Thinking of buying a quilt – input from small ladies?

[Jen Churchmouse]

Hey all,

My current sleep system consists of an REI Joule (the original one from 2012-ish that has the 800 fill power down in it) that weighs 2lb 2oz, and an older women’s NeoAir that crinkles like a crisp packet.

I’m playing with the idea of getting a quilt in order to shave a few ounces, but I’d like to hear from others before dropping several hundred $ on something I might not like!

My preferred sleep position is weird… kind of like the first aid recovery position but not quite as spread out.  In my sleeping bag, I feel like I kind of compress the insulation in the butt and knees as these areas are always cold if it’s approaching freezing, and I end up having to wear my down jacket like a skirt to keep those areas warm.  I also feel as if my knees and butt overhang my sleeping pad sometimes, which makes them chilly.  I don’t move an awful lot during the night, but sometimes I’ll roll over and switch sides.  I’m a really cold sleeper too… at 100lbs I don’t have much natural insulation.

If anyone else has been in a similar situation, I’d love to hear from you.  On researching this a bit, it seems like what I really need is a short, wide pad (does such a thing even exist?) and a quilt I can tuck under me as I shift like I do when I’m at home.

Thanks :)

[Roger Caffin]

That’s the problem with sleeping bags: you end up compressing some areas and then they are cold.

a quilt I can tuck under me as I shift like I do when I’m at home.
And with decades of experience with a quilt at home, why hesitate?

Cheers

[Megan W]

Hello Jen,

I’m a short ( 5’1″) side-semi-side sleeper too. And my bum and knees would also get cold when I curled up- I worked out that my winter (Australian winter…) bag did not have a differential cut, so the down was getting really squished. I made a quilt and my knees and bum are toasty whatever position  – I made the quilt wide, tho , to accommodate whatever sleep position.

I was playing around with my neoair xtherm (old model)  just last night and thinking that I didn’t need it this long but would like it wider! I have no suggestions, only commiserations 😏

PS I use straps to clip the quilt to when it’s cold – been warm and comfortable at -6 C (which was supposed to be my quilts lower limit, but I over stuffed it)

[Jerry Adams]

How wide is your quilt Megan?

You can buy pads that are wide – 25 x 72.  And short 20 x 60.  There are threads here how to shorten a pad – cut it, then use heat to seal it

[Megan W]

Hi Jerry,

The outer shell of my quilt is a bit over 67 inches wide and the inner is a bit over 57 inches. Once made, i thought it was overkill ….might be, but it was SO nice on my recent Tasmanian winter walk.

I don’t currently have the courage to cut up my neoair xtherm…..Do you, Jen?

[Matthew / BPL]

I’m a shorter (5’6”) man who sleeps warm not cold. I realize that I’m not the main demographic you are seeking advice from. Please ignore my perspective if it’s not helpful.

Like the OP, I do sleep on my side. I do use a quilt and I have used both 20 and 25” wide TAR NeoAir pads

I have found that a wider quilt and a wider pad are absolutely key to my comfort. It’s so nice that my butt stays on the pad rather than hanging out in space and I enjoy just doing a little roll/tuck with the wider quilt if I need to eliminate a draft rather than futzing about with straps.

I purchased the most recent version of the NeoAir in the 25×72” size with the intention of cutting it down but I have found it to be luxurious to have the extra space on the mattress. It feels like there is zero compromising about my position because I don’t ever have to change the angle a little to keep my feet on the pad or whatever.

Also it is worth mentioning that I am surprised how much quieter this version of the NeoAir is and that the 2.5” thickness rather than 2.0” feels really nice because I’m not bottoming out ever with a partially inflated pad.

tl;dr: for me a couple ounces and a tiny amount of volume in my pack means I have much more warmth and comfort available.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

My wife is 5’7” and is always cold.  She was hesitant to switch out of sleeping bag.  I purchased an EE Revelation 20 F bag: long and wide.  I also got her an Xtherm.  She sleeps with thermals and is toasty warm in temps down to the low 30’s.  Below that she switches to her sleeping bag even though I think that she would be fine.  Well, as long as she is happy and toasty, it works for her.

