Quilt Options

[blacktail sniper]

In my quest to sleep better as a side sleeper and lighten my pack at 48 thinking about a quilt and wondering ur thoughts? I usually backpack for archery elk and mule deer and will be doing some backpacking for mule deer for rifle as well. I run the neoair pad R rating is 3. Obviously we can get some snow during archery as well. Thnx

 

[couesbitten]

I have two quilts , one for solo trips and one for trips with my girlfriend. Both of my quilts are from Enlightened Equipment, a 20 deg. accomplice and a 10 deg. revelation. Have been using these quilts for 3 years now, and honestly don't see myself ever going back to a sleeping bag unless it's in arctic conditions (maybe).

 

[Jsn_leonard]

Switched from mummy bag to a Hammock Gear 20* quilt and will never go back. It’s a game changer

 

[blacktail sniper]

Wow that much better? Is it do to less constriction? Or just weight? Or both? I always found it hard to regulate temp in a mummy too hotvthen too cold etc

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

I’ve been considering this move as well. Truthfully I use my forested bivy (milsurp) and my poncho liner if it’s 40 degrees or warmer. I’d like to explore a quilt. It can get below freezing during my September hunting season.

 

[Eric4]

Quilts are great for temps ~20* and up. Once you start dipping closer to 0*, a sleeping bag might be a better choice. I personally prefer a closed footbox as well.

Top tier brands
Western Mountaineering
Nunatak
Katabatic
Enlightened Equipment
Loco Libre
Hammock Gear

 

[CApighunter]

Switched from mummy bag to a Hammock Gear 20* quilt and will never go back. It’s a game changer

I did the same. Never slept better in the field than with the quilt and an xtherm pad.

 

[Jsn_leonard]

Wow that much better? Is it do to less constriction? Or just weight? Or both? I always found it hard to regulate temp in a mummy too hotvthen too cold etc

All the above! Mine has a toe box that can be zipped closed which I use to help secure it to my pad. With a good base layer, 30 degree nights are not an issue for me.

 

[Middleofnowhere]

I had viamoutdoors.com make me a larger quilt I can pull over my head. Very happy with it.

 

[Mountain_Life]

The quilts mentioned above will lighten your pack and with the 3.0 r value on your pad, you should sleep comfortably down to the given rating. Carry a puffy jacket and if you need a little more warmth, sleep in it. Just my opinion but I switched to a quilt last year and have zero regrets. Quilts also fit nicely into a rectangle bag as a sweet liner.

 

[ReddingArcher]

I’m excited to put my kifaru quilt to use this season. It’s got the closed foot box which I wanted, it should be awesome for warm California hunts.

 

[mtwarden]

Quilts are great for temps ~20* and up. Once you start dipping closer to 0*, a sleeping bag might be a better choice. I personally prefer a closed footbox as well.

Top tier brands
Western Mountaineering
Nunatak
Katabatic
Enlightened Equipment
Loco Libre
Hammock Gear

that's my experience as well; own a lot of quilts (50 degrees thru 15 degrees), had a 0 quilt and while warm, just one gap/draft and it's brutal- have a mummy bag for late season/winter

I also prefer a closed footbox, except on the warmest quilts (40/50)

 

[Benny40]

I have EE 20 degree enigma quilt and haven’t had too many issues, they are more comfy than a traditional mummy bag when everything is perfect. Inside a tent they rock, when I use mine with a tarp I have to pitch it lower to the ground because they can get drafty when the wind is going under the tarp. Quilts are kinda one of those things, they are amazing until they aren’t. Everyone is different but for me, they are awesome till
About around 30 degrees, after that I prefer a bag. It’s not because the quilt can’t perform but it’s about around there that I don’t WANT to ever even feel a draft. To each their own but for archery season I don’t think they can really be beat.


