Re: Anybody use a quilt instead of a sleeping bag ?

I'm trying to cut my base weight. I currently use a mummy sleeping bag that weighs in at 2 lbs, 12 oz. I'm looking for something sub 2 lbs. I've seen a few quilts on the internet. I'm a side sleeper, so I'm thinking a quilt would work better than a bag. Inherently, they should be lighter than a bag because they have no back. Does anybody have experience with using a quilt, and do you have recommendations (brands, etc). ?

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The Other Tom
I'm trying to cut my base weight. I currently use a mummy sleeping bag that weighs in at 2 lbs, 12 oz. I'm looking for something sub 2 lbs. I've seen a few quilts on the internet. I'm a side sleeper, so I'm thinking a quilt would work better than a bag. Inherently, they should be lighter than a bag because they have no back. Does anybody have experience with using a quilt, and do you have recommendations (brands, etc). ?

You probably want to input some information about the temperature range that you expect to use it in.
(Note: I have a long Marmot Helium bag that is rated at 15°F and weighs an even 2 lbs.; the regular size is a few oz. lighter.)

Depends - I have tried them but since I am such a cold sleeper I find I'm usually miserable. I like the coziness of being zipped up tight in my bag. If you sleep under a tarp, tarptent, or cowboy open-air style even light breezes can easily sneak under a quilt and chill you. I prefer sleeping under the stars or worst case (bugs or rain) in a tarptent, thus my aversion to quilts. That said, my husband has a Feathered Friends Ghost blanket and loves the thing. But he is a very warm sleeper and likes that he can stay cooler under it than in a regular bag. As always, what works for some won't work for others. Evaluate your own sleeping needs and setup and weigh it against the pros and cons of the quilt.

jacksrbetter.com
Great stuff. (picture of Old Man Mtn in the "Xmass w/ Chick-on at Vernon" thread)
(it's the underblanket on the hammock)

The Old Dude actually didn't bring a sleeping bag on a few trips.
Just poofy jacket and poofy pants along with a bivy sack.

Take a look at Montbell. I have a 30, 25, and 15. Love love love those bags.
The 30 is sub 2 pounds.
All depends when you heading out and what elevation. And what other stuff
you willing to bring (i.e. poofy jacket/pants)...
Just use the bag as a blanket. IMO it's more versatile than the quilt...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2010 10:02PM by bill-e-g.

As a cold sleeping, side sleeping thrasher, I give quilts two thumbs up. Coz claustrophobia makes a mummy bag absolutely miserable.

I have a profound sense of gratitude for the first quilt maker - no zipper, no hood, just lovely down to wrap up in. Get a quilt of the correct loft and dimensions and you're fine. Oh, and a hat. It takes some adjusting to it but once I am comfortable I thrash around less, thus have little to no difficulty with "side breezes." Some folks use quilt wings to keep the quilt sides tucked in - I have one of those quilts too, but prefer the down JRB quilts. 1 lb 4 oz for a multi use quilt that stuffs down pretty small. My two 3 season JRB down quilts are (true to their rating) good to the low 20 range - I know this because I took them out one November, to Silliman Pass, and woke to ice on the lake, icicles in the creek, and shock that my cold sleeping self had slept the night through in comfort. I use them on the ground, in the hammock, anywhere I go - slept in the car under one when the rain drowned my tent on the coast.

My kudos to Jacks R Better.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2010 12:23AM by AlmostThere.

Thanks for all the info. I plan on taking them to ~10k feet in the Sierra. My experience is that it can get down to the low 20's during the summer (when I camp). I usually use a 20 degree mummy bag and I'm warm and toasty, but then there's the side sleeping and weight issues. Also, I usually take a poofy jacket (down) with a hood. I rarely sleep in it, however, but I could use it if necessary to keep the drafts out. I always use a stocking cap while sleeping since I don't have much insulation on my head anymore (and the mummy hood is too restrictive).
Almost There...which 3 season JRB quilt do you use ? I'm looking at the Hudson River (rated 25-30 on their website) and the Old Rag Mtn. (rated 0-5).

