How to get warm with a quilt

I use a wide HG Burrow and have not tried any of the pad attachment straps. I just roll and tuck the edges under me as I do my rotisserie sleeping action all night long. I’m 5’6” and 165# so maybe that makes a difference? Anyhow, my suggestion is to try it without the straps and see if that works. Good luck!

Like Matthew, I have never had any luck with pad attachments and honestly, I think they detract from the main joy of a quilt.  Luckily, when I roll over/reposition myself I’m aware that I am doing this and make certain that edges are tucked.  Hope you find your optimal solution.

Thanks for the ideas, guys. It seems counter-intuitive to me but I’ll give it a shot. I’m a side sleeper and toss a lot and tucking the back side of the quilt seems like a recipe to wake myself up a lot. But maybe I’m wrong.

I agree with above.. a little tuck under as I turn.. And toss and turn a lot I do all night. I kind of like the cool draft I get though.. Honestly, that is why I use a quilt.. In my hammock or on the ground, all the same.. I use my quilts all 4 seasons here in NY.

Have always used bags for sleeping, and since the Montbell spiral wrap bags came out, have always used them, because the fabric is cut on the bias, and allows plenty of leg room and movement (diagnosed with restless leg syndrome and also sleep rotating sides often).  Also, the weight for the 30 degree bag is 20 oz, much less than synthetic bags that sleep colder.  With a couple of puffies (top and bottom) that also serve around camp for meals etc. in cold weather, this takes me down to below 20 degrees, without shivering.  Of course the premium down requires extra care, but found that easy to adjust to.

Have never said anything about quilts until now, especially because the moderator and most of the posts seemed sold on quilts as a better alternative to bags.  But this thread once again reminds me of the shortcomings of quilts.  Won’t repeat them, because the OP’s and other’s posts are quite well stated above.

The moderator recently spoke about bags’ insulation pressed flat under the body, and therefore useless.  However, Richard Nisley’s posts have stated that even insulation pressed flat retains significant.insulative value.  And it is the pad, not the difference between a bag or a quilt that is the key to preventing loss of body heat into the ground.

It is the cocoon quality of bags that have kept me warm, without shivering; along with layering on most of what is in the clothes sack when things get really icy.  In warm weather (seldom seen at higher altitudes where i often sleep), a 3/4 zip allows the bag to be used like a quilt.  So what’s not to like.  Could the quilt thing be just a fad?  (A lot of folks chucking bags for quilts means a lot of money to be made.)  Is it about the much easier and cost lowering quilting on karo designs?  (Have a karo quilted puffy on my bed at home,and after considerable use, the down is no longer evenly distributed, and is not about to be – but my bedroom does not get icy).

So have concluded that a lot of folks with issues like those presented on this thread would be much happier with a good bag, of appropriate length of course..  With respect to quilts, this is one who is having none of it.

Happy Sleeper

P.S.  Just dawned on me that maybe it is about S E X.

I’m not quite understanding what you mean by “my bag is only for 20″ wide pads”. Your bag doesn’t care what size your pad is, so I’m a bit confused on that.

As far as the quilt, not sure I can explain this in text but I’ll try. Let’s say you’re laying on your right side, and want to turn over to your left side. Grab the left side of your quilt with your right hand, make it a bit taut, then go ahead and turn over (turn so you face down, not up, as you turn). This will keep your quilt tucked under your back side without having to tuck it in after you turn. Might take a bit of practice.

Hope that makes sense.

“P.S.  Just dawned on me that maybe it is about S E X.”

I use a quilt, but I’ve never had S E X with it…. :-)

Eric C., I am also relatively new to the world of quilts and have had the same issue you are experiencing, i.e. keeping the quilt sealed underneath you to avoid drafts.  I finally started rigging up the attachment cords and toggles that came with the quilt (an REI Magma) and found that solved the problem.  That system is a bit different than the Hammock Gear clips I see; my clips do not come undone easily at all, and I guess I don’t see how your clips are detaching as you sleep.  Perhaps you could try swapping out the HG clips for something more substantial.  REI is using elongated toggles that slip through small loops sewn into the edges of the quilt.  (Ryan has a good video of the system in the Gear Review section and talks about the attachment system starting at about 4:45 into the video.)

FWIW, my quilt has 4 attachment loops, but I only use 3 in order to facilitate easier exits at night.  Staying warm hasn’t been a problem, as I just kind of roll the loose end under me to seal out drafts, as others have described.  Could it be that your quilt needs to clip a little further underneath you?  Hope you can figure this out!  I love my quilt and sleep much more soundly than tossing and spinning inside a sleeping bag.