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[wind gypsy]

The quilt lovers here and elsewhere sold me on the idea, it didn't work for me very well. I was cold in a zero degree wide EE Enigma in 30 degree temps because of drafts. Could I have practiced and learned to manage drafts better? Probably. It's just one of those things that I don't want to fiddle with though, I want to lay down and go to sleep and not worry about how my movements might create drafts that will suck the heat out of my sleep system. I haven't gone on backpack or mountain hunt yet where there wasn't a possibility of 30 degree or cooler temps, but if I did i might try them again. If using a floorless shelter with bivy I'd think a bivy would help with drafts a bunch too.

While on a scouting trip this spring and testing out a new custom Nunatak Apex mummy bag (20 degree rating, 35 ounces) my neoair pad started leaking and I woke up on the ground in 25 degree temps and with condensation on my bag from rubbing up on the single wall 'mid shelter. Apex insulates better when compressed than down and I wasn't even cold, just uncomfortable on the hard ground. I would gotten cold quick in a quilt and it would have had a lot of drafts trying to re-inflate the pad. I would bet I would have been colder in my 20 degree WM alpinlite too. The weight of the bag was worth it to me in that case. When you consider that folks might bring a heavier, warmer pad, need additional head insulation, or bring a bivy when they wouldn't have, the weight savings are erased. Some folks use their puffy to stay warm in a quilt, I'd rather save weight with a reduced rating bag and use a puffy. I also have never had issues being comfortable in a mummy bag but some people do and find quilts more comfortable.

Top brands I'd look at if considering a quilt - Nunatak, katabatic, feathered friends, Western Mountaineering. Honorable mention to enlightened equipment.

 

[Dos Perros]

I think there are some subtleties to using a quilt, as I'm finding now 3 years in. I notice my feet are warmer if I push the bottom of the pad inside the footbox. I also have the edges of the quilt wrapping around the side of the pad, like almost underneath but not. Seems warmer that way.

 

[KD32]

I use an EE quilt. As far a reducing the chance of drafts getting in when moving and changing positions, I ordered anotherset of elastic straps. The one with the loop that goes around your pad does a much better job of preventing drafts than the straight one. You can adjust the buckles to “wrap” the quilt under you, or the pad, just a little on the sides. So, I use two of the loop straps & leave the straight ones at home.

 

[Txhunter85]

I will be going this route for archery elk hunt this year, great information!

 

[mkollman74]

Quilts are great for temps ~20* and up. Once you start dipping closer to 0*, a sleeping bag might be a better choice. I personally prefer a closed footbox as well.

Top tier brands
Western Mountaineering
Nunatak
Katabatic
Enlightened Equipment
Loco Libre
Hammock Gear

Add Feathered Friends to this list as well...

 

[orionsbrother]

In my opinion, the cooler it is, the more important it is to use the straps with your quilt.

I also use a silk liner with my quilt. It helps keep the quilt clean, lessens draft issues when the quilt isn’t strapped snug and adds maybe five degrees or so of additional warmth. It also keeps me from sleeping directly on my pad and its silicone dots. ( More comfortable in warm weather )

Just returned from a canoe trip. Used my quilt with no straps, lots of venting because it was warm. I’ve slept under that same quilt under 15*

I love the versatility.

I use bags when in extreme cold. I use a synthetic bag for canoe trips right after ice out. Constant wet with temps right around freezing... otherwise, I use one of my quilts.

I think you’ll like a quilt.

 

[danarnold]

The quilt lovers here and elsewhere sold me on the idea, it didn't work for me very well. I was cold in a zero degree wide EE Enigma in 30 degree temps because of drafts. Could I have practiced and learned to manage drafts better? Probably. It's just one of those things that I don't want to fiddle with though, I want to lay down and go to sleep and not worry about how my movements might create drafts that will suck the heat out of my sleep system. I haven't gone on backpack or mountain hunt yet where there wasn't a possibility of 30 degree or cooler temps, but if I did i might try them again. If using a floorless shelter with bivy I'd think a bivy would help with drafts a bunch too.

similar experience here....I froze my ass below 20, I'm no longer a quilt user

Sept archery elk in MT