Does this make sense?

I use my bag like that when it's too warm. I think you'll have the oposite effect.

The down under you is essentially null. But using it as a quilt could possibly help if you're able to shift the down that would normally be under you to more efficient places when you unzip for quilt mode.

What's the difference between doing that with a sleeping bag and using an actual quilt?

Continuous baffles? Could shake the down up to the top. Otherwise you have stumbled upon why so many have gone to quilts. Why insulate the bottom when lying on the insulation negates it's ability to insulate.

You just end up with more air space to fill, unless you can shake and arrange the down so that you have more loft on top. I would use the bag in the normal way and keep the drafts out. Loft is pretty much everything.

Quilts can deliver more in two ways:

*The same amount of down as your mummy bag, delivering more loft on top for the same weight of down, and saving some fabric and zipper weight. It should be warmer for the same weight.

-or-

*The same amount of loft as a mummy bag on top with weight saved because you are using less down, less fabric, no zippers, etc. It should have the same warmth for less weight.

I have had that same sleeping bag for several years. The problem is that I toss and turn at night, so I need to have the sleeping bag zipped up in order to retain the heat.

–B.G.–

@Dale: Thanks for breaking it down like that, kinda confirms what I'd thought.

@B.G. I agree, I like the bag too. I toss and turn a bit when sleeping and the bag is kinda tight on me (I'm a big guy), so that's the only negative for me.

IMHO, the squashed down underneath doesn't have zero insulation, just a lot less than the fully lofted insulation on top. For those of us who toss and turn and take the sleeping bag with us, we hope that when the underneath part gets on top, it will loft quickly enough that we won't get cold!

There is also the no-draft factor of having my sleeping bag completely enclosing me, enhanced by its draft collar. IMHO, that draft collar is one reason why my WM Ultralite keeps me warm to lower than its rating!

There are looser cut sleeping bags for those who feel claustrophobic in a narrow bag, although you'll sacrifice some warmth (dead air space to warm up) in the process. What's most important, IMHO, is what gives you a comfortable night's sleep! If that involves more weight, so be it!

Although I'm not interested in a quilt, I'm not going to state an opinion–I only use my sleeping bag as a quilt when it's warm. However, as it gets colder, the insulation provided by your sleeping pad is even more critical for a quilt than it is for a sleeping bag–and it's quite critical for the sleeping bag!

> could I get more warmth out of my sleeping bag if I used it as a quilt (unzipped and > slightly tucked under me)?
Of course. That's how many make the transition from 'bags' to 'quilts'.

Cheers

Exactly, Roger! For those of you who have a sleeping bag already, experiment with it as a quilt. That's how you'll find out which suits you best! I'm a non-quilt person, but that's me, not the rest of you!

As I get older, I use "YMMV" more and more!

I leave the down on the bottom, as I tend to sleep 50/50 (back and side). I have developed a little hip-hop (not to be confused with the music style), where I use my hip to bouce myself 90 degrees from my back to my side. Thus bringing the whole bag with me in the turn and not having my face smothered into the side of my bag's hood. Then the compressed down that was under begins to expand along my exposed back and trap my heat.

I do use horizontal continuous baffled bags though. For the main reason of shifting all the down on top if the temp goes below what I had anticipated. A couple of cold back turns normally discipline me into staying on my back for the rest of the night.

It seems it's almost heresy around here to speak highly of The North Face brand but several of their new bags have a feature that seems to at least address the issue. They sew in panels of long staple synthetic fill where shoulders, hips, and knees are, replacing the down to combat the problem.

Maybe it's psychosomatic, but I think it does a pretty good job. I've slept comfortably in just a silk-weight synthetic baselayer at temps right around freezing in their 30* EN-rated Gold Kazoo. I'm also a side sleeper, and 'wear' the bag taking it with me as I roll. The panels weren't a selling point for the bag, but the first night out I was pleasantly surprised to not feel that familiar chill on my back as I rolled to my side after laying on my back for an hour reading.