Using a quilt in a shelter - any major disadvantage?

[Sara]

Hello gear people,

Perhaps this a silly question - but are there any major disadvantages with using a quilt instead of a sleeping bag in a shelter?

[Rasty]

No. It will actually help if it's crowded.

[jbwood5]

Just be aware that mice love to chew on those things and pull the stuffing out for their nests. The same could happen with a bag too. Read poster Rifle's journal on TrailJournals.com to hear how he had a lot of mice problems this year (started 1/1/13).

[burrito]

no disadvantages that i am aware of,
quilts are easier to evict mice from than bags, i can tell you that much

[Monkeywrench]

no disadvantages that i am aware of,
quilts are easier to evict mice from than bags, i can tell you that much

But also easier for mice to get into.

[Dogwood]

But also easier for mice to get into.

LOL. Eek, I taut i saw a mouse and a putty tat too. The tat chased da mouse into ma quilt. Eek.

Why, would anyone consider a quilt to have any specific disadvantages in a shelter other than letting mice in? Help. My head hurts trying to figure out where some folks are coming from.

I think a quilt would be advantageous in a shelter because it lets you air it out a bit if you've eaten beans for dinner. Come on. It sound disgusting only if you aren't familiar with the possible sights, sounds, and smells that occur in a AT shelter. Word up Sara. If you plan on regularly sleeping in shelters, staying at hostels, and travel extensively take along ear plugs, a clothes-pin(or some Tiger Balm/Vicks to swab under your nose), and possibly an MP3 player with headphones. Remember, you heard it from DW.

[Alligator]

I can think of two minor issues. The quilt can drape off the pad easier so perhaps it would be just a little dirtier. Personally, I have a piece of tyvek I use as a groundcloth for sleeping under my tarp, so if I am in a shelter I have that beneath me and this is not an issue. The other is that a shelter is a little draftier than a tent and so a quilt in a shelter is a little cooler than a bag. Only an issue if your quilt temperature is borderline for the conditions you are in. I was on a trip once where I was pushing the rating on my quilt and found that I was a l little warmer on higher bunks and lofts in the shelters I was using.

[SCRUB HIKER]

The only thing I can think of is that the wings of the quilt, like around your chest and shoulder area, sometimes spend time off the sleeping pad rubbing on the floor. If you're putting a ground sheet under your pad then it's not a problem. If you're not, well I guess the quilt could get a little dirty or dusty. But that would be an extremely minor concern.

And yeah, like Dogwood said, some people are nuts. Mention anything about sleeping in shelters and there's a knee-jerk reaction where someone has to find a way to bring up:

- mice
- trash
- drugs and alcohol
- cell phones
- the hantavirus

All empty noise. Hope you enjoy your hike(s).

[SCRUB HIKER]

Jinx on you Alligator! Can't post anymore until I say your name three times.

[Miner]

This last summer while hiking SOBO in Maine, I was camping next to a shelter with a quilt. As I was cowboy camping, my stuff was laid out in the open. I picked up the edge of my quilt and saw mouse droppings on my sleepig pad. I picked the quilt up further and saw the bastard. I quickly jerked the quilt upward and threw him into the air. He hit the ground running and I saw him duck into a hold under a stump 6ft away. Needless to say, I moved further away. That said, I think having a quilt in that situation made it easier to remove the little rodent then if he had crawled into a sleeping bag. Later, I camped in several shelters in Vermont due to continued poor weather and never had any problems with the mice that ran around at night and my quilt.

[Slo-go'en]

It's no different than having a sleeping bag unzipped and drapped over you. I did that a lot this summer.

[Dogwood]

I picked the quilt up further and saw the bastard. I quickly jerked the quilt upward and threw him into the air. He hit the ground running and I saw him duck into a hold under a stump 6ft away.

Consider yourself reported to PETR(People for the Ethical Treatment of Rodents). You bastard.

[Sara]

Thanks for the replies!
I was wondering if the mice would be more of a nuisance with a quilt.
Seems like they are nuisance to everyone regardless.

Thanks Alligator and Scrub Hiker for the tip about using tyvek underneath.
And Dogwood... thanks for the warnings too!

[Slo-go'en]

Thanks Alligator and Scrub Hiker for the tip about using tyvek underneath.
And Dogwood... thanks for the warnings too!

It's also helpful to have a silk liner. You can use it like a sheet over your sleeping matt. Bare skin on a matt is not very comfortable. If it gets real chilly, you can slide into the liner to help reduce the drafts.