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View Full Version : Quilts vs Sleeping bags HELLLLPP!!!



Second Hand
09-28-2014, 10:43
Hello,
I’m currently a graduate student in a Marketing class and an avid backpacker. The class is focused around inventing a product, defining the market and putting together a plan to successfully launch that product.
The product I created was an adaptation of a Water resistant Down Quilt. I have struggled to determine the size of the quilt market and how much it has penetrated traditional sleeping bags among the backpacking community. My assumption is quilts represent about 1% of the sleep systems among backpackers against roughly 99% for sleeping bags, but I need some type of tangible evidence to prove this.
And this is why I’m turning to the WhiteBlaze community. I’m hoping to conduct a survey that answers the simple question, do you use quilts or sleeping bags?? I understand the Whiteblaze community probably has a higher penetration of Quilt users than any other backpacking community, so I would encourage you to expand the analysis to not only yourself, but others you frequently backpack with.
For example, if you lead a Boy Scout troop of the 12 Scouts do any use quilts? If you hike with a consistent group of friends do any use quilts?
Of course, this project is due today. The reason for my procrastination is one I imagine many of you can relate to. I was backpacking a 60 mile stretch of the LT earlier this week and I had to travel work mid-week… And I watched a Breaking Bad Marathon until 2AM last night, but that’s neither here nor there!
I really thank anyone who participates in this very survey!

Dogwood
09-28-2014, 13:32
Countless times I come across these either/or questions as if these are the only two choices. I guess it comes from answering all those either/or essay questions on a test we had to answer in school. I try not limiting myself to that black/white, good/bad, WP shoes/non-WP shoes, sleeping bag/quilt, etc type views of the world. I use both quilts and sleeping bags, as well as some quilts that resemble a traditional sleeping bag, and bivy sacks and bag liners as my only form of sleep system. I would say your 1% quilt users is too low. For example, quilts are highly popular among hammockers and the UL ccrowd.

rocketsocks
09-28-2014, 14:41
I thought I had all these answered when I went with Big Agnes "Encampment" 15 bag years ago, and then REI's flash bag from a few years ago getting the best of both worlds...wokin'

...but now I find myself needing yet another bag...one down to Zero, the wife disagrees, so I guess I don't. :D

garlic08
09-28-2014, 17:32
I use either, depending on the conditions. I bought a quilt for a summer trip a couple of years ago and only use it on summer trips. I've never heard of anyone other than hammockers talk about using a quilt on my AT hike. I don't hike with anyone else who carries a quilt. I think your 1% guess is pretty close.

rocketsocks
09-28-2014, 17:53
I thought I had all these answered when I went with Big Agnes "Encampment" 15 bag years ago, and then REI's flash bag from a few years ago getting the best of both worlds...wokin'

...but now I find myself needing yet another bag...one down to Zero, the wife disagrees, so I guess I don't. :D
I suppose I should have qualified these bags for thems that don't know. The "encampment" does not use insulation on the bottom, but uses an air mattress as it's source of insulation. The "Flash" uses "Down" on top, and synthetic "Primaloft" on the bottom. Both of these bags I have used as intended (zipped up), and open an splayed out kinda like a quilt affording me differing measures of warmth depending temperature and placement.

Second Hand
09-28-2014, 19:27
Thank you all for your help. It wasn't the type of massive turn out I had hoped for, but it was a beautiful weekend so I hope this community was out hiking!

I think if you own a quilt, I'll put you down as a quilt user regardless of if you still use a sleeping bag.
Right now I just don't have the sample size I need, but hopefully this thread will stay open for a few more days and pick up some momentum.

Thanks Everyone.

rocketsocks
09-28-2014, 20:19
Thank you all for your help. It wasn't the type of massive turn out I had hoped for, but it was a beautiful weekend so I hope this community was out hiking!

I think if you own a quilt, I'll put you down as a quilt user regardless of if you still use a sleeping bag.
Right now I just don't have the sample size I need, but hopefully this thread will stay open for a few more days and pick up some momentum.

Thanks Everyone.my guess is that it wont be the last quilt/bag you ever buy, and eventually you'll come to like both at different times and in different situations.

Farr Away
09-29-2014, 15:54
Mostly a quilt user because I mostly hammock. In cold weather or when we car or canoe camp, we'll go to ground and use sleeping bags - although we mostly zip them open and use them as quilts over an air mattress even then.

-FA