ZenBivy – the newcomer that’s gaining traction

Nice detail. Never pay full price. Black Friday is coming, but they want your email first.

I think the ZB may be slightly larger accounting for some of the extra down. I’m personally trying to compare them with Nunatak, who also uses 900 fill, but I don’t see their fill weights.

I’m curious about the hood and how much warmth it actually adds to the system.

I use ZenBivy stuff but I use the zenbivy quilt with the uninsulated ultralight sheet and a down hood from another brand that goes on my head. Using the uninsulated sheet rather than the insulated one may be part of why I comfort rate my quilt to about 15 degrees higher than the stated temp. But, the insulated zenbivy sheet just seems to me like it would be inefficient to me at providing insulation where it counts.

I did have draft problems when I used a Katabatic quilt, but maybe that’s because I didn’t get a wide quilt.

I also find the ZenBivy flex mattress to be more comfortable than the Thermarest XTherm that I tried. I don’t wake up with a sore hip or shoulder in the middle of the night or in the morning.

I didn’t set out to become a ZenBivy fanboy, but a good chunk of their stuff does work well for me where more industry standard stuff was uncomfortable for me.

One of the things that I like about ZenBivy is that they offer a more boxy shape. Mummies shave off a few ounces, but the cost in terms of comfort is too much (for me). I just don’t like them. My legs need as much space as my shoulders (or more).

ZenBivy (and Warmlite) are more aware of people like me than almost all other makers. A few companies (including WM) have “semi-rectangular” bags which are a relaxed mummy. It is a half-step in the right direction, but doesn’t do the full job.

Fully rectangular bags have some advantages: unzipped they work like a quilt, zipped like a bag, and two can be zipped together for couples. They are more versatile. Unfortunately it is hard to find them in lightweight fabrics anymore — most current rectangular bags are heavy (for car camping).

I didn’t really reply to the main post comparison. I guess I would say I think ZenBivy competes more directly against quilt manufacturers than against Western Mountaineering. If one’s happy with a sleeping bag and the minimal associated weight penalty, they’re an easy and draft-proof system. Personally, I’m a rotisserie side sleeper and did find the hood in the face issue to wake me up over 15+ years of sleeping bag use. I would need to wake up to switch sides and bring the bag with me, whereas I must be switching sides without waking up in my ZenBivy quilt.

Zenbivy needs a lower skill level to work well than a Katabatic or Nunatak quilt. The ZenBivy system may be more draft proof than even those quilts with a high skill level, not sure since I don’t have a high level of quilt skill. There are more closure points on a ZenBivy than a Katabatic, but the draft collar seems more fool proof on a Katabatic.

Old school here. I use a 900 down filled mummy bag with a hood, and a plush pad beneath. Most importantly, I’ve learned the ‘skill’ of rolling over in my bag without dragging the whole thing with me. easy peasy.

the whole tent/bag (quilt)/pad have to be thought of as a system. kudos to Zenbivy for designing for this! Except the tent is left out of consideration–single versus double wall etc. No single item functions independently from the other. for example a single wall tent with a high beak to encourage circulation will invite drafts that make a quilt more susceptible to cold. A double wall tent with half panels may mitigate this last. Etc. etc,

I tend to hike into high altitudes where even in summer months, temps can fall below freezing at night. Maybe that’s why I’m baffled (pun intended) by quilts.

Just curious ZenBivy users, do the extra attachment points keep the quilt from rotating on the pad when you turn better than a more traditional quilt? And how easy or tricky are the pad attachments to undo?

They certainly went after all the Youtube hikers to promote their stuff. Seems to be an effective campaign.

Dustin – compared to Katabatic, which has a decent pad attachment system already, the extra ZenBivy attachment points reduce/eliminate drafts from the hip area to the chest. Note that I may have bought a not wide enough Katabatic – I’m not an experienced quilt user. The Katabatic wasn’t rotating on me to begin with, just lifting up the tiniest bit behind me when I laid on my side.

Dustin – I have never had any issues with the ZenBivy quilt rotating on me and I am an active sleeper who rotates from side to side many times a night. The wing attachments hold the quilt in place really well. In terms of how hard it is to undo and then redo the hook and loop attachments during the night, it takes a night or two of practice but then becomes second nature.

Does it work for you guys that you don’t really tuck the quilt sides? Is the sheet stretchy enough to keep things pulled in? Do you think you could get away with a narrower pad if the sheet will keep your arms contained? I could see the ZenBivy system being great inside a tent where there is a lot of airflow.

