Another Quilt Discussion

I've owned several different quilts, and find EE actually cheaper than most, apples to apples. You can get a 10° Enigma for under your budget by a good bit of $$$. A Long/Wide can be had for under $300!

My first quilts were from JRB and while I like them, especially their service, I too got cold. After trying a couple other horizontal baffled quilts I have determined that's the issue, as down falls victim to gravity, leaving less down between my highest point (ie: shoulders if I'm on my side) so I get cold.

Vertical baffles, I believe, should fix this, although I don't own such a quilt YET!

Taper: I'm about your size and prefer the half taper. I toss & turn, fwiw.

FP: Higher fillpower = lower weight and great compressibility. Nothing wrong with the 750, especially considering the price/weight ratio.

Just out of curiosity, what kind of pad are you using? At the temps you cited, it's unlikely that you're getting cold from the ground (unless you're using something ludicrously unsuited for sleeping), but it might be worth thinking about other aspects of your system that might be causing you to be cold.

It's also worth spending some time troubleshooting and seeing how you're getting cold- checking for drafts, etc. finding cold spots, etc. With the stuff I've used over the last few years, situations where the "seal" was less than ideal have not been all that uncommon, and some of the issues that I've had were not things that I would have guessed could happen based on how things were set up.

If you do upgrade, Enlightened Equipment is definitely a good place to look- the weight/cost is obviously a consideration, but their attachment system is also really well-liked around here, and might be a good fit for the sleeping style you described.

(All that said, I've definitely been cold at 45 with higher-end gear that's been theoretically rated 30, and I solved it the same way you did- by moving up to something more robust.)

I have found that the combination of wide pad with reg width quilt or wide quilt with reg pad width pad works wonders for warmth and draft control. I am 5'9" 170lbs athletic build and have gone to a wide pad and quilt, as a result I am both warmer and more comfortable.

It's easy to fall in love with gear in your spreadsheet but it is quite often something different in the woods. I moved from a 16.6oz quilt to the wide version at 19.2oz and from a med downmat ul7 at 20.2oz to a large Xtherm at 19.4oz. For less than 2oz in a combined total life is good.

Vertical vs horizontal may help with a poorly filled bag but if it has been properly filled the down will stay in place. To that end I had my go to quilt overfilled 2oz and the down doesn't move as I toss and turn all night. For reference it is a Katabatic Chisos wide that I take down to about 25f or so augmented with the clothes I normally have with me.

My Alsek and the previous Sawatch have enough down that it doesn't move and as a result no overfill was needed. The Alsek was my fifth Katabatic but I think I have my warm and cold quilts dialed in now. They are not cheap but I still feel they are a great value having purchased just about everything out there in quilts. Some I returned right away and some I tried and sold.

I do not attach the quilt to the pad but rather use elastic cord in place of the typical straps on the back of the quilt to help keep things together in the night. Much more comfortable and convenient.

You may have to experiment a bit to find what works the best for you but having moved to quilts I will never go back…unless it is going to be below 0f, then I take a bag even though it's a 4 lb Feathered Friends Peregrine.

If you decide to get "sneaky" and spend $500 on a quilt, you might check out Nunatak, especially the Arc Alpinist —

http://www.nunatakusa.com/site07/arc_products/arc_alpinist.htm

Here's a BPL review from 2002 that led me to check out, and buy, an Arc Alpinist more than ten years ago:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/00059#.U_Q6iix0ycw

The Arc Alpinist I purchased was customized to add two ounces of down, an extra inch of baffle height, differential cut, and it was sized in-between medium & large.

The guy at Nunatak patiently answered all my questions & provided valuable advice for choosing mods. He remedied my need for a quilt, specifically an Arc Alpinist, "right away" by sending me a demo of the same model (but with different shell material) to use "right away" while the quilt I ordered was being created. Thanks!

Nunatak produced a quilt I've enjoyed using with never a cold night's sleep during summer or fall in North Cascades NP, the Enchantments, Wind River Range, the Tetons & Yellowstone.

Final weight w/mods: 24 oz, as promised. Quality: excellent, as advertised.

Wow! Thanks for the quick responses. A few of you asked about the pad I'm using…It's a Big Agnes Insulated Q-Core SL, 20 x 78 x 3.5. If I had to do it over again, 20 inches wide is probably a bit too narrow, although it is far more comfortable than anything I would have thought possible in the woods. I don't think I'm getting cold from the ground.

I know this may sound funny but I used to sleep cold all the time. I tried all the advice from this forum about pad, food, hydration, etc…until I discovered wearing soft fuzzy fleece socks on my feet. The regular hiking socks did nothing for me. But having this softer, looser fabric on my feet I now am warm and comfy. Sometimes in the colder months I have to keep my hips warmer as well, so I will wear a light silk layer of knee length shorts or short johns I guess they would be called, under my regular long johns or sleep pants. This set up has worked for me. Feet and hips.

…and the rest of you will be fine.

About the quilt, two words. Z. packs.