Quilt versus Sleeping Bag...

[bramblingbird]

Have any of you out there used a quilt whilst backpacking? How does it compare to the traditional sleeping bag? Have any of you made the Ray Jardine quilt?

I'm just incredibly curious because I'm looking into gear for next year and attempting to get my pack weight down, ie trying to go more ultralite than I have before. It seems like quilts are a viable option, but I don't really know anything about them.

Thanks!

[skinewmexico]

It's all I use now. It's like sleeping under a blanket at home. For really cold weather, I might have to rethink it. Or at least get a down balaclava. But otherwise, I'll never be cramped in a mummy bag again. And that makes my WM Megalite pretty lonely.

[ChinMusic]

I almost always use my sleeping bag AS a quilt. I only buy bags with zippers that go nearly all the way to the foot box. I just unzip it to my ankles, put my feet in, and lay the bag over me. In this mode it is essentially a quilt.

For nights where it gets colder, I will zip it up. I flop around WAY too much to use quilt-mode when it's really cold as I lose the valuable heat.

This way, IMO, I get the best of both worlds.

[Rocket Jones]

I made the standard Jardine quilt and really like it. It's rated at 40*, and I was warm-ish down to the low-to-mid-30's in it last Spring (not toasty, but not cold). It's not the lightest or the most compressible, but it works as advertised and wasn't difficult to make with a little care.

[leaftye]

I prefer quilts until the temperature drops into the low 20's, but that's because I flop around like a fish out of water and the drafts I get at those temperatures are harsher than I care for. That said, I hope to be testing a new 0°F quilt this winter at its limits.

[ScottP]

I use a quilt, much more comfortable, lighter, etc.

I used a jardine style one for a bit, but I really prefer down to synthetic at this point

[skinewmexico]

I don't have many drafts when I use my quilt straps under my pad.

[leaftye]

I don't have many drafts when I use my quilt straps under my pad.

If your straps are located on the edges of your quilt, that would not be as warm, and would not be suitable for the temperatures in which I find drafts uncomfortable. I also find it difficult to fasten/unfasten those straps when I get up in the middle of the night to relieve myself.

[daddytwosticks]

I use a Montbell Thermal Sheet opened as a quilt in the summer. I thrash around in my sleep and sleep very cold. This is the only time I can tolerate using a quilt. When it turns cooler, I'm in one of my larger-girth Western Mountaineering bags.

[tammons]

If you are a flip flopper, a side sleeper or a hammocker a quilt is better IMO.

If you sleep like you are in a coffin then I think a mummy bag is better especially in very cold weather.

If you want to build a quilt just make one of Momentum 55 or 90 and Climashield. Really nice stuff and very easy to work with.
14 oz for a summer 45dF quilt, about 23 oz for a 25dF quilt

[bramblingbird]

Thanks everyone!

[scope]

FYI - if you're at a tweener height, or almost tweener, go for a longer quilt. That's my only qualm is I find myself wanting to pull it nearly over my head like a blanket, but at 5'10" which is where its rated for length, its only made to cover my shoulders.

[gwb]

I started using a quilt this year and I dont think Ill go back to a bag. I sleep hot and toss and turn so I often had trouble having a good nights sleep in a mumm bag. I got a Golite 40 degree quilt and have used it down into the high 30s'. Chilly but not freezing. It packs small and is light. I got the synthetic one which I noticed is on sale for 69.oo on Golites website.

[Stir Fry]

Quilt is all I use now. Sarted about 2 years ago and unless I do a winter hike I see no reason to use a traditional sleeping bag. I have been in the quilt down to 25* with no problem.

[4eyedbuzzard]

The biggest negative I see is that most quilts are no lighter than the bags they replace. So why bother? Just use the full zip bag as a quilt (with a foot box) and you still have the zipper in case it gets colder than expected.

[leaftye]

The biggest negative I see is that most quilts are no lighter than the bags they replace.

If a 50% difference in weight between a quilt and sleeping bag made of materials of similar quality and pricing is 'no lighter', then yes, you're absolutely correct.

