Bivy and fleece blanket for summer sleeping?

Wish I could edit out that ITS, typo.

I’ll generally be using this inside a tent or wooden shelter by the way, so the bivy is mainly to add warmth in place of a sleeping bag.

Also, I know the thickness of the fleece will be critical. I’m mainly curious about combining a fleece with this bivy.

What temps are you planning on dealing with? I’m a fan of my military surplus poncho liner for warm nights.

Thanks, Justin. I don’t know why I hadnt considered that as I’ve seen it mentioned. It’s available used for a lot less than the Nanowave and I’d be OK sacrificing quality at this point. It’s one more option to consider.

I’m in the Midwest for the rest of the summer, usually around 60 at night and somewhat humid. I’m going to experiment with the bivy + blanket on my balcony soon. I think I’ll be very comfortable if it’s above 60 but who knows. I’m a warm sleeper so I might eve try the bivy on its own.

It was mentioned in another thread, but I’ve thought about the Kusa blanket for this purpose. It was mentioned in another thread recently. It’s somewhat cheap and much lighter than the Nanowave 55.

As per your question about the bivy. Yes, it might get clammy, but it might not be terrible. I’ve slept in the high 80s with an eVent bivy, and while it wasn’t luxurious, it was livable.

Someone suggested that to me here on BPL last summer and it worked out great.

I got a cheap fleece blanket, sewed a channel at the foot end and tied it off with a piece of cord to make a foot box. I use it with my diy bug bivy and a small tarp.

It’s light, let’s vapor out, it can be wrung out if it gets wet and it cost me $10. On the negative side it doesn’t pack as small as a down quilt that is capable of dealing with any colder temperatures that may occur.

Ditto on pretty much everything Tim said.

I just recently got rid of my down summer quilt in favor of a DIY fleece quilt.  In my opinion, it’s much nicer to sleep in compared to many UL quilts for the kind of summer backpacking I do in the mid Atlantic area.  Fleece feels better against the skin and doesn’t become as sticky in hot, humid conditions like some UL fabrics used on quilts. I also like it because I don’t feel like have to treat it delicately.  I can sit with it by the fire and not worry about burning holes in an expensive piece of equipment; I can get it pretty dirty during a trip and just come home and throw it right in the wash without any special care.  It cost $10 for a cheap fleece throw at Target and took me about 1.5 hours to hand sew (poorly) while watching TV one evening.

The two biggest drawbacks to a fleece quilt is its limited temperature range and a minor weight penalty compared to down.  I got my DIY fleece quilt down to about 17 ounces, so I’m taking about a 3 ounce penalty compared to my previous down bag.  However,  I could probably trim it a bit more and shave another ounce or two if I wanted.  I haven’t had a chance yet to test yet in temps below 55 F, but I’ve been pretty certain that I can take it below that with the other clothing I carry or wear (pants, LS shirt, light fleece pullover, rain gear) and my bivy bag.  One other downside is that a fleece quilt, on its own, will function pretty poorly in windy conditions.

one cheap option is the 20$ costco down quilt … this is as warm a s thick and fuzzy fleece blanket

and you dont give a damn if its used hard

generally a lightish fleece blanket weights ~ 500g or so …

for that weight you can make a ~40F synthetic quilt that has a higher temp range and is pretty darn durable

im a fan of fleece, but mainly for garments … for sleep systems they are quite heavy

;)

Sunny Sports has a Coleman fleece 50F sleeping bag for $13.95, but it’s 1.8lbs.

For giggles poked around to see if anyone made fleece sleeping bags of any warmth. Found this monster.

Now you have valid opinions on both sides, but it is all theoretical, even when it comes from people who’ve used fleece blankets. They don’t camp where you do and they’re not you. It costs next to nothing to grab a blanket and try it for yourself.

Besides it’s a perfect excuse to be in the woods :)

I admit, I sort of want to try this out with a bivy.

Condensation isn’t as big of an issue, and much of the summer in Oklahoma is too warm to use a sleeping bag.

Time to try it out. :)

Per the usual caveats, HYOH, hey it’s your money, yada-yada-yada :^)

I got an EE Rev 50 just for the warm months and could not be happier — 11.3 oz of total bliss that squashes down to the size of a softball. For the price of 1 night in a so-so vacation hotel.

