Quilts and short sleeping pads

[Michael Gillenwater]

I'm not a quilt user, but eventually I'll give one a try.

In thinking to that day, I have what is a basic question with hopefully a simple answer (although, questions here rarely seem to have simple answers for every context).

I have forever used a short Thermarest (currently a short Neoair Xlite) for 3 season trips. It is very comfortable for me, being thin and average height. Then I typically just put my empty pack under my legs.

So the question is, how does such a set up work with a quilt? Or does it? Are quilts really for those using a full length pad? Or does it make no difference as long as you zip/button up the footbox end? I assume a bunch of you must have experience with this issue. Clearly, I don't.

Thanks…

[Matthew Reese]

Good question, I've been wondering the same thing. I'm a side sleeper so the bottom part of a sleeping pad is kind of useless to me, and I just stick my pack at the end of my Neoair Trekker 25 x 48 pad too. I've wondered how this would translate to a quilt as well.

[James Cahill]

I've used mine with 40" ccf pads and a 48" inflatable pad and haven't experienced any problems that I wouldn't have had in my bag (like kicking my pack away from my feet). The zipper and snaps on my quilt come up to my upper hamstrings.

[Michael Gillenwater]

So, to apply a simple picture. The bottom half of the quilt is really just like a sleeping bag due to the zipper or snaps or footbox stitching. And then it is really the top half that you use like a true quilt and you can wrap it around our pad or whatever. Makes sense, although I wonder if in all cases the transition at the bottom end of the pad works out so well or can it be prone to drafts.

[Tim Marshall]

Makes no difference. I don't believe that specific pads work for quilts and others don't. Try using your sleeping bag open like a quilt and i suspect you will agree that pad length doesn't suddenly become and issue when changing from bag to quilt.

-Tim

[robert van putten]

I'm kinda in the same boat.
My wife and I have never used anything but full length pads, and most of the time ( for almost twenty years – Has it really been that long! ) we've used an old thermarest sleep system that had a bottom sheet that held two pads and had a zipper that matted with the sleeping bag used as a quilt on the top.

We're used to using nothing but the pads for insulation under us, but they've always been full length and for that matter, firmly located in place.

Now we're looking to transition to a two person synthetic quilt and hopefully shorter pads to lighten things up a bit.

Sooo, I need to figure out how to keep the two pads under us side by side without migrating during the night ( Slippery silnylon Tarp Tent floor! ) and what to do about our legs.

If the packbags are wet, I sure ain't gonna be dragging them inside the tent to put under my legs!

[Michael Gillenwater]

Thanks Tim. You read my mind. That was my next planned idea, just try it with my existing bag unzipped.

[Barry P]

Mwgillenwater,
“and you can wrap it around our pad or whatever…”

That would leave dead air space– which I don’t think will be as warm as wrapping it around your body.
The first thing I noticed with a quilt- using a neoair- is that my back was right on the neoair and my back heated up quick from radiation. I liked that.

Bwana,
Some ideas for combining pads;
1. My wife uses a women’s Neoair (66” long). I use the short. I put my feet with hers on her neoair. So I am laying at an angle to do this; if that makes sense. We use one WM Megalite—opened up—as our quilt. Both our feet fit in the foot box.
2. I have kneeling pads (~1oz). At night I sometimes use this under my feet.
3. Some backpacks take a GG CCF sitlight pad for the frame. This pad is also good to put under the feet.
4. Don’t paint silicon rubber strips on your tent floor. They’re sticky for a day, but then the trail dust will cover it and you will lose all stickiness. Forget trying to get the tackiness back. You could use a single ribbon to hold the mats together. I’ve done that for years. But lately, since the neoairs are stickier than other mats I’ve been getting lazy. I plop down one 12”x12” rubber cupboard pad (~1oz) and then I make sure both pads touch it. That seems to have enough grip to hold our pads together through the night.

Have fun with pads!
-Barry
-The mountains were made for Tevas

[M B]

no different from a sleeping bag in my experience.

I generally have a short length of CCF pad I put under my legs. Preferring to just hang my pack up.

I have found I really like having the short piece rolled up on top of my pack to sit on during the day, and kneel on in the morning getting pack packed up, etc. And if the inflatable goes kaput, I still have somthing to sleep on.

[Michael Gillenwater]

Barry,

Thanks. Although if I am wrapping the quilt around me then basically I am back to just having a sleeping bag without a zipper it would seem. And one that does not really stay on me very well. I toss and turn a lot at night (stiff back that can't be in one position all night). So I would think only draping it over me or tucking under my pad would work unless I want a very drafty night.

The impression I get is if you are new to quilts then you just have to try it out and learn what works for you. Again, I'll play the unzipped sleeping bag game and see how it goes. It should be fun trying to keep the bag hood off of my face.

[And E]

If tossing and turning is a problem, check out how Tim at EE and Katabatic does their straps. There's a couple MYOG posts (including mine) that use similar attachment systems.
Basically, you strap grosgrain or webbing around your pad. That strap has two ladder lock female or male low-profile buckles pointing opposite directions (pointing out). The quilt has the other male/female end sewn in at the edges. This allows you to clip in on colder nights and since the buckles are sliders, you can tuck the sides in closely around you, easy to do from the inside, but it'll stay on the strap that's around the pad. This way, you can toss and turn and it will stay put. Its like a combo of strapping around you and around the pad.

You can kind of see it here on my quilt. The reflective bits are tape on my buckles. The are buckled into the strap that's on my pad and the edges of the quilt are brought in. You can slide the edges out on warmer nights and for more wiggle room.

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