Any real world feedback on the Sierra Designs Backcountry Quilt yet?

Same here. After reading that thread I was excited to see some unique development on quilt design, but haven't heard much since. I felt the things SD was trying would help make a quilt that would be better suited to belly sleepers like me.

SD can't get Phantom 10d. It's all mine ;)

-Tim

Tim,
As a quilt maker extraordinaire yourself, what's your take on the built-in hood of the Backcountry Quilt? How hard would it be to sew on one of your quilts?

How do you think it would compare to the warmth of using a separate down hood? Seems like it might be more thermally efficient since it would share air circulation with the rest of the quilt, but I don't really know. Of course, it's not as versatile a separate hood, since it can't be worn separately… Ahhhh, compromises…

Here is my totally biased yet fully solicited opinion;)

The integrated hood, in any form, in any quilt or bag I have ever seen is just useful for back sleepers. Once you turn to your side its in the way and you can't use it. On your belly its even more useless.

The other issue I have with this hood is the extreme extra length used in this quilt to achieve it not only costs more weight than my new 1.5oz Balaclava (Plugged!) but adding that length at full width creates a large air space to heat if used as suggested. It should be able to be tucked but to me its not the right call.

When I first saw the quilt I took serious pause. It seemed like a good viable solution but since evaluating it more I feel that other solutions can be used easier and work better for all sleeping positions while saving weight too

-Tim

Tim,

I did not see this product listed? When do you expect it to be available for sale?

Rodney

Very very soon. It's done just need to sew up a batch and make the product page up. Check our Facebook for a few teaser shots of it going back to feb

-Tim

@Derek: Ashleigh just reviewed a couple of similar women's models over at Trailspace…lots of info about the hood and other features.

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/sierra-designs/mobile-mummy-800-2-season/#review31260

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/sierra-designs/mobile-mummy-800-3-season/#review31283

I know this is an old thread, but I'm revisiting my sleeping arrangement and I like some of the features of this quilt, especially the insulated arm sleeves of the quilt. I wonder if Tim or other cottage folks would be willing to sew these in for a significant comfort gain for a small weight gain…

I bought both the SD BC Quilt and the SD BC Bed at the same time when they came out, thinking I would try them both out and return one. I liked the design of them both so much that I've kept them both. In fact, I just bought a used WM Highlite for my son for his birthday and he asked if he could return it to get a BC Bed for himself. So I did.

I bought the 3-season of both versions and have taken them both down to 30 degrees and both were very comfortable. I know there is a weight penalty for the bag/quilt compared to EE or Zpacks, but I move a bunch in my sleep and just love the width and length of both the bag and quilt. They both are hugely comfortable, especially the BC Bed. I did use the opening for my mouth on the quilt and like mentioned, it is great on your back, less so if you move to your side or stomach.

I have bought a bunch of bags, quilts, etc over the years and other than my Katabalic quilt, which is a work of art, these are my favorites to grab on an outing.

There is a lightweight version of the BC coming next year but rated to 30. 1 lb, 10 oz.

They are neat but I don't see how they are not just heavy quilts.

These threads seem to digress into products other than the quilt. I’m not interested in the Backcountry Bed, the footbox and leg area of that thing are really restrictive and uncomfortable. I’m not a big guy (6′, 180) and it was too tight for me to get comfortable.

Are there any long term reviews of the Backcountry Quilt? I ordered mine based on how passionate the SD team seems to be about it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a fantastic product.

Chris,

I saw you’ve been asking around about this quilt, so I figured I’d give you my thoughts. I hope others that aren’t willing to wait weeks/months for a cottage-made quilt find this helpful as well.

I was gifted the Backcountry Quilt for Christmas 2014 and I have about 15 nights on it so far. For reference, I’m 6’0″, 160lb, mostly side-sleeper, and I have used the quilt across Montana, Utah, and Colorado for both backpacking and car camping trips. All of the nights I have used either a regular length Xlite or Z Lite SOL pad.

Pros:

• Great coverage – I’ve never used a narrower-cut cottage quilt but I appreciated the ease of tucking the edges under me. There are definitely cold drafts when I flip over but I can quickly seal them off when I get re-situated.
• Insulated hand pockets – I really didn’t think much of these when shopping around, but they are my favorite feature now. As there is no way to attach the quilt to a pad (see below), these are essential (IMO) to keeping the quilt tucked underneath me and snugging it around my neck.
• Amazing comfort – this probably applies to most quilts, but I am so comfortable under the quilt. I’ve even used it on my couch in the winter or when I’m sick at home with a fever. The fabric has a soft touch and the roominess of the quilt allows you to contort anyway you want. It feels luxurious when car camping and even more so after a long day on a backpacking trip.
• Decent warmth – so subjective, but I think the quilt is pretty close to the stated temperature rating. I’ve probably had it down to the mid 20s (a few degrees below the EN Lower Limit) and was on the verge of being cold with baselayers + fleece top + beanie. A warmer pad would have helped that night as well.

Cons:

• Useless hood for side sleeping – on my side, it’s not easy/comfortable to position the hood opening in front of my mouth. I end up just wrapping the quilt tightly around my head if it’s cold using the extra length of the quilt. I’ve tried the hood while back sleeping a few times and I didn’t like the sensation of cold air sneaking between my face and the hood opening, cooling off all my hard-earned warm air inside the quilt.
• Poor DWR – I’ve noticed minor dampness on the foot and head end of the quilt in the morning, even with a double wall tent. Maybe my feet are just big sweaters. It is filled with hydrophobic down, but I might re-treat the outer shell for peace of mind.
• Shifting down in underfilled baffles – some of the baffles could use extra down to keep everything stable. When the down is evenly distributed, the quilt is warm to its stated rating (28*F) but any tossing and turning causes cold spots to form as the down falls to the sides of the quilt. I may remove the down-filled hood flap from the bag and redistribute the down into these problem baffles to prevent cold spots. NOTE: it looks like Sierra Designs added a few seams to the baffles I have had problems with, which should greatly help to keep down on top of you where it belongs.