Looking for feedback on a quilt rather than a mummy bag

[BrianOH72]

I'll be section hiking the AT next summer and had my sleeping bag purchase narrowed down to the Western Mountaineering Megalite or Caribou. Being that I tend to be a warm sleeper I'm considering the possibility of using a quilt. Looking for any advise/input from someone who has used either bag or a quilt on the AT. Thanks!

[canoe]

in the summer a quilt is great. I like the lightweight of a quilt. I like the freedom of movement. I don't like the confining nature of a bag as I am a big guy. A larger bag would be to heavy

[BrianOH72]

Who is a maker of a good quality quilt?

[Rocket Jones]

I have an Enlightened Equipment quilt and love it. I've heard good things about Jacks-R-Better and others I can't recall offhand.

[Tuckahoe]

Who is a maker of a good quality quilt?

Jacks R Better -- http://www.jacksrbetter.com/

Enlightened Equipment -- http://www.enlightenedequipment.com/

UGQ Outdoor Equipment -- http://www.undergroundquilts.com/default.html

Arrowhead Equipment -- http://www.arrowhead-equipment.com/

Hammock Gear -- http://www.hammockgear.com/

These will get you started.

[Deacon]

Also, add Zpacks to the list.
http://www.zpacks.com/quilts.shtml

[garlic08]

Two years ago I decided to try a quilt for a summer trip and it was one of the best gear purchases I've made in decades. It worked well for the entire range of temps and conditions, including some wet blowing snow in the early season. It's versatile and simple, as well as lighter and cheaper than a comparable bag.

[BrianOH72]

What type of sleeping pad did you use and did you use any type of sheet on it?

[mankind117]

I you want to go the quilt route and you have the money to with Katabatic Gear. If I had to buy another quilt in the futre I would buy a Katabatic quilt. I've used several enlightened equipment quilts (I still have one, my 40 degree summer quilt) and have a 30 and 15 degree katabatic quilts. While enlightened quilts are excellent quality Katabatic gears quilt are just simply better designs. They have a better attachment system to keep the quilt on your pad and are better shaped on the bottom to keep out drafts and so on when you need to lock it down in cold weather. Finally they have an overstuff neck baffle which is very nice when it gets cold and more comfy than the enlightened quilts. But they are quilts so in warm weather you dont have to secure it to your pad and you can drape it over you. I had a couple of the revelation quilts that open flat with the zip up footbox. Honestly I zipped up the footbox 90% of the time anyway so in hindsight being able to open the quilt flat is not that neccessary (I only do this when it is really warm in the summer) and in colder weather a sewn footbox is warmer anyway.

[Lyle]

I use the Caribou as my summer/late spring/early fall bag. Most of the time, I use it as a quilt and find it very comfortable. I like the option of zipping it closed when necessary - it is surprisingly warmer when you do this.

While I wouldn't be opposed to a quilt, it would be less versatile. I haven't looked at the actual weight savings a quilt would offer, but the wallet savings in using what I already have is tremendous.

[Odd Man Out]

I have an Underground Quilt with a Neoair Trekker pad (wide torso length), no covering.

It's great. Love it. The UG quilt is not notch and very affordable. Another advantage is they are custom made so you can have it just the way you like it (width, length, warmth, color, down quality, overstuff, footbox style, etc...). They have two down options. I got the lower grade down which is just as warm, but a little heavier and a little cheaper. They use a treated down so it won't absorb moisture from the air and loose loft in damp conditions. The wide pad is nice so my arms don't fall off the sides. I got the short version figuring I don't need much padding for my legs. That worked OK for me. Short-Wide pads are hard to find. I found this pad was comfy to sleep on without a covering. If that was a problem, it would be better to just have sleeping clothes as this adds both comfort and warmth, if needed (turns out, I didn't need mine).

[slbirdnerd]

Quilts are great, much more versatile, usually lighter and pack smaller.

[burger]

I switched from mummy bags to quilts a couple of years ago, and I am never going back.

Why quilts? 1) Regular sleeping bags have insulation below you which is wasted weight. Because your body compresses the insulation under you, it's totally useless! Really, only your sleeping pad is keeping you warm from below, and quilts take advantage of this by eliminating that useless weight. 2) Quilts don't have zippers, which are usually the first failure point on any piece of gear. 3) Quilts are versatile. Too warm? Just let some air in under your quilt or drape the quilt loosely over you. I have a 15-degree quilt but I have slept comfortably in it on 50 degree nights by draping the quilt lightly over me and letting air get in underneath. It's very hard to adjust to such a wide range of temperatures in a mummy bag.

And don't let anyone tell you that a quilt can't work in colder weather. Just this weekend I was warm under my quilt on a 20-degree night. Just make sure you get a quilt that is long enough and, especially, wide enough for you to tuck the edges under your sides. I found that with a couple of nights of practice, I could roll over from side to side without any cold air getting into the bag.

[daddytwosticks]

I'm a very restless sleeper and go with a mummy bag most of the year (WM Megalite). But in the warm summer down south here, I use a Montbell Thermal Sheet opened up as a quilt. Weighs about 15 ounces and keeps me warm down to about the low 50's, and I'm a cold sleeper.

[garlic08]

What type of sleeping pad did you use and did you use any type of sheet on it?

I use a Z-rest or Ridgerest closed-cell foam pad, and I would put my shirt and trousers down on it.

[Vthiker77]

Quilt convert here as well. Neoair xtherm/xlite pads. I'm 6ft 215lbs. And a death roller. When I'm not rolling around I'm on my stomach. I've got a couple hammockgear quilts and couldn't be happier

[StealthHikerBoy]

I've never bought the argument that the insulation on the underside of a sleeping bag doesn't keep you warm. Maybe at the actual points where your body presses it against the pad it is less effective, but that isn't the entire underside of the bag, and I move around a bit. Nothing against quilts, but I've never seen that as a reason to get one.

[daddytwosticks]

I've never bought the argument that the insulation on the underside of a sleeping bag doesn't keep you warm. Maybe at the actual points where your body presses it against the pad it is less effective, but that isn't the entire underside of the bag, and I move around a bit. Nothing against quilts, but I've never seen that as a reason to get one.

As stated before, I'm an active sleeper. When using my mummy bag, I "take the bag with me" as I toss and turn. Because of this, the underside insulation means a lot to me.

[garlic08]

I've never bought the argument that the insulation on the underside of a sleeping bag doesn't keep you warm. Maybe at the actual points where your body presses it against the pad it is less effective, but that isn't the entire underside of the bag, and I move around a bit. Nothing against quilts, but I've never seen that as a reason to get one.

I was in your camp until I tried one. The quilt I bought has a zip-up foot box option, and snaps to close up the seam. It's long enough to pull over my head, and it has a draw string around the top. So when it's cold, I can turn it into a less expensive, lighter, very basic mummy bag. The weight, bulk, and cost savings were enough to catch my interest last time I went shopping for a new summer bag, and as I said above, it turned out to be the best gear purchase I've made in decades.

Of course, I'm sure it won't work for everyone. There are plenty of gear items many people swear by and I just can't make them work for me.

[Nooga]

As stated before, I'm an active sleeper. When using my mummy bag, I "take the bag with me" as I toss and turn. Because of this, the underside insulation means a lot to me.

I'm an active sleeper as well. I make sure the quilt is sufficiently wide. Sleeping under a quilt in a tent / hammock is similar to sleeping under a quilt at home on a bed. You move under the quilt, rather than moving the bag as in a sleeping bag. I am good with a quilt to the low 20s. Beyond that I would want a sleeping bag to avoid drafts.