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What are you thrashing, tossn’ and turn’n sleepers sleeping in?


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Home Forums Gear Forums Gear (General) What are you thrashing, tossn’ and turn’n sleepers sleeping in?

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Viewing 13 posts - 26 through 38 (of 38 total)
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  • #1785169
    Tom Lyons
    Member

    @towaly

    Locale: Smoky Mtns.

    Your Summerlight bag has continuous baffles, so you can just unzip it 3/4 of the way down, flip it so the open zipper is under the bottom, and use it like a quilt. The lowest 1/4 of the bag can stay zipped like a quilt's footbox.
    See how you like it before you buy a quilt.

    #1785204
    Jordan Clymer
    Member

    @jordanclymer

    Locale: The Columbia Gorge

    So, my normal car camping bag is a mummy bag that is rated for -0 degree weather. It has a lot of loft, and packs up pretty large, but is comfy and warm.
    However, when I am going hiking in fairer weather and will only be out for a day or two, I just bring my neoair mattress and roll up in a survival blanket in my wool thermals and a jacket if it is colder weather. Can't beat the weight/space savings. Although I am currently in the process of designing an improved sleep system that will have a bag liner and better moisture wicking without sacrificing any weight from extra/heavier materials. Don't want to give too many details until I have a finished product, but so far the prototypes are showing promise. =D

    #1791862
    sheila o
    BPL Member

    @bumpass

    Locale: The Far Left Coast? : /

    MB UL SS #2 as a quilt in warmer weather and as a bag in colder. Pad #7 Exped down pad, Exped pillow and something over my head.Ibuprofen, benedryl and ear plugs if needed for groups??…I'm a better sleeper now.

    #1791869
    drowning in spam
    Member

    @leaftye

    Locale: SoCal

    A quilt would be great most of the time. It helps if it has straps and a little extra material on the edges to prevent drafts. When the temperature drops into the 20's, drafts become very noticable, and I think a mummy bag starts to become the better choice. I've only taken my quilt into the high teens, and while I was warm, the occasional draft really made me wish I could lay absolutely still. Also, I switch from a Rayway bomber hat to a down balaclava when it's that cold. I've also been finding that an air mattress is better than a pad because it is easier to feel if you're on it right away instead of waiting to get cold from touching the ground. My current air mattress is my first, and is mummy shaped with bigger outer baffles. I like the bigger outer baffles, but like Raymond, I'm thinking that a bigger pad would be much better so that I don't have to contort myself to stay fully on the pad in each of the many positions I flop into.

    #1792186
    Art Sandt
    Member

    @artsandt

    >Seems quilts are popular…I don't understand how drafts are kept at bay

    They're not. People need to wear substantial insulated clothing underneath their quilts to minimize the chilling effect of the drafts that seep in every time you move. This can add so much weight sometimes so as to end up with a sleep system that is much heavier and bulkier in total than a mummy bag, while still being prone to those minor drafts, as the insulated clothing compounds the problem by making you less sensitive to knowing when something is untucked (so instead of being able to correct an untucked quilt-end right away, you wake up in an hour when you realize your jacket isn't enough by itself).

    There is a secret to using a mummy bag successfully when tossing and turning through the night, though, so you don't need to use a quilt if you don't want to. Instead of acting like a dunce trying to poke your nose out of a little hole that dangles zippers and drawcords onto your eyelids at night, rotating the entire bag with your body when you turn, you just need to orient the bag so the hole is DOWN, underneath you, and keep it that way. Tossing and turning is a snap. Just don't move the bag with you. Keep the hole side pressed firmly down, rotate your body, and you're done. No quilt-ends to worry about coming un-tucked, and no extra insulated clothing to compensate for a fundamentally broken sleep system. You don't need to completely seal your head inside your bag either; just keep your head inside the bag and the hole on a lower level than your face and you can still rotate the bag a little bit as you toss and turn.

    #1792191
    David Ure
    Member

    @familyguy

    This hasn't been my experience at all with using a quilt. In fact, I have had no issue with drafts at all. Why? Because my quilt is both long and wide (58") and allows me to turn and thrash without losing any heat. I think many of the issues come from folks employing quilts that are very narrow with the intention of minimizing weight. I tried one that was 48" wide and it did not work for me.

    #1792460
    Rusty Beaver
    BPL Member

    @rustyb

    Locale: Idaho

    Based on what I'm reading here, and having sat on this for a bit, my current thought is that I'd be barking up the wrong tree with the quilt idea. Something I failed to mention earlier is an observation I've made: I believe I sleep better when my head is facing east. This coincides with old Chinese tradition too. But, I still think it's a combination of things for me that careful camp selection, more affective ways of quieting my mind and some additional warmth will help.

    Thanks for the additional thoughts, everyone!

    #1792465
    Diplomatic Mike
    Member

    @mikefaedundee

    Locale: Under a bush in Scotland

    If you get drafts using your quilt, then you have bought a quilt that is too narrow for your sleeping style.

    #1792470
    Ryan Jordan
    Admin

    @ryan

    Locale: Central Rockies

    For thrashers, quilt users, shoppers:

    Backpacking Light's Unconventional Sleep Systems Manifesto

    10,000 words of detailed and organized education about this topic.

    #1792542
    Javan Dempsey
    Member

    @jdempsey

    Locale: The-Stateless-Society

    +1 what Mike said.

    I'd add that in my opinion (which is admittedly biased) if you feel your quilt is at all a compromise in functionality or comfort compared to whatever traditional bag you were previously using, then you don't have the correct quilt for your size and sleep style. The exception to this is the case where you find comfort in the cocooning of a bag, for whatever psychological reasons, which is pretty difficult to duplicate in a quilt.

    I personally consider the primary advantages of a quilt over a bag to be comfort first, versatility second, and lastly, the weight savings is just a big bonus.

    The massive variability of user preferences, sizes, sleep quirks, etc, are why I think it's very difficult to translate the "classic" quilt profiles in to an off-the-shelf product, that doesn't end up making quilts look full of compromises. Bear in mind at their core, the vast majority of offerings are very simple in design, which is in stark comparison to the highly shaped designs of the much bigger "sleeping bag" market. There are however, exceptions to this rule, and with new manufacturers/makers entering the market daily, this is rapidly changing due to the simple economics of it.

    Still, just like buying a mattress, you should really shouldn't compromise, remember, it's a third of your life, and a much more important third when you're out on the trail beating yourself up.

    #1792564
    Gerry Volpe
    Member

    @gvolpe

    Locale: Vermont

    My most recent sleep gear is a MB ss 3. It works great for me thrashing around even when fully zipped and cinched. Most of the time I use it as a quilt though until it gets really cold. My only quilt is an original golite fuzz(or fur whichever was 40 degree). It is way to narrow, never worked well, and is relatively heavy. I know a wider quilt would make me happy but for now i am happy with the versatility and relatively light weight of my bag.

    #1801044
    Rusty Beaver
    BPL Member

    @rustyb

    Locale: Idaho

    Thanks for the additional info, guys! You are all most helpful.

    Having sat on this for a bit, I'm now wondering if a 20 deg Zpack bag (wide version) combined with a Katabatic Windom hood would be a good option for me. Compared to my Western Mountaineering Summerlite, this combo would be slightly lighter, more versatile, roomier, easier to thrash around in, and…..presumably warmer.

    Logical behind my keyboard but out in the field…. I don't know. Thoughts welcome.

    #1801194
    Matthew Perry
    BPL Member

    @bigfoot2

    Locale: Hammock-NOT Tarptent!

    Hammock.

Viewing 13 posts - 26 through 38 (of 38 total)
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