I have two Hudson Rivers - one for under the hammock, one for over me.

I considered the Old Rag but I'm not really a winter camper. Opening out the footbox turns the Hudson into a blanket so I can stick my feet out for venting; used it even when ambient temps were upwards of 50-60F.

I knew it was going to be cold so when I went out in November I took along midweight baselayer, plus expedition weight, plus another couple pairs of big wool socks, plus a thick balaclava. Also at 5'7", I am able to pull the Hudson River over my head and use the draw cord to snug it down. I contemplated putting on the down jacket but didn't have to - I woke around 2 am, when the temps dip to the lowest low, and found that I was right on the verge of not-warm, not-cold - just right on the tipping point to cold. When I got out of the hammock in the morning there were ice chips on the outer shell of the underquilt - pretty clear where the boundary between my warmth and the cold outside was....

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AlmostThere
<snippy>
- I woke around 2 am, when the temps dip to the lowest low,
<snippy>

How you come up with this? In my experience I've given up looking at the temp until just
before the sun rises. I can't tell you how many times (it was a lot) that I set my watch
to record overnight and I look in the morning and the temp just keeps a dropping
until the sun a rises. Fronts can move in and change this... but that is generally the case
from my experience.

As for JRB. When buying the quilt ... really hemmed and hawed at the Hudson or Old Rag.
In the end we decided best to go a little warmer... she uses a Montbell 15 for a top cover.
Have considered the Hudson for a top though... but we sorta have prolly too many sleepy bags.

Shout out for the Montbell UL huggers... they aren't mummies... and stretch so you can really
move around in them.
As for the wind... dunno what else you using... but what I use is a Bivy. Wind not an issue
other than an annoyance inside it..

Have fun

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chick-on

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AlmostThere
<snippy>
- I woke around 2 am, when the temps dip to the lowest low,
<snippy>

How you come up with this? In my experience I've given up looking at the temp until just
before the sun rises. I can't tell you how many times (it was a lot) that I set my watch
to record overnight and I look in the morning and the temp just keeps a dropping
until the sun a rises. Fronts can move in and change this... but that is generally the case
from my experience.

Typo - was prolly more like 5 am. For some reason I have 2 on the brain, was not the only message I typed it wrong....

In hammock I sleep sound til something wakes - a temp drop, a sound, a sudden change of any kind. At the point I woke I also had to run for to make an icicle... so I registered the temp at that point as being significantly below the 29F it was when we went to bed....

I kept going back and forth between the JRB Hudson and the Sierra. The main difference between the two is the size (Sierra is wider). I finally called Jack. Should have done it sooner. Talked to him for about an hour as he explained the pros and cons of each. He was very helpful and suggested I cut an old sheet to size and see how I fit under it on my pad. Great idea ! From that experiment I ordered the Sierra. Should be at my house ~ Monday.

edit: I looked at the Montbell gear. Looks good, but too pricey and heavy for what I was looking for. Thanks for pointing me there, though.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2010 03:57PM by The Other Tom.

I have been using a Golite UL-20 for about two years. (It is the older model) It weighs just over a lb and stuffs into a sack smaller than a two liter bottle. I have used this well below freezing while wearing all my normal layers and it has worked well year round. On a snowshoe trip last year I camped at over 12k with a lower of -2F and the quilt combined with my bivy sack, a Sea to Summit sleep bag liner, Thermorest Ridgerest deluxe and a Prolite 3 keep me warm until morning. I always add the second pad for snow camping. Note that my experience may not be typical.

The other nice thing about a quilt is I find them less constricting than a mummy bag.

Enjoy

Good stuff.

Tom, 30 Montbell is right about 24 oz. It's not a mummy bag.
It stretches nicely.... I just bought a -10 WM bag for winta... and it's mummy...
wish I woulda just went with Montbell 0.
O well.. I'm sure you're gonna love the JRB. It's great stuff.

Have fun

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ggman
On a snowshoe trip last year I camped at over 12k with a lower of -2F and the quilt combined with my bivy sack, a Sea to Summit sleep bag liner,
Thermorest Ridgerest deluxe and a Prolite 3 keep me warm until morning.

