Quilt for Mt. Whitney high camp

It depends how warm of a jacket/ clothes you are going wear.

I always add 10 degrees for safety. It's much better to have 5 more ounces in a warmer quilt than having to bring a pound more clothing.

With that, I would get a 20 degree quilt.
You may not quite be there in the shoulder season, but temps do get bellow 30 degrees.
A 20 degree quilt will not only give you some assurance, it will also help you get into the shoulder season in the Sierras.

Besides, a 20 quilt still weighs less than a 30 degree sleeping bag.

Just my 2 cents.

At Labor Day on Mount Whitney, there have been significant snow storms, more than a couple of inches.

–B.G.–

Thanks Aaron leaning towards the 20*.

Bob do you think the 20* would be sufficient then? We probably wouldn't climb if there was chance of significant snow.

I stayed at Guitar Lake mid Sept. 2013. Was cold with a 20F Rev X with overstuffing (3oz). On top of a xlite and thin evazote. I also had a MB thermawrap jacket. I sleep cold. This year I am carrying a different EE quilt, same weight but more down rated to 0F.

Planning for Whitney alone seems a bit singularly focused to me unless you will be doing it for the majority of your trips. Use a quilt that you can get the most use of and add or subtract down layers as necessary to meet the current conditions. With that said I summited Whitney two days ago and it was 20* and windy at the summit. I'd plan on it being quite cold in September.

"Bob do you think the 20* would be sufficient then?"

I would think that is a practical target.

My normal summer sleeping bag is rated for 30*F. Instead of having a different 20*F bag, I just have something to augment the 30*F bag. This is a down blanket that I sewed. It is small and weighs 6 ounces. It would basically fill up the space inside my sleeping bag and give it some extra warmth.

You want to be prepared for some wind. Trail Camp is 12,000', and there is no cover at all except for some big rocks. When you are up there, there is noplace to hide.

–B.G.–

Thanks Bob for the suggestions. Think I'll go with the 20* revelation. I appreciate all the help.

By the way, Trail Camp is where nearly everybody camps. If you look around, you might find a spot in the rocks that is twenty feet below Trail Camp proper, and you stand a better chance of avoiding the worst wind. This is in the downhill direction along the trail.

The good thing about Trail Camp is that you can see from there to the summit pretty easily.

At the last time that I was up there (last month), there were wooden signs put up by the Forest Service warning backpackers to camp back a distance from the only pond, and some backpackers were violating that. They were camped between the signs and the water. So, when the rangers go on patrol up there, that is the sort of thing that they look for first as they get their citation books out.

–B.G.–

Awesome advice thanks! I'll keep an eye out for this.

Most of my Sierra trips end up being during the shoulder season (Sept to Nov). I often bring my 15*F quilt on these trips for that added safety margin and a bit of extra warmth for the cold(er) nights.

The nice thing about the EE quilts is being able to open up the foot box to vent a little or even opening up the entire quilt and using it like a blanket, if you like. If you had an useasonably warm night, you can adapt the quilt to the conditions. If it chills down toward dawn, you close it back up and cinch it tight.

I've had "warm" nights in the 40s and cold nights in the low teens in Sept/Oct. Something like a 15* or 20*F quilt fits the range pretty nicely.

Great feedback Nico thanks. Now over to gear swap to find one :-)

A Black Diamond Firstlight will be warmwer than a Zpacks Hexamid.

Using a tt moment dw.

Looks like you've got some great advice. I would just add that I use a mummy bag so I can't offer any help regarding quilt, but I would say having camped last Sept at Whitney (Sept. 18) that trail camp is what everyone says about it…

COLD.

WINDY.

CROWDED.

My 15* bag was warm in the sub freezing wind, and generally 20* is the recommendation for the high altitude Sierra trips that I have seen. I agree with previous posters as a matter of preference, I'd rather have a few more oz of weight for warmth than to freeze and have nothing to help with it. Been there, done that.

Outpost has a really nice site to the left of the trail by the waterfall, MUCH nicer/cleaner place to stay than Trail Camp. Trail Camp looked like HOBO village and way too many people didn't PACK THEIR POOP OUT.