Quilt fit with wide sleeping pad?

Of note: I am looking at this for insulation, since my 50+ un-insulated pad is already a decent sub-11 oz.

Reason to get 20″:
– If I am solo, I can borrow my wife’s insulated REI Flash which is 25″, if I want the width. If we are together the 20″ will more easily fit in the tent with her 25″
– If I find the width is not worth it, I can save 5 oz on the cold trips where I will be bringing extra weight in clothing.

Reason to get 25″:
While it may be tough to squeeze both wides in the tent, the 25″ pad is 3.5″ thick. I sleep on my sides often, and might not want to compromise and use her thin pad just to get the added width.

The locking straps on  EE quilts are designed to have the entire quilt on top of your mattress, and the quilt can be adjusted properly this way. So yes, any size mattress will work as the quilt is designed to work, be it wide, regular or small mattress.

Recently used a new 25-inch wide Nemo Tensor Insulated pad on a two-night trip – wonderful! I’m also a rotisserie sleeper, and with 20-inch pads constantly woke up when my arms fell off at awkward angles.

The EE Revelation foot width varies from 38 to 46 inches depending on the width ordered. So in theory a 25-inch pad could sort-of fit inside, not completely closing around the pad, and but not zipped up.

However, most quilts are designed for pads outside, not inside.

EE’s Pads & Straps video shows the quilt on top and discourages wrapping the quilt underneath the pad at 1:33:

Ryan Jordan’s recent video review of the REI Magma quilt also shows the pad outside if you watch closely:

And Nunatak illustrates their quilts with the pad outside:

https://nunatakusa.com/content/19-straps-pads-and-quilts

In warmer weather I use my Western Mountaineering sleeping bag like a quilt, with the pad outside. Works fine.

HTH.

— Rex

[Edit: Didn’t see Terry’s succinct reply before I posted this.]

Can I stuff the bottom of the pad in the zipped up footbox like I can with my mummy pad?

I would say no, at least not with your feet in there as well.

The extra 5″ is totally worth it for me.  The rectangle shape is also better to keep limbs from hanging off.  I compared with a Large Xlite and found the Tensor did a better job of keeping my arms from sliding off.

I returned the Tensor since it wasn’t a big enough upgrade but if I was buying a new wide pad I would chose it over the Xlite.

I used a Nemo Tensor wide on my 2 week hiking trip on the LT this year with an EE Revalation Regular/Regular.  I had the same problem as you on tossing and turning and I am a side sleeper.  I attach the EE just like they say in the video and it worked just fine.  I got the best sleep I ever had on the trail with the Tensor.  The total weight of the Tensor with the repair kit and stuff sack is around 21 oz.  Worth it to me.  In the future I might get a wide version of the EE Revalation just for the extra room.

Wide it is.

I just did an overnight 27 miler (sea to skyline in big basin). Pack including food (carrying water in hands) was 13 lbs. It felt like it wasn’t there. That included my camp chair, camp lantern, and prob a pound of whiskey (intended on sharing of course). It felt like nothing, considering I lost more fat than that since April. I can certainly add a few ounces in comfort gear.

Sleep was horror, as usual. The allergies and forgetting allergy pills certainly didn’t help, but having to fully wake up just to shift positions and remain on the mat truly does suck. And I realized that when I’m on my back, arms at my sides, both arms are flat on the ground. 20″ is enough for my body if I had no arms lol. I’m only 5′-10″ but I’ve got a ton of muscle and I guess that just makes me wider.

Get a pad sleeve on the bottom of the quilt and no problems at all but it does mean you will always need a full length pad of some description at the foot end

“If any of you who rotate 1/4 turn every 20 minutes has an opinion on whether  a wide pad is worth it, please let me know that also.”

My cycle of turning is more like 1/4 turn every 45 minutes but I never turn onto my stomach.  I am not sure about width.  I sometimes put my water bottles or my hiking shoes parallel to my pad so I know when I am rolling off if.

But two important factors for me: 1) the pad needs to be fairly thick. and 2)  the combination of pad and ground cloth/or bottom of the bivy sack needs to not be slippery. Otherwise, my pad starts slipping out.

Slippery pad was the issue for me when I got myself a tent/pad setup for trips where the hammock is not an option.  I have an SMD Lunar Solo and a Thermarest xtherm pad.  Had to put few beads of seam sealer on the bottom of the pad to hold it in place.  Still moves around a bit when I am stuck with a crappy site.   All the fidgeting around to fix the pad pushed the quilt off to the side.  still better than a bag though.