In this case two sleeping pads may weight more than a sleeping bag.
And what about other people?
Do you carry two sleeping pads in similar conditions?

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Yury

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ggman
On a snowshoe trip last year I camped at over 12k with a lower of -2F and the quilt combined with my bivy sack, a Sea to Summit sleep bag liner,
Thermorest Ridgerest deluxe and a Prolite 3 keep me warm until morning.

In this case two sleeping pads may weight more than a sleeping bag.
And what about other people?
Do you carry two sleeping pads in similar conditions?

Camping ON SNOW... yes

(actually normally carry a Z-Rest (closed cell) and a Therma Neo (shorty) all the time
sans. summer at lower elevations)

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Carry two closed cell things like Z-Rests. One for under the tent or ground cloth to help keep things dry and the other for insulation inside the tent or on top of the ground cloth. The inflatable is for creature softy comfort.

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Old Dude

For me, a quilt wouldn't work. I like the zipped up feeling, even though sometimes it gets a bit claustrophobic. Also, I toss and turn like crazy in my sleep and I would most likely toss the quilt off me. However, my main backpacking buddy has as quilt and loves it. Although, he did have to have his wife modify it slightly since it wasn't really designed for someone over 6'.

Winter trips I go with the Marmon Couloir Down rated at 0, weight is 3 lbs 3 ounces (or 51 ounces total). Summer I am more than happy with the Marmot Arroyo Down rated at 30 degrees, weight at 1 pound 11 ounces (or 27 total ounces). I was at Lake Wegner in October back in 07 and the temperature dipped down into the low single digits (way off what the forecast was) and I was on thermarest prolite 4 with no tent and I was warm and toasty in the Couloir. After that night Marmot earned my lifelong allegiance. My buddy actually got frostbite on his nose that night. On a side note, nothing is more annoying that when you wake up thirsty in the middle of the night and your canteen is frozen solid. I've been into the high 20s in the Arroyo and I didn't experience any discomfort. But anyways, for under 2 pounds I am more than happy to have a bag that I have slept in and been warm and toasty to under its what its rated for.

My recommendation is to try to rent or borrow a quilt and try it out in the backyard or on a car camping trip and see if you like it.

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oakroscoe
My recommendation is to try to rent or borrow a quilt and try it out in the backyard or on a car camping trip and see if you like it.

Thanks for the info. I had talked to Jack for about an hojur and he suggested I get a quilt, and, if I didn't like it, send it back. Good customer service. I tried it las night (temps around freezing) and it worked IF I TUCKED IT IN AND KEPT THE DRAFTS OUT. Tonight I'm rigging up some cord thru the loops on the quilt so I can draw it "shut" and not have to fiddle with keeping it tucked in all night. If not, Montbell here I come



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/2011 10:37AM by The Other Tom.

Try the quilt inside an ultra light bivy. It will keep things together and will add to the effective warmth.

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Old Dude

Here's the setup I'm going to try tonight. Many thanks to Clemson Hiker for walking me through this. The Sniveler line of JRB quilts come with 3 loops per side so you can cinch them down under your pad. I used the bottom two loops. The first pic shows the bottom of the pad and how I looped the cinch cord. The second pic shows the top of the pad, on the quilt, cinched up. I tested it and I fit. The top of the quilt comes over my head and should keep me warm. The low tonight is supposed to be 18. We'll see......

The green side is the DWR, the black is the inner shell, btw.

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AlmostThere
The green side is the DWR, the black is the inner shell, btw.

I see that on their website, but does it make a difference ? Do they use different material for the "inside" and outside" ?

OK, I tried it out last night with the modifications noted above. Lowest temp. was 24 degrees and I was just getting cool. Not cold, but cool. Clemson Hiker pointed out to me that the top of the quilt cinches up, so maybe this would help a little. Also, i think a smaller pad (regualr size instead of large) woiuld allow me to close in the quilt a little closer to keep me warmer. I'll be trying that in the coming weeks. So far, so good.