Clips and straps and tucking 10 times a night, cold drafts and you know, I really like my Feather friends sleeping bag! I’m warm all over, all night. Ahhhhh!

@scfhome: Have always used bags for sleeping, and since the Montbell spiral wrap bags came out, have always used them, because the fabric is cut on the bias, and allows plenty of leg room and movement

I actually tried one of those Montbell SuperStretch bags for a while. It didn’t work for me at all. It’s the same problem I have with any bag that I don’t just move inside of: whenever I turned around and brought the bag with me the part that was formerly compressed underneath me doesn’t instantly loft fully. It takes some time. During that time I get cold on that spot. I ended up selling it. It’s one reason why I thought a quilt would be ideal, because I could keep it on top and then turn underneath/inside of it without moving the quilt.

@scfhome: P.S. Just dawned on me that maybe it is about S E X.

Haha, no, it’s not about that.

@nsfw: I’m not quite understanding what you mean by “my bag is only for 20″ wide pads”. Your bag doesn’t care what size your pad is, so I’m a bit confused on that.

I’m talking about my Big Agnes system bag. They don’t have bottom insulation on their bags but they have a sleeve that the pad fits into. My older bag has a sleeve that only fits 20″ wide pads, not the 25″ wide pad I’d like to use.

Your description on how to turn over makes sense. I’ll give that a shot.

On a related note, if I decided to sell a quilt I used for three nights do you think I’d get a decent response here? Obviously with a bit of a markdown, but I’m hoping not too much. Maybe 80% of purchase price?

Sam,

My views on quilts are similar to yours.

I also use and have been satisfied with the Montbell spiral wrap bags.

Eric, FWIW i’ve heard that while HG makes excellent quality quilts, they make utter sh*t clips.  So your complaint about the clips may be specific to that company and not the general ultralighter’s attitude toward – and experience of – clips.  If you’re decent at sewing (or know someone else) you may be able to add loops of webbing around the pad and use another manufacturer’s cips (EE, Katabatic, etc).

As regards selling, I’d imagine you could certainly get 80% back of what you’re looking for. Hell Id even consider it myself if it weren’t the long!

If you didn’t use the straps start there. In my REI Magma 30 I am comfortable at 30F. That is with Xlite regular, beanie shorts and socks.

@biggyshorty

Thanks for that info on the clips. That totally makes sense. The clips were really bad, they constantly came detached. Perhaps a more beefy system would work. There are loops on the quilt, so as long as I got something that looped around the pad I don’t think I would need to make modifications, just get some better straps.

Having said that, I’m becoming more and more convinced that a quilt just isn’t for me and I would rather have a little bit of weight and a good seal for warmth. I sleep cold.</div>

I also have a HG Econ 20 and can confirm the attachment system is pretty bad. I too experienced constant “detaching” throughout the night. However, I reached out to HG about this and their response was great. They said a quick solution would be to slip some split rings on the attachment points where the mitton hooks connect. That’s what I did, and it seems to work. They also offered to place D rings on the attachment points themselves (what they used to do and my understanding plan to revert back to given the issues people have had) if I sent the quilt in. Anyway, it may be worth a shot prior to giving up on quilts. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble selling the quilt if it’s not for you, though. HG is known to make quality quilts at a good price, and I’ve found them to resell quickly.

I’ve heard positive things about Katabatic’s quilt attachment system.  I tried earlier to find a DIY writeup on it.  It must exist somewhere.  That being said I have been cold with my EE 30, which is my go-to 3 season quilt.  I got an HG Burrow 20, but have only used it in a hammock, so didn’t need the attachments.

Yes, a down bag like the Montbells must be treated well to maintain its loft.  It must be kept dry, using an inner plastic bag in the stuff sack if necessary.  First thing I do after pitching the tent is lay out the bag in the tent on the mat before cooking, eating etc. (Aspire to solo tents with enough space so that me and a dog or two can prep and eat meals under cover in the rain with enough space left for gear, like the pad with the bag laid over it.)  And the bag is not stuffed overly tight in the sack, but being in the bottom of the pack, does get further compressed.  Except when on the trail, it is stored in a much larger mesh sack.  (Because of the dog(s), I drive, not fly, to destinations, so it stays in the big sack until reaching the trailhead,)  So have never had a problem with it having thin spots underneath where I lie.  It must be either a lack of care or Montbell going to lower quality down that is creating the thin spots.

