Sleeping Quilts and cold weather

If you’re sleeping on your side and moving around of coarse there is going to be cold spots and let cold air in.  My bedroom at home is cold and sometimes when I move around the cold gets in.  I’m sure people are going to tell you quilts are just as warm as sleeping bags but I would think you need a sleeping bag, or sleep with more clothes on so you don’t notice the cold air as much.

I use my -15F rated winter bag as a quilt 95% of the time—spread out over me like a blanket.  I sleep better when unconstricted, cocooned or mummified.  BUT . . . my bag has a zipper and the necessary option to zip up tight when unblankie-like temps hit, for me around 5F down to -20F.

Point is, a winter sleeping bag is the best of both worlds—it’s a quilt when unzipped and a bag when needed.

Philip,  Make sure your quilt is sized properly.  The EE website gives detailed instructions on how to do this.  I’m 5’7”, 160lbs and am an active sleeper.  My Revelation quilt is a regular length and wide width.  I have no problem with cold spots, even down to the rating of the quilt.  I also use adjustable straps on both the upper and lower clips to pull the sides in for cold temperatures.  EE also offers very good  technical support for any questions that you may have about your quilt.  I hope this helps.  John

A wide quilt could be a good choice for colder temps if you cinch the quilt to be closed or nearly closed beneath you. But if not, you’ll have extra space inside the quilt that your body has to heat, which could negate any benefit you get from the wide width maybe letting less cold air in at the sides.

I am 5’11 and a fairly normal sized guy – maybe on the larger side.   The wide EE quilt is perfect for me.  I have the regular length, wide 20 degree Revelation.   Using the straps I don’t recall having cold spots.  I use it to about 30 degrees.  If it is colder I put a lightweight down sleeping bag inside of it.  I have been good at -10 with this set up.  I like it.  I know most people here wouldn’t carry 2 bags, but I like to be warm and am getting older.   Usually in that cold of weather I am pulling a sled anyway.  I really like the XTherm for the colder temps.  If I am in snow I stack it with a ZLite and bivy and have a warm cocoon.

As far as the longer quilt…  I don’t pull mine over my head.   I cinch it around my neck – maybe around my chin.   I just wear a hood or hat.

I’m 5’5″ and use a 20 degree Revelation (short/regular width). (EE sizing chart said I could use slim or regular width but as a tosser and turner I went for regular). I have found when it gets cold (20s or lower) I need to layer an extra quilt on top. Also my 20 degree Rev has overfill added so it’s warmer than your average 20 degree quilt. I’ve used my Rev comfortably down to freezing temps but get cold once it gets in the 20s wearing base layers & hoodlum.

This winter I’ve used my Revelation coupled with a synthetic larger Revelation (30 degree, Regular/Wide) and have stayed warm in temps into the teens. I think I could stay comfortable in even colder temps with this setup but I haven’t gotten to test it out yet. I love that the wide quilt can go underneath me all the way if needed (I often just snap the quilt together instead of using a strap) And I can pull the quilt over my head too. Plus, I feel like cold spots are a thing of the past using two quilts together — I’ve wondered if a -10 degree down Revelation in Regular/Wide would feel as warm as the combo.

I sleep mostly under a flat tarp, a Trailstar or a mid. In cold or windy weather, I’m only really comfortable with quilts (MLD Spirit) when I put everything (pad, quilt and me) inside a bivy bag (Borah). I think I roll around too much and constantly expose my back to the cold – instantly noticeable without the bivy. Note that if you pitch the Trailstar or mid tight to the ground, the wind is much less bothersome but the cold can still wake me up. Dogs, umbrellas and packs make excellent wind breaks under the tarp (make sure you tie the umbrella to something heavy).

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Phillip, did you put your Z lite on top of or underneath your Xtherm? I’d speculate you would get better performance (and potentially less cold spots) with the Z lite over top of the Xtherm.

I notice when I lay on my side with my X-lite, the sides “lift” up. When I use a ccf between myself and the X-lite, I don’t compress the center of the X-lite as much, which causes the sides to not lift as much.

