Velcro vs zipper for my quilt?

[Meredith B]

Hi, I’d love to get everyone’s opinion on this… I have used (and loved) my EE Revelation quilt for years, but find that in low temperatures, I get really cold in the gaps where the quilt meets underneath me, no matter how tightly I cinch my quilt up against my pad.

I am thinking about either modifying the Revelation or maybe making my own quilt from scratch (long-anticipated project!) so that I can fully seal off that gap when it’s cold. My inclination is to use velcro instead of a zipper — both for the weight and so it’s more comfortable to rest on when I don’t want it fully sealed up. But I don’t see many quilts/bags with velcro out there and wonder why not.

Any suggestions or ideas or info about something I’m missing would be awesome! Thanks!

[Mike B]

Velcro on a knee brace destroyed my hard faced fleece tights. I would think that a zipper would be lighter weight as well. Take a look at the convert from EE or a Zpacks full zip sleeping bag.

https://enlightenedequipment.com/convert/

http://www.zpacks.com/quilts/full-zip-sleeping-bag.shtml

[Erik G]

You may want to consider adding warmth to your pad setup. What pad(s) do you currently use? A thin closed cell foam pad on top of an inflatable will help with the heat being sucked out from underneath. It works well under the inflatable too, but not quite as warm as on top.

[Ben H.]

JacksRBetter used to sell a pad with hook and loop attachment to there quilts.  It looks like they just use Velcro now to attache two bags together:  //www.jacksrbetter.com

I ended up buying my quilt from EE so can’t comment on the actual use of the JacksRbetter system.  EE’s newer strap system attaches the quilt to the mat much better than the old strap system.

[David Thomas]

Maybe the quilt needs to be a bit wider for use in cold weather?  It sounds like it isn’t draping down to the ground/pad all around.  Brainstorming here, but could you stitch a skirt of 4-6″ of fabric with a soft “hand” that would drape easily and block air flow  when the quilt itself was a little above the pad / ground?  And if you get that effect only in one area (knees?  chest?), the skirt could be added in only that area.  It could be as light as some taffeta or as substantial as wind-blocker fleece, or you could use 10d nylon and stuff it with down from a $20 Costco throw quilt.

Or, in rereading your post, maybe you just use your quilt differently than I do.  I only count on it to insulate my top and sides, not underneath me.  I want it wide enough to drape onto the quilt/ground, but under me I rely on my sleeping pad, which in winter is a higher-R-value pad or a summer pad plus a Ridgerest or Z-Lite CCF pad.

Free suggestion for the manufacturers out there: Make a sleeping pad with a “curb” around the edges, that comes up 2 inches above the flat portion of the pad.  It would (1) train us to subconsciously stay more centered on our pads during the night and (2) provide better overlap with a quilt, potentially allowing the quilt to be a bit smaller / lighter / cheaper.

[Meredith B]

Thanks everyone!

Erik and David — You’re right, to be more precise, it’s the lack of sufficient insulation where my body touches my pad, not the drafts, that’s cold. If I had a more insulated pad it would probably be fine. (I mostly use my Big Agnes Q core SLX, which I think has an r-value of 5 (?), and when it’s really cold I sometimes bring a basic thermarest reflective egg-crate roll to put underneath it, which helps.)

BUT I also know that if the quilt is fully sealed underneath me so my body is only on the (compressed) down, like when I first get situated to go to sleep, I’m warm enough on top of my existing pad. It’s just when I move that the gaps come apart. So if I’m carrying that down weight anyway, I would rather put it to good use by securing the quilt totally underneath me than buy and carry a heavier insulated pad… David, what pad do you use? I sleep really cold so I can’t imagine just having my quilt on my tops and sides, though I realize that’s how many people use it.

But, also sounds like it may be the case that my entire EE setup is just from before they got it really dialed in, including the straps system. I bought it spring 2013 when I think it was just Tim and few others sewing these up in his house! :)

[Iago Vazquez]

At times I use wool bottoms, and I would be afraid of the velcro ripping them. My first quilt was a Revelation, but I much prefer a sealed footbox nowadays.

[Greg Pehrson]

You can use Omni-Tape or No-Snag Velcro (sometimes called baby-safe hook and loop). It’s a combo of the hooks and loops on both sides of the tape, with the hooks lower than the loops, so both sides feel soft and don’t catch on or damage clothing. I have it on the footbox of my MYOG quilt and like it a lot, and I usually don’t like velcro for the reasons mentioned above. The only thing is, it will separate more easily than a zipper would if you move around. You can solve that problem by putting snaps above where the velcro ends, or a simpler solution (and what I have on my quilt) is two short pieces of cord sewn on above the velcro and tied with Ian’s Secure Shoelace Knot (which has never come untied for me by accident but comes undone easily when you want it to).

[BC Bob]

Kam snaps are a possibility and are really easy to install.

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