When I first got into hiking years ago, I only thought there was one option when it came to sleeping. Everybody I knew had sleeping bags, or so I thought. Remember that was back before we had the internet.
After a while, I kept hearing people talk about their quilts. At first, I thought it was just a local colloquialism, but I soon learned that I was very wrong. So what are the main differences between traditional sleeping bags and down quilts?
Using a Sleeping Bag
For years every time I went out on a hike I brought along my traditional down mummy bag. Working a 9-5 day job at the time I didn’t have any thru-hiking experience, but I went out a couple weekends per month.
At the time I carried a big Agnes 15° degree bag like this one. It was great in the beginning, perfect on those cold spring and fall nights. During the summer I got a little hot, but I had a cheap 45° degree synthetic bag for those especially hot days.
It wasn’t until I went on my first 2 week long hike that I realized just how limiting sleeping bags actually were. The end of spring brought along a 30 degree temperature swing and I was absolutely miserable.
That 15° degree bag that was so toasty when it was 40 F at night was a sweat pit once it reached 70°. As the weather started to warm up and spring started to creep in things got worse.
I sleep really hot and I was starting to get really uncomfortable. Switching bags back and forth every weekend just didn’t seem to be working. There had to be a better solution.
I Tried Using a Bag Liner
Once the weather started to stabilize I decided to put my cold weather bag back into storage(after a proper wash cycle of course). Brought out my cheap synthetic bag and went to the store to come up with a solution.
After talking to a few of my buddies I decided to pair my bag up with this Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme Bag Liner paired with a higher R-Value Air Mattress. I went with a Therm-a-Rest air mattress very similar to the NeoAir Xlite that I use today.
The Reactor Extreme Bag liner supposedly adds 25 degrees of warmth to my sleeping bag and I definitely noticed a huge difference. On cold days I was toasty on those especially hot days I ditched the bag and used the liner on its own.
Years went by and I still wasn’t fully sold on the combo. Yes, I was a lot warmer, but I just wasn’t fully satisfied with my gear. That’s the curse of every hobbyist, you’re always looking for that new piece of gear.
Buying My First Quilt
I had to think long and hard before fully ditching my sleeping bag for a quilt. Transitioning from one job to the next made me think twice about buying new gear, and quilts can be downright expensive.
After doing all the research I could I decided to buy the Paria Outdoors 15 Degree Quilt. Everybody told me that once you switch to a quilt you’ll never go back to a traditional mummy bag.
Those cold winter nights still call for my Big Agnes bag, but the rest of the year I’m using a quilt. So what are the major differences between a quilt and sleeping
Differences Between Mummy Sleeping Bag and Quilt
Remember that there’s a wide range of products on the market and not every product shares the same characteristics. That 2 dollar sleeping bag you bought at a garage sale isn’t the same as a top of the line bag.
That being said there are a few characteristics that set sleeping bags and quilts apart. So what are the main differences between a sleeping bag and quilt?
Versatility
You have 3 basic ways you can sleep with a mummy bag. With a full mummy bag, you have one big zipper running down the seam. With just one zipper down the
On those warmer nights you can undo the top to breathe a little bit. So if you’re getting too hot you can still open that up and have a little room to breathe. Or you can just sleep on top of your bag, but that’s not really an option for me.
Throw in a bag liner and you can further adjust your warmth to your liking, but that’s a topic for another day.
The main reason I like the quilt is that it offers all the qualities of a regular blanket, yet it still functions as a sleeping bag. I can stick my feet out of the bottom and let my feet breathe. It gives me a little bit more freedom to make adjustments.
If I get too hot I can cinch it down with the straps that come with most quilts. You can cinch it