Third what others have said.  I’ve owned an Enlightened Equipment quilt since about 2012, which back then didn’t have a good pad attachment system.  2 years later I retrofitted my quilt with EE’s current pad attachment straps, which use flat “baseball hat clips”, which I find work very well.

I use two of their elastic loops, which I slide over my inflated pad when setting up my tent.  I then clip my quilt to the straps using the two clips farthest from the tent door.  When I climb into my quilt, I simply attach the quilt using the two clips near the door.  If it’s cold, I can slide the clips along the elastic strap so that they are more underneath me, pulling the edges of the quilt underneath me and creating a tighter seal. On warm nights I keep the clips positioned toward the edges of the pad, or leave them unclipped entirely.  Getting up in the middle night is easy.  I find the the two clips near the door and press them open, flip the quilt over, and pull my feet out of the bottom.

I purchased a HG Burrow Econ this past winter to be used as a loaner for some LW classes I help teach to my local outdoors club.  I agree that their mitten clips suck.  I’m in the process of sewing flat plastic clips to it so that it’s the same as the Enlightened Equipment attachments.

If you wanted to sew your own clips and straps to retrofit your quilt, you can order the flat release buckles here  https://www.strapworks.com/release_buckle_p/crb.htm

They also sell matching flat elastic.

I like the 3/4″ or 1″ wide buckles.  The smaller ones are too finicky to use in the dark.

I have an HG premium quilt.  It is the 40F version and I only use it for warmer weather.  I found that if I use the top attachment that i don’t get as good of seal and lose lots of heat.  So I removed the top attachment and when it gets cool, I button the top of the quilt under me but on top of my pad.  Adjust the shock chord at the top of the quilt opening as necessary.  I’m able to get a good seal this way whether I’m back or side sleeping (I toss and turn all night).  I still use the lower two attachments with shock cord around my pad.  Good luck!

“I’ve heard positive things about Katabatic’s quilt attachment system. I tried earlier to find a DIY writeup on it. It must exist somewhere. That being said I have been cold with my EE 30, which is my go-to 3 season quilt. I got an HG Burrow 20, but have only used it in a hammock, so didn’t need the attachments.”

Sorry, not sure how to quote on this forum, but hope it quoted.  I saw something similar about Katabatics.  It’s a 2-point attachment system.  One that hooks to the strap on the pad, and the other that helps keep it tucked.  I just bought an EE Enigma and had the draft issue.  It’s the first time I had to put my puffer on to sleep.  I was still comfortable in the quilt more than I was in previous bags, but I was colder.  it took some learning, but I got better as the days went by keeping it tucked.  I still think I’ll look at the katabatics attachment system and possibly retrofit the EE.

Chris

Does the draft collar and the side tension control like on the ugq quilts help?

The only way I am able to be consistently warm in my HG 40 degree Burrow is to use the mat strap attachments. I initially bought this quilt for hammock’ing and once moving to ground immediately couldn’t stand the drafts. I tried the tucking in as you turn thing but it just ends up slowly slipping out again and the cold waking me up once more. Finally decided to make my own attachments and it was night and day in comfort. Was warm and toasty all night long. The only complaint was getting in and out of the damn contraption. Half awake, It became like a marionettes dance trying to figure out all the lines sometimes. Ended up buying a Zpacks 3/4 zip and now I’ve got the best of both worlds. Sleeping bag and quilt. The best thing about it is you don’t need the straps even when using as a quilt as you can zip it to just the desired point.

I would add my 2 cents that I have been happier with Hoodless sleeping bags with no draft tubes similar to what zpacks makes.  I use a separate down balaclava and can rotate inside the bag without ending up breathing into the hood like on a conventional mummy.  I tend to rotate the zipper under my body a little to eliminate cold penetration at the zipper.  The width needed to make a complete bag is not that much more than a wide quilt.

I have vertical baffles and tubes on the top 2/3 of my bag.  I overstuffed the middle tubes to try and keep my hip warm when side sleeping.  (Down would migrate away from the high point of the hip when side sleeping with standard horizontal baffles.)

And my winter bag is a conventional mummy, but a center zip, and no side block baffle.  I can roll the whole bag with me when I roll.  I want to try Ryan Jordan’s suggestion of using a summer Hoodless bag and an attached synthetic over-quilt.

Scott