View Full Version : Quilts
I hear a lot of ultra lite hikers talking about quilts and I am looking at getting a 1 season down quilt for summer hiking. I don't see many quilts for sale at all at online retailers or REI and I am wondering what brands people like and where to buy them. I liked the look of one they had at golite.com, but they are sold out of pretty much their entire inventory until August. I was wondering what other brands are out there that people use and would recommend.
I also see a lot about people making their own quilts, but I can't sew or cut a straight line with a pair of scissors for that matter, so I don't think that is an option for me.
flemdawg1
05-08-2012, 11:13
Jacksrbetter.com
Hammockgear.com
http://www.enlightenedequipment.com/
Buffalo Skipper
05-08-2012, 11:39
http://www.Jacksrbetter.com (http://www.jacksrbetter.com/)
http://www.Hammockgear.com (http://www.hammockgear.com/)
http://www.enlightenedequipment.com/
+1 on these.
I love my quilts. They are functional, comfortable, warm, lightweight and pack down to cantelope size.
My summer quilt is a Hammock Gear 40° Burrow with 1 oz of overstuff, making it good to about 35°. It weights 17.2 oz in the stuff sack. Though I have only had this for 1 month, I have already used it for 7 nights in temps from 51° to 66°. It is a real Goldilocks bag. I feel I could use it into the 70s if I vent the footbox, and I believe I would be fine down to the mid 30s.
My winter quilt is a Hammock Gear 20° Burrow with 1 oz of overstuff, making it good to about 15°. It weights 23.4 oz in the stuff sack. This winter was mild, and I have only had the occasion to take this down to the upper 20s, but I am confident I could take this much lower.
According to the owner of Hammock Gear, new fabrics will reduce the weight of each of these by 4-5 oz. These are not cheap, but very well made. Temperature ratings are comfort, not survival. Though I am obviously partial to Hammock Gear, the others listed are of similar quality.
Are most of these specifically designed for hammock camping? I am not currently a hammock camper, mainly just a side sleeper who prefers not having anything around my head, especially in warm weather. They do look nice though, will have to start saving.
Buffalo Skipper
05-08-2012, 12:06
Hammock campers see the greatest benefit from Quilts. Or maybe more correctly, the nature of laying in a hammock makes traditional sleeping bags much less efficient (for coverage and weight): Quilts are the logical solution for hammockers.
But that doesn't mean that they don't work for anyone else; it only means that it appears the cottage industry surrounding the hammocking community appears to have embraced the benefits of quilts more readily than others have. But these quilts are very beneficial for ground sleepers also! My son is taking my 35° Burrow to Philmont this summer (where he will be tenting and sleeping on a pad).
Hammock Gear will make your Quilt custom, if as a side sleeper you want something slightly wider than the standard quilt. You really should look into them.
Here (https://sites.google.com/site/hobbyhintstricksideas/Home/warbonnet-3-season-black-mamba-top-quilt) is some information that you might find helpful. I use my quilt on the ground and in my hammock.
Are most of these specifically designed for hammock camping? I am not currently a hammock camper, mainly just a side sleeper who prefers not having anything around my head, especially in warm weather. They do look nice though, will have to start saving.
That's a great question because hammock quilts are typically more narrow than ground quilts. Since you're a side sleeper, you'll want a wider quilt.
It's too bad you didn't ask this a couple weeks ago because Golite had a killer sale.
I'll second www.enlightenedequipment.com. That's where I got my cuben fiber 0°F quilt.
ChinMusic
05-08-2012, 12:25
I hear a lot of ultra lite hikers talking about quilts and I am looking at getting a 1 season down quilt for summer hiking.
Quilts are wonderful in the summer but I don't use one. I choose to use a light weight standard bag with a full zipper. That way I can unzip to my feet and use it as a quilt OR use it as a standard bag if I want. I get the best of both worlds for a very slight weight penalty.