Regarding layering & liners, I commonly fit my 40d Revelation plus my ccf & X-lite INSIDE of a silk liner bag. The liner not only keeps the edges of my quilt closer to the pad(s), it helps reduce any drafts that might occur from movement. it also takes on any rogue condensation that might drop on me while sleeping under a tarp.

I’ve comfortably slept in mid 20d temps with this setup, while wearing down pants & jacket under the quilt. Any colder than that, and I switch to a sleeping bag/quilt overbag system.

G’day, I think there is this COMFORT rating that is what you might be after. If you haven’t already search “en sleeping bag ratings”. I know it’s for bags but…Two nights ago I slept at 1600 metres, apparent temp stayed all night at 0C to -1-5C with the quilt you describe 20F EE Rev.. I wore Uniqlo light thermal leggings, merino tshirt, Uniqlo light thermal top, socks and thin merino beanie. I was ok. Nippy a couple of times but went back to sleep without adding clothes. I think for me this (0C) is the “comfort point”, to get down to -7C (lower limit) I would clearly have to start wearing clothes. I am 179cms and 85 kgs and have the reg x wide. One thing that was really pleasing was tightening up the bands underneath all the way, and having the PAD BAND NOT at the top but at the lower point made a huge difference. As I turned on to my side previously during the night in around 0C I constantly became uncovered. This happened far less often this time. I have bought the Nunatak ARClite and rued not taking it with me. It is also a -7C bag but I feel is much truer to that rating COMFORT wise if not beyond that. It is a brilliant quilt. It lofts higher and I feel is not in the same league as the EE which I purchased 2 years ago. I think I read here that  EE is changing something in this regard.  I like many of the other posters solutions to the cold. All the best.

I own a Revelation 20 deg. quilt regular, regular and I am a side sleeper.  The first night I ever used it the temp was around 45 deg.  I did not use the straps and I was cold.  The 2nd time I used it (the next night), it was 34 deg. out and I strapped it to my Exped Synmat UL Lite and tied the foot box, buttoned everything up and slept like a baby and was warm (I was also wearing SmartWool NTS 250 shirt and leggings).  I found that I should have gotten a Regular, wide as many people have mentioned instead of a regular.  I was slightly constricted on my side.  I also decided I needed a regular, wide for a sleeping pad too.

I don’t get on with a quilt below freezing. I have just decided that I’m better with a bag when it gets cold. I think I just move around too much when I sleep. Eventually I let the cold in.

I don’t have much experience with quilts Per-Se but quite a bit with summer sleeping bags opened out and spread and the comments about a wide quilt being warmer in cold weather make perfect sense. I know it’s an UL forum but the weight penalty isn’t much when balanced against the safety.comfort factor. Certainly if you ever need to layer a quilt the outer needs to be much wider so perhaps we should all have at least on Extra wide quilt in out stash; I do, a custom APEX from Nunatak which will fit over the Arc Lite I just ordered

Thermarest Neo Air Trekker wide torso! For Nathan L above.

Replacing that zlite with an xtherm would make you a lot warmer regardless of drafts.

I’ve used quilts year round for the last few years. A wide quilt is necessary in my opinion and I still experience the occasional drafts when cowboy camping. Sleeping next to someone in my duplex I’ve never had issues. I think it’s because of the bathtub floor/screen on one side and partner on the other. In CO winter I use an EE enigma with 22 oz of 950 fill with down pants, parka and booties. I consider UL down pants and booties pretty much mandatory in winter, partially so I don’t have to spend like 14 hours in my bag. Sleeping in a down outfit helps mitigate any draft issues with quilts. It can be a little tricky though if it’s not frigid. That EE quilt is a furnace at 27 oz. If I slept in a mid or tarp more often, I’d probably look into getting a borah bivy. If I could afford it, I’d also have a sleeping bag for trips where weight isn’t as critical. My 27 oz -10 degree quilt amazes me with it’s efficiency though, I bet I’d need to add close to a lb for the same amount of warmth in a sleeping bag.

To solve  quilt cold spots buy a mummy bag.