Sounds about right for one of their three season quilts. That's right about the break point for me, 22-24F.

The DWR doesn't feel as comfortable to me against skin, and I'd guess it would matter if you had any condensation drip on the shell, which has happened to me a couple times. the difference is the inner shell is not treated and has a softer hand. Slightly. The black will more readily absorb heat when you are drying it out in the sun and since it's not treated it will breathe a bit better than the green side.

Is there any problem using a hammock system in the Sierras (specifically Yosemite)? I can see the advantages in the eastern forests, but the higher elevations in the West usually are associated with smaller, fewer trees. In Yellowstone, Glacier camping is constrained to pre-determined sites and may not have trees favorably placed.
Jacks R Better has on "free standing" hammock set up, but certainly that must be the exception.

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The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

I use a Warbonnet Blackbird. If I go on longer routes with a lot of alpine terrain, I take a Neoair and side pads cut of foam to use in the hammock and also on the ground under the tarp set up with trekking poles. If I know the entire route I will be able to hang the hammock, I take an underquilt. The hammock has a full bugnet and zipper so it will make a bug bivy if I need one for ground sleeping.

There have been a few trips I left the hammock at home and regretted it - you can hang above 10,000 feet in some regions. I've only had to go to ground once in Yosemite. You're more likely to have trouble in Sequoia.

Size of tree is immaterial if you have long straps and adjustable suspension for the hammock. There are folks hanging hammocks in northern California coastal redwood groves.

Franky,
You have to almost try to not find trees in Yosemite region. Bill-e's wifie has slept
above 10K in the hammock about 4 times last year. Only place not hammock'd
was at Marie Lakes just outside the park... and if we would have stayed at Rodgers
or Davis or went down to Rush Creek ... easily would have found spot to put up hammock.
For the naysayers or whatnuts out there... sure, hammock takes a little bit of time to
find trees... but it's lickity split to throw up... and a treat to have mid-day to take a nappy in.

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chick-on
... and a treat to have mid-day to take a nappy in.

When you get as "advanced" as Chick-on, you need to take at least one mid-day nappy.
(Energetically Yours)
The Marmots



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/2011 09:01AM by szalkowski.

a) I wuz told u not intermaested in dis tred.
b) Be berry careful:
http://www.omg-facts.com/view/Facts/23367
(dis chick-on has t-rex claws)

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chick-on
Bill-e's wifie has slept above 10K in the hammock about 4 times last year.

Was he required to pack the trees up there for her?

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eeek

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chick-on
Bill-e's wifie has slept above 10K in the hammock about 4 times last year.

Was he required to pack the trees up there for her?

See b) from:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,30777,31224#msg-31224

but... if no trees and the old guy is along... him and billy have to hold up the hammock for her

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eeek

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chick-on
Bill-e's wifie has slept above 10K in the hammock about 4 times last year.

Was he required to pack the trees up there for her?

Do you get above 10k much?

I did the last section of the JMT with tarp and pad. Kicked myself the whole way. could have hung EVERYWHERE.

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mrcondron
Try the quilt inside an ultra light bivy. It will keep things together and will add to the effective warmth.

Thanks. I'll have to investigate that if my cinch setup doesn't work. My concern would be how much the bivy would weigh...

My bivy weighs 8oz in the stuff sack and is very water resistant. From Mountain Laurel Designs.

http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=30

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Old Dude

I use my hammock everywhere in Yose, every time I have been above the tree level, the trees aren't too far away. If I know I am going above and staying there I bring some of my smaller C4 cams, they work great as Yose has lots o granite ; )

I have been thinking about getting the under-quilt and top-quilt for my hammock but I just got the sheet for my thermarest prolite and sleep directly on that and put the bag on top of me. I have slept warm this way down to 10 degrees. I didn't need to cover up all of the way until just before sunrise. The thermarest also holds the sides out a little more than the poles (clark NX250) do so that is nice IMO.

I have been wanting to try the free standing hammock set up but I haven't run into a situation where I have needed to.