Can someone explain quilts to me and their advantages

Diesel

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I am ignorant on this quilt thing. What is it, how does it work, is there a sleeping pad attached? Why a quilt instead of a sleep bag.

I hate mummy bags and have a wide Western Mountaineering bag. It's a great bag, but i still like to spread out the legs more. Would a quilt give me more leg room? Is there weight savings?

Thanks for any explanation.
 

FlyGuy

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I've wondered the same thing myself. Other than hearing Aron Snyder talk about how much he hates them on the early GB podcasts I don't know anything else about them, or what it is about them that some folks love so much.

Glad you posted this, tagged in to learn more myself!

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Hall256

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I am ignorant on this quilt thing. What is it, how does it work, is there a sleeping pad attached? Why a quilt instead of a sleep bag.

I hate mummy bags and have a wide Western Mountaineering bag. It's a great bag, but i still like to spread out the legs more. Would a quilt give me more leg room? Is there weight savings?

Thanks for any explanation.
IMO...the quilt is great in mild to cool temp range. In these temps you can drape it over you like a quilt and be fine. In colder temps you're suppose to strap it to your pad to decrease the chance of drafts as you move around in your sleep. When set up like this, it is as restrictive as a sleeping bag.

There is a weight savings as there is about 1/3 of a bag missing (no bottom). The idea is that if you have a good pad, then you do not need the bottom portion of a sleeping bag, so why carry the weight.

So what I do, is any spring, summer, early fall trips I go with my EE quilt, anytime I think temps are goimg to be below freezing I opt for a regular bag.

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Diesel

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So it is really just a weight thing?

If it needs to be zipped up when its colder and you are back to a sleep bag, any advantage is lost?

Makes no sense to me as one can use there classic style sleep bag as a "quilt" by just unzipping it fully when it is milder, it is just not attached to the pad.

There must be more to it since it seems to be all the rage right now.
 

SHTF

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Im a year round user of my quilt.

Quilts save weight and also pack down smaller. Also for folks who feel constricted in Sleeping bags it helps with that also. The quilt has to be paired with a good quality mat with high Rvalue to use it in the winter. The idea behind the quilt is when you are in a sleeping bag the insulation below you is compressed so it does nothing to keep you warm. The High R Value pad keeps you just as warm. The quilt has a foot box to trap heat and straps to go around the mat so it stays in place and keeps the drafts out. This video may help you a bit more. Ultralight Tips: Quilt vs Sleeping Bag - YouTube
 
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Interesting thread. I have never felt the need to go away from using a sleeping bag, so therefore have never paid attention to quilts.

Can an expert chime in on this idea of compressing the bottom panel of a sleeping bag? I have never felt cold on the bottom, even with a shitty pad or something as simple as spruce browse underneath me. It seems counterintuitive that I would be wasting the bottom panel material of a sleeping bag, as at the very least, having continuous sewed seams around my body should do better at trapping heat, or am I totally wrong?

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Insulation uses air pockets to trap heat from your body. When you lay on it and crush the bottom portion it loses its loft or ability to trap heat rendering it useless. Same reason you dont store a bag compressed or “crushed” in this case it loses its loft. I think thats the principal behind a quilt


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ChrisS

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It seems counterintuitive that I would be wasting the bottom panel material of a sleeping bag, as at the very least, having continuous sewed seams around my body should do better at trapping heat, or am I totally wrong?
The idea is that you're carrying a good pad with an appropriate r-value AND a sleeping bag. If you get rid of the bottom part of the bag, you're still insulated (due to the pad). It's about removing a redundant part (and one that isn't as effective as the other) of the sleep system.

I think quilts are fine to around freezing. After that, in my experience, it's a constant fight with drafts (even with straps). I like running them into the 30s as I'm already carrying the pad and I can save a pound and more space in my bag. If someone is going for longish trips, that can be another day of food.
 
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Diesel

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After reading the threads that durangobrad attached, i see this quilt thing has been beat to death. Lots of info and opinions. Thanks Brad.