[Jen Churchmouse]

Thanks everyone, this is really useful information!

Megan, it sounds like your sleep style is similar to mine.  I’m curious about how you made your quilt… sounds like an awesome project!

Jerry, I had no idea you could shorten a Neoair… I might actually bite the bullet on this and buy a regular/wide and cut a few inches off the bottom.  I’m only 5’2″ and my current 66″ Neoair feels comfortable to me length wise, it just needs to be wider.

Matthew, your perspective is also helpful, thank you :)  Warmth and comfort are key for me getting a good night’s sleep too.

More quilt recommendations are always welcome too… I have briefly looked at quite a few and a lot of them seem pretty similar.  I think 20F is probably my goal here… I backpack mostly in the summer and while I’ve seen a few chilly nights in my time, I’m really more of a fair weather camper.  My current bag is rated to 20F and it’s adequate for me down to around 35F if I add layers (though I did use it once in an igloo with a down blanket and a space blanket on top and two sleeping pads – I was surprisingly comfortable!)

[Jerry Adams]

if you could find that thread(s?) that talk about shortening a pad would be very useful

I’m more with Megan, I’m reluctant to do that.  But now that the idea is in my head…

[Megan W]

Jen, I made the quilt after reading +++ posts and pointers on BPL and elsewhere. I learned a lot about down and quilts and materials! I got a lot of pleasure from it and a quilt designed specifically me. And it took a lot of time and effort. 🙂

[JCH]

And it took a lot of time and effort.

And skill!  Kudos to you.

[lisa r]

I’ve been happily sleeping with a quilt for years (EE Revelation, 15 degree). At the time I bought it they recommended what size to get based on the size of the person – not sure if they do that still. I’m about your size, but I bought a quilt longer and wider than their recommendation so I could really burrow into it. I always use the straps around my pad and never have problems with drafts. I also pretty much always sleep with my puffy inside the quilt with me, but that’s less for warmth and more because I’m used to sleeping with a body pillow at home and like to be able to wrap around something.

[JG H]

My $0.02…

I would recommend a 25” wide pad in a regular length and a standard length quilt in a standard width. My backpacking companion is a 5’1” female and she uses a Katabatic Flex 22 standard/standard and loves it. She also sleeps on a regular length Exped Ultra mat. For the standard width Katabatic Flex 22, the difference in weight between the short length and a standard length is 1.5oz. The upside to the standard length is more flexibility for sharing as a loaner and a little better resale opportunity. She also has room in the footbox to store her clothes and electronics to keep them toasty overnight without giving up foot space. If you don’t care about any of those bonuses, then a short quilt will save you an ounce or two.

As for a short pad, I would suggest doing the math before buying. The weight difference between two pads of equal length but varying width usually isn’t much. For example, the difference between a BA Rapide SL in a petite/regular and a regular/regular is 1oz. Similarly, the difference between a Nemo Tensor AS regular/wide and long/wide is also 1oz. However, you’ll find the resale opportunity on the regular length pad to be more favorable if you decide to try a different pad down the road. Plus, good luck finding a 66” long pad that is 25” wide. And for such little weight difference, I personally don’t think the juice would be worth the squeeze to shorten a pad at home. Do you really want to risk ruining your $200 pad to shave a single ounce of weight?

Lastly, and this is purely my preference, but I would recommend buying a high-quality quilt. Katabatic, Gryphon, and Nanatuk all make theirs with a differential cut. There is much debate about the extent to which that matters, if at all, but I drink that flavor Kool-Aid and would only buy a quilt from one of those three makers (assuming price isn’t a limiting factor).

Anywho, best of luck on your shopping and let us know what you get.

[Jen Churchmouse]

Thanks to everyone for your input… I wouldn’t have known about differential cut but for this post, so I appreciate it!

I ended up ordering a custom short 54″ wide Aries 20 from Gryphon Gear. Gary was great to deal with, and I’m looking forward to getting my new quilt :)

[Megan W]

Enjoy, Jen.

[JG H]

That’s awesome. Post a pic or two and let us know what you think of it when you get it.

[Author]

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