But I’ll bet a 100wt fleece is a totally adequate and cheap solution. Just harkens me back to one of the most miserable nights in my life, in August, 1981 in Shining Rock Wilderness, Pisgah National Forest, NC when I was using an acrylic blanket. Some things get branded onto the neurons.

For about $25 I made a Climashield Apex (2.5) quilt and nylon ripstop seconds- it’s definitely 50 degree, with a bivy into the 40’s- weighs a svelte 12-ish oz and packs small

I’d choose it over fleece, warmer ounce for ounce and packs smaller

one note is that a synth quilt like the ones mentioned above will easily boost the temps by ~15F ..

which can easily turn a summer quilt into a 3 season one with excellent moisture managment

for example lets take bob/mikes 50F quilt @ ~340g … and add a WM 35F highlite bag at 440g (measured) … add a small down hat for 30g (OR down beanie) … and now you have a ~20F combo for 810g …

note that the WM ultralite 20F weights 820g (it might be slightly warmer due to the continuous seal of the bag vs the partial seal of the quilt and more down around the head) … and this is considered one of the best and lightest 20F bags you can but … compared to a “big brand” 20F 800 fill bag the combo setup might actually be even lighter

and your moisture management is MUCH better .. the system is more flexible and you can use the synth in camp as a blanket

so in the long run the synth quilt is not just warmer but more flexible … just make sure you make it wide enough to fit over a bag, but use straps to reduce the girth enough to get a proper fit when using alone

;)

ps … where on gods green earth can i find quilt materials for 25 yankee dollahz?

When you made the apex quilt, did you use any through stitching to stabilize the insulation ?  If not, have you tried machine washing it yet ?  How did it hold up ?

two yards of 2.5 apex ~ $15 (dutcharegear.com), three yards of 1.1 nylon seconds $7 (diygearsupply.com) :)

no need for any quilting etc, it stays put- haven’t had to wash it yet

@bearbreeder

Check out diygearsupply.com, they don’t currently have 2.5oz apex but I paid around $46 for the materials for my 40F (3.6oz) quilt when they had a sale a couple weeks ago. ‘Course I already had clips, shock cord, and straps.

thanks guys ….

shipping is close to 20 dollahz unfortunately

my favorite climbing partner offered to sew me a quilt … but its no deal as i need to buy her a dead bird …

;)

I use a Big Agnes Kings Canyon Quilt in that niche. The Thermarest Tech Blanket is another warm weather option. The military poncho liner or woobie works there as well.

Thanks, people. I appreciate all the thoughtful responses.

I’m occupied with some other stuff right now so haven’t made up my mind. I also haven’t tested the bivy outside yet (not above freezing that is.) I’ll probably do it tonight. Mid 60s so I don’t think I’ll need the fleece but I like to pull something over me.About 5 years ago someone posted a thread about sleeping in the heat and I think Tim from EE suggested the idea of just a sheet of ripstop, so not so far from my bivy.

I’m liking the  Woobie/ poncho liner which seems to weigh 23 oz?,  but then I wonder about the difference in insulation quality vs lower end bags like the Nanowave (Spirafil has a better ring than polyester batting, but maybe I’m gullible.)

I’m also intrigued by the Aegis and  I’d love a Costco throw (or better yet a converted Costoco quilt) but I’m not a member. A cheap down bag or blanket would have the benefit of being lighter than any option I currently own. I might ask a coworker to have a look at Costco.

Anyone know the brand name of the Costco throws so I can call them up and ask if they’re available?

you can see the packaging and name in THIS thread

Thanks for that, it’s “Double Black Diamond.” I’ll call them now.

The Costco quilts are very nice Duke.

The Costco quilts are very nice

I beg to differ.

Aaron S made me one for me from a Costco throw, and while I’m happy with its insulating properties, its breathability is very insufficient. I have used it on numerosu counts (“backyard” and indoors sleepovers) and have woken up sweating, which has never happened under the same conditions while using even warmer quilts. During 2 of these nights I changed into a dry t-shirt, switched to a 40°F EE Prodigy, slept like a baby, and woke as dry as ever.

The fabric of the Costco throw is no good in my book, YMMV.