For comparison, let's use the WM EXtremeLite UltraLite 20°F sleeping bag. In regular length that bag weighs 29 ounces. Using Tim Marshall's quilt calculator, a quilt with 1/2" more loft that's 78"x54"x42" and built with 1.1 oz/yd nylon and 700 fp down would also weigh 29 ounces, and could be myog for about $50 in materials. So it takes some of the cheapest fabric and standard quality down to make a quilt that is no lighter than one of the lightest most premium 20°F sleeping bags available.

[4eyedbuzzard]

If a 50% difference in weight between a quilt and sleeping bag made of materials of similar quality and pricing is 'no lighter', then yes, you're absolutely correct.

For comparison, let's use the WM EXtremeLite UltraLite 20°F sleeping bag. In regular length that bag weighs 29 ounces. Using Tim Marshall's quilt calculator, a quilt with 1/2" more loft that's 78"x54"x42" and built with 1.1 oz/yd nylon and 700 fp down would also weigh 29 ounces, and could be myog for about $50 in materials. So it takes some of the cheapest fabric and standard quality down to make a quilt that is no lighter than one of the lightest most premium 20°F sleeping bags available.

I've been looking at commercially available quilts for summer use, 35-40 degree ratings, to possibly replace my WM Caribou (1#5 oz). Golites 1 season entry (40°) is roughly the same weight 1#4 vs 1#5 for the WM bag (35°). Nunatak does have a 32° model (Arc Specialist) that is 1#2 in similar 20D 1oz microfiber fabric (comparing similar fabrics to the WM), but I'm not sure of the girth measurement, and at $433+ that's an awful lot of $$$ to save 3 ounces. Perhaps the weight diference is greater when looking at lower temp ratings, but I'm just not seeing even a 25% weight savings (5 to 6 oz), which I would kind of expect given that at least 1/4 of the bag and fill is gone along with the zipper weight.
Tim Marshall's stuff is nice. I would likely need a big and tall version (or custom fit) at something like 2" loft to compare to the WM warmth. If you look at the weights he lists, I'm still looking at a 1# 4 quilt for a 40° rating in big / tall. I doubt his reg size quilts would fit me in the shoulders well, as I need every inch of the WM, and it's a wide bag. So I'm just saying, that there just isn't a lot, if anything, to be gained from what I see available commercially. Maybe DIY or custom stuff can cut a few more ounces, but there just doesn't seem to be a lot to be gained (lost). Just pointing out what I've seen that's out there.

[leaftye]

Yeah, I suppose at the 40°F mark the savings wouldn't be much since a much bigger part of the weight is in the fabric, as you know. You'd need to go to a thinner fabric like SevenD or M55 for the quilts to be as favorable again. There have been 11-14 oz summer weight quilts in the MYOG section on BPL.

I'm with you that thinking about spending all that money to save a couple ounces doesn't seem worth it, but there's an "if". If you already have a sleeping bag, the weight savings don't seem worth spending the extra money. If you don't have a solution in either bag or quilt variations, then the money isn't a big deal because you're going to spend a lot for something that light anyway. That's why as much as I'd like a custom summer quilt, I'll probably stick with my 19 oz 20°F Golite quilt that performs like a 35°F quilt. Yeah, it'd be nice to save 5-8 oz, but it's not even worth the $200 in materials at this time.

[Wil]

I've been using the Jacks 'R' Better Shenandoah quilt for the last couple of years in Northeast Summer and it's been great. I've never been even borderline cold in down to what memory tells me has been about 50 F. Maybe in the coldest pre-dawn just pulling it a little tighter. I have always had lots of trouble sleeping on the trail but this quilt has helped make it feel like home, and a few nights I've slept through! Firsts.

I'm about to go on a trip where I'll get low 40s F. I'm going to try out the quilt while wearing (or draping over the shoulders) a lightweight down vest that I carry anyway in the Fall because I chill easily on breaks and at camp while setting up and eating. If this works out I may push it down to 35 F on the next trip.

[BigHodag]

I use a military poncho liner as I do most of my AT hiking in May/June. The poncho liner is quilted and weighs about one pound. Keeps me warm, well into the 50s. They run about $30 in Army Navy stores, and $5-10 at thrift store and yard sales.

Like ChinMusic above, when I use a sleeping bag for colder temps, I too use it like a quilt. Unzip it, flip it over, stick my feet in the foot box and pull the bottom well over my head to retain heat. I also am a hammock camper, so I tuck the extra material between my pad and the hammock which aids in heat retention.