Ultralight Backpacking Quilts vs. Sleeping Bags Q&A

[Ryan Jordan]

Companion forum thread to:

• Ultralight Backpacking Quilts vs. Sleeping Bags Q&A (Video)

An overview of backpacking quilts, how they compare to traditional mummy bags, and answers to questions about quilt design and use.

[AK Granola]

Quilts cost a bundle, and I’ve heard too many stories of “tried it and froze.” Not inclined to jump ship from a mummy bag that works great, to something I’ve never tried that may or may not be lighter, warmer, or more compact. I’ve tried too many popular fad ideas and wasted my money only to find out the thing is not an improvement. If I can ever try one for free, I’d consider it and see if it would be better for me. But not for hundreds of dollars.

[Ryan Jordan]

Hey Karen – check out the economy quilts from Hammock Gear (I mention them in the video). Less than $200, you could probably try it out for awhile and then resell here on our gear swap for $100+ If you weren’t a fan.

My wife was a quilt skeptic for years. She’s a cold sleeper, but will probably never go back to a mummy bag again. It just takes some practice to manage drafts, and most experienced quilt users who spend enough time with them have few complaints.

[Rex Sanders]

Another great video, thanks Ryan!

I’m surprised no one asked: synthetic or down, and why?

Also, synthetics looks much easier and cheaper for MYOG quilts.

— Rex

[AK Granola]

Thanks for the suggestion Ryan. I’ll continue to be agnostic on this one, especially after watching your video. The fiddle factor of trying to avoid drafts sounds so incredibly unpleasant to me. And if you need straps and whatnot, doesn’t it pretty much add up to the same weight as a bag, especially if you then need a heavier pad for ground insulation.Your statement about being cocooned in a mummy bag in cold weather is exactly why I stick with a mummy. I am completely zipped even at 50 degrees, in my 20 degree bag. I might unzip at 60, and at 70 I don’t need anything. I camp mostly in Alaska, so my bag works well for me. I appreciate the video anyway, good to know what’s out there, and it might work for someone I know.

[Roger Caffin]

One of the problems I have seen with ‘quilts’ comes about when an enthusiast buys a UL small summer quilt (their first) and then tries to use it in cold weather. In order to make their Brand X quilt lighter than the competition, the mfr has made it short and narrow. That can work for a small person in warm weather, but for a tall and ‘larger’ novice (to quilts) in cold weather it is just too small. That is compounded by the novice not being sufficiently experienced to be able to handle a quilt while half asleep.

The result is that the quilt novice writes off the whole concept of quilts – ignoring completely the fact that a quilt is what they sleep under at home. They lose sight of the fact that the quilt on their bed at home might be twice as wide and at least a foot longer than the super-UL they bought.

For the record, I have slept under a quilt in the snow quite happily (warmly) – but was a good (well-designed) quilt with a good neck flap and a good hood. I can now turn over and rearrange my quilt in the middle of the night with my eyes shut and while barely half-awake. I don’t even need those under-straps.

Cheers

[James Marco]

Thanks, Ryan, another Good Video.

I agree with you in most parts. 20F/-7C is about the low range for use. Below that and the quilt/pad/hood start weighing so close to the same as a mummy that it doesn’t make any difference.

Anyway, I was thinking about being warm and there is somewhat of a design consideration that has not been exploited, yet. That is designing a quilt with slightly narrower side edges. but also using a standard 56″ width.

For most of us, the biggest problem I see is air infiltration through gaps while rolling, side to side. Yes, tie downs help. But, mostly the edges of the quilt are used to simply stop the drafts of cold air entering your sleep chamber. The heavy insulation is less necessary on the sides, so a Differential Fill might allow a higher performing quilt with the same weight. Not a novel idea, Nunatak and others do this with mummy bags and for a while BA produced one with no insulation on the bottom.

As an example of what I was thinking, you could start out in the middle, then thin the baffles and amount of insulation as you move toward the edges. Say from 4″ at the top/center reducing to 2″ at the edge & around a 6″ baffle width at the middle decreasing to a 4″ baffle width at the edge.

I usually do the “half-roll-and-tuck” to get a little insulation under me. Even compressed down has a fairly good insulation value.

 

[Rex Sanders]

Importance of proper quilt attachment and having options

Ryan,

I read “The Unconventional Sleep Systems Manifesto” just after watching your REI Magma quilt review video. A small lightbulb went on for me.

Some quilt makers encourage users to pin quilt edges to sleeping pad edges, or provide no guidance at all. For example, this REI Magma quilt video shows:

This technique virtually reproduces the draft tunnel and insulation compression problems of top bags described in “Unconventional,” e.g.

But your recent quilt videos illustrate a much better technique: pinning quilt edges to the top of the pad, adjustable to trade off girth for warmth:

I think this knowledge could make the difference between new quilt users hating or loving quilts.

Some quilt makers get this. For example this Enlightened Equipment video demonstrates attach-on-top pretty well:

They also mention the “clip to one side only” option that’s an interesting compromise between warmth and accessibility.

Nunatak illustrates attach-on-top and another variation – don’t attach at all, just use the cords to close up the bottom of the quilt.

Many quilt users skip straps entirely for a variety of reasons. I’ve never tried straps, but I might after seeing these options.

Thanks.

— Rex

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