I guess you just have to try one and decide for yourself.

Appreciate the effort by all.
 
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I tried the quilt for weight savings and smaller packed size but didn’t care for it. Very drafty and needed more fiddling with it than my sleeping bag. Glad there are plenty of guys (good buddies included) that like them but I’m perfectly happy with my Slick bags and won’t be trying a quilt again any time soon.
 
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Here are the biggest reasons why I prefer a quilt. I also like being able to open the foot box up on my EE Revelation to spread out if I want to. I’ve never had an issue with drafts but I always use them inside an UL bivy. This is a 6’, regular width, 10° EE 850 filll Enigma.
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Here are the biggest reasons why I prefer a quilt. I also like being able to open the foot box up on my EE Revelation to spread out if I want to. I’ve never had an issue with drafts but I always use them inside an UL bivy. This is a 6’, regular width, 10° EE 850 filll Enigma.
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I have a Hammock Gear 15 degree quilt and have used it in the 20's with no problems. Perhaps it's wider than others or has better strapping ability and tucks under the mat more as ive not experienced draft problems. Not sure why others have draft issues. I tried it because i roll around a lot and just found my mummy to be so restrictive that I didnt get good sleep and the quilt really helped that issue. I got the sewn footbox as my feet tend to get cold first so I wanted to minimize that risk. As far as foot room, i insert my pad into the footbox so my foot room is controlled by my pad width and I used an Exped tapered pad. For me, this has been my best gear switch ever as I saved weight and sleep better.

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ljalberta

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The weight of quilts is certainly a plus. However, the biggest reason I'm completely sold on quilts now is how comfortable my sleeps are. I've never slept better in the back country. The freedom to move around a little is incredible and has seriously transformed the way I sleep (way deeper, longer, etc). I have a EE Revelation 10* and have slept comfortable down to the low 20s in only a base layer and a touque.
 
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I use a VIAM 10* quilt and really like it. I’m a side sleeper and most mummy bags I have tried have really annoyed me. With the pad straps in place I don’t have many issues with drafts. It’s nice being able to completely vent the top or bottom and I can wrap myself up in in very tight if I want to stay really warm. I haven’t spent very many super cold nights in it yet but so far it’s been good.


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jmez

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If I didn't already have a nice bag I'd buy a quilt. My thermostat is set pretty high so cold isn't a big issue with me. I just use my bag as a quilt 90% of the time. I unzip it all the way, put my feet in and drape the rest over me like a blanket. If i had dedicated straps I wouldn't use them on a quilt. Not worth the cost of a quilt to save 10oz over what I already have.
 

Formidilosus

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The vast majority of people complaining of draft problems is because their wuilt
is too short and narrow. I have a lot of experience with quilts comparing them to to sleeping bags, tracking warmth, etc. with more than forty people. For 99% of people DO NOT listen to those saying a normal width/length quilt sufficient if you want to use it below about 40 degrees.

I have used EE quilts extensively down to well below zero. Setup and sized correctly they offer great comfort and versatility. Done incorrectly they can be miserable. I am 5'9", 185lbs with relatively low body fat- not a terribly big dude. There is no way I would use a regular length and width quilt below 40 degrees again. Even with a long/wide EE I am only really good to about 5 degrees above the stated value when not supplementing additional insulation. A Long/Extra wide has been good for every person that has used it to the stated temp rating with no additional insulation. If I expect to be in single digit temps or below, I prefer an extra long/extra wide. This removes all drafts and makes wrapping up like your at home a cinch.



The biggest problems that hunters have with quilts that most backpackers do not is they are generally way bigger, they're generally not into the ultra minimalist idea, and they generally use them in much colder temperatures. I've seen LOTS of dudes who are 5'8", 220 lbs say that they are "normal" sized. You put that person in a regular width, or even wide width quilt and there is a good chance he'll hate it. Put him in one that is matched to his size and he'll probably love it.
 
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