This is my choice for a summer bag: http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=796&p_id=2321140
It is a 40° bag and weighs only 1 lb 2 oz. I have used the bag down to 27° (not by plan, light jacket) and was cold, but managed.
garlic08
05-08-2012, 12:34
I just bought one from Enlightened Equipment but have not used it yet. I was in the market for a one-season summer bag and decided to try out a quilt because, like you, I've heard some ULers talking about them. EE seemed to me to have a good selection with good features for the price, and they delivered on time and everything appears to be as promised. I'm looking forward to trying it out this summer on a 4500 mile bicycle tour, starting in less than a month.
One quilt I looked at I haven't seen mentioned yet here is Ray Jardine's synthetic set-up.
Rocket Jones
05-08-2012, 13:27
One quilt I looked at I haven't seen mentioned yet here is Ray Jardine's synthetic set-up.
I have one of these that my daughter and I constructed a couple of years ago. She's an experienced seamstress and it took us a day to make it. On my own, it would have taken several days, mainly because I'm not nearly as comfortable with a sewing machine as she is. The instructions are excellent.
I like the features like the draft stoppers and shaped head end, and the 40* temp rating seems accurate. I've tested it in my backyard down to the upper 20's and stayed warm-ish enough to catch some sleep.
As for negatives, since it's synthetic it doesn't compress very well. Also, since this was my first quilt I was worried about cutting it too narrow. The width is 'generous' and I've considered cutting it down along one side to improve packability and shave a few ounces.
I use it most trips and it works well. I'm saving my pennies for a down quilt, for the weight and compressibility gains, not for comfort.
garlic08
08-04-2012, 20:07
I just bought one from Enlightened Equipment but have not used it yet. I was in the market for a one-season summer bag and decided to try out a quilt because, like you, I've heard some ULers talking about them. EE seemed to me to have a good selection with good features for the price, and they delivered on time and everything appears to be as promised. I'm looking forward to trying it out this summer on a 4500 mile bicycle tour, starting in less than a month.
I posting to this old thread because I just finished that bike trip (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=10115&v=7v), and the down quilt was absolutely fantastic. It was my best gear purchase since I bought my first Henry Shires tarptent. I bought a 30F quilt and got to use it in damp 30F weather for the first week in the Cascades. It worked fine. I also carried it through the killer heat wave in the Midwest around July 4, with nighttime temps in the 90s. When it cooled down to 70 by dawn, it was nice to cover just my torso.
The baffling system worked fine, allowing me to shift down in two directions. I did need to shift the down back to the top every night in cold weather, so maybe the baffling could be a little tighter, but that's a very minor complaint. I noticed cold feet the first night, so on the second night I shifted some more down to the feet and everything was fine after that. I liked that.
It was just long enough for me to completely cover my head on cold nights if I slept in the fetal position, so I did not need a serious hat. I tend to sleep in one position, so I never had the draft problem that others get with quilts.
I also like the way it stays so clean, since I don't sleep directly on it. Forty nights in it and it's still fresh.
hey Garlic
did you get the 30% overfill ?
revelation X or standard ?
Franco
garlic08
08-04-2012, 22:00
I got the Revelation X and did not get the overfill.
By the way, my Contrail had its first failure in six seasons--on the last night of the trip, the door zipper separated. I'll mess with the pull, but I think that tent has finally had enough. 6000 hiking miles and 4500 bicycle miles. Now I need to decide whether to get a new Contrail or one of the new models. Probably a Contrail again.
Thanks. Gives me a better idea about temps.
(I wish that I could sleep in one position...)
I see that big Agnes is trying magnets instead of zips on a new tent. Maybe you can use them to re-calibrate your compass too...
Henry tried the Velcro way but many did not like that either.
Take a look at the Notch...
Franco
+1 for JRB. I really like my Old Rag Mtn.
+1 for jacksrbetter.com. Used a Stealth quilt for a week in NC recently. Light weight, roomy, and plenty warm. Rated to 40 degrees or so. Ground sleeper on NeoAir. Never slept better.