ZenBivy has a sale on new gear, returned gear, used gear and repaired gear. Would be a good way to try out a system. I have rarely seen used ZenBivy gear for sale at any of the usual outdoor gear sites.

The sheet is not very stretchy nor do I think it was intended to be. The wings anchor the quilt to the mattress such that the quilt never lifts off of the mattress. Even when you roll and shift in the night there is always several inches of quilt laying on the mattress. In this way the wings don’t function at all like the elastic straps that typically hold a quilt in place. Straps pull the quilt back to the mattress, while the ZenBivy wings keep the quilt from ever lifting.

I have only used the ZenBivy on a 25 inch mattress where the quilt feels like sleeping under a down comforter at home. The narrower mattress might feel more like you are inside of a traditional mummy bag.

I tried my kids’ 20” wide Zenbivies and definitely felt more constricted than in my 25” setup. I can’t testify as to whether it would keep one’s arms off the ground because I decided I didn’t like it and got out ASAP.

Comparing price and weights to a quilt:

Katabatic Alsek wide – 22°F – 900fp down weight 15.5 oz – Total weight 24.2 oz – $459

ZB – 25°F – 900fp down weigh 11.5 oz – Total weight 21.6 oz – $538

I chose a wide Alsek because I found their sizing falling more into a Narrow/Regular and a Regular/Wide. Most users will have less drafts with their ‘wide’ cut.

The main take away here is that Katabatic gets you a lot more down for less money – but obv without the bed features. ZB’s 11.5 oz of down is actually even less than the 30°F Palisade (12.2 oz).

I think ZB’s specs for a 25°F quilt is too far off – more so when considering  their 10°F option actually has more down than comparable rated Versalite, even without counting the down of the insulated sheet.

Makes me think the 10°F is the better performing ZB option for the conditions each was designed for

If things go right, I’m getting a 10″ light bed.

Large

2 pounds 3 ounces 996 grams

706 grams 800fp hydrodry duck

Going up by Nederland on Saturday. Low around 20′. Starting out with a ccf pad with an R value around 5.

I picked up the ultralight pad the other week. while I haven’t used it on a hike yet, I did sleep on it a cold patio and was impressed with it’s comfort/support. the packed size due to the mylar insulation is also impressive. looking forward to taking it out in the coming months

I am considering investing in a Zenbivy setup during the up coming sale. I have a Katabatic flex 15 quilt and it’s just not wide enough. Unfortunately, life distracted me beyond the 30 day return period so I’m stuck selling it.
Sleep has been tough for me at home recently and getting a comfortable system for the backcountry has become a paramount issue for me. More important than weight by a long shot. It doesn’t seem likely here, but has anyone tried the 30” Zenbivy setup? If so do you see any disadvantages to the wider setup other than weight?

Terran Terran – that’s exactly what I have! If you think to report back, I’d be interested to hear if you are warm enough this weekend!

For anyone considering a ZenBivy (ZB) quilt that they intend to use alone (w/out the full bed system), remember that ZB’s sizing reflects the measurements when the fabric is cut – it is NOT the finished size. This means that the quilt will be slightly shorter and slightly narrower than their published measurements.

Also, ZB doesn’t use a differential cut like Katabatic and Nunatak and Gryphon do, so their quilts won’t drape and retain warmth quite like those other quilts will. That said, I assume ZB uses a standard cut for two reasons: 1) easier and cheaper to manufacture; 2) their quilts are designed to integrate with their sheets so they wouldn’t need a differential cut when used as part of that system.

None of this is to say that ZB doesn’t make good quilts. I’m sharing this so that anyone considering a ZB quilt can make a better, more informed decision.

(Disclosure: I’m a Katabatic fanboy and currently have three of their quilts.)

Alex – certainly. I don’t think I should preempt the video though.

What pad have you been using? Do you know the R-value?

For clarification, the girth measurements in Terran’s post above include having the sheet attached. They’re not the width of the quilts themselves. The capture I included is what ZB provides for its quilt measurements, including the caveat about the dimensions being “several inches shorter”. I’m not sure how many inches would be equivalent to “several”, but if you aren’t using the entire ZB bed system then their quilts are going to run noticeably narrow.

I’ve been using the ZenBivy Flex, R-Value 4.8.

I figure my xw EE quilt measures 62″. Adding  a 25″ pad and subtracting 6″ for overhang leaves me about an 81′ circumference at the shoulders. Compared to 76″ for the ZB.

I see theyre coming out with a -5/+5*f.

999g 800fp duck down.-5