfort range.

A size regular use 800fill down, is 19oz and uses 9.5oz of down.

[J-L]

Well at the encouragement of others and my bank account, I just sent a PM to buy the Ultra20 on Gear Swap. Assuming the sale goes through, it seems like it should be a good first quilt for me – I imagine it will at least last me a couple of years.

Thanks for everyone's help! If you want to buy a Mountainsmith Wisp, I'll probably be putting mine up on gear swap once I see how the quilt works out.

Also, Konrad, by that chart, it seems like I should easily be able to push the bag past 30 F. Thanks!

[Andy Anderson]

You are lucky to snag the Ultra 20 for $150. I bought one about 5 months ago and it is great. I actually cut into mine and added 2 ounces of down. You don't see many for sale these days. If you like it and are interested in something custom, give Javan Dempsey a shot. Good score!

[Derek Kind]

Rather than create a new thread…

What's the difference between the old GoLite Ultra 20 and the new UltraLite 20? The new one seems to be 5 oz heavier, according the GoLite's site! Are the dimensions smaller?

I have almost the exact same need as the OP, although I would like my quilt to go down to 20*F. In case I see the old Ultra on Gear Swap I'd love to know the difference. :)

[David LaRue]

I have the new 2010 GL Ultra20, and when I compared the older version and the newer, these are the differences I saw: More down and loft in the new model plus recycled materials. I think the recycled materials is probably where half the weight gain came from.

I have had mine down to 20 on a Big Agnes insulated air core mummy. I have since added a Exped Synmat UL7 which I think will make a better sleep system (rectangle, nearly the same R value, and a lot lighter)I was getting drafts near my shoulders with the the mummy shaped pad.

[J-L]

According to GoLite and Moosejaw, for a size regular, the old Ultra 20 has 9.5 oz of 800+ fill and the new one has 11.8 oz of fill (old quilt: http://www.golite.com/Product/ProdDetail.aspx?p=SS7500). That would account for almost half the weight increase. The other extra weight must come from a difference in materials (as said above).

[Derek Kind]

That's comforting, I've heard a lot of people say the Ultra 20 didn't go down to 20 very well. I'm thinking of getting an Exped Downmat or that IAC before I take any bag down to 20. And if the new quilt is warmer from the extra fill, well, that's all to the better. :)

I'm only 5'9", but do you think there's any point getting a size large, so it covers more of the head and has extra width to wrap around? It's "only" 3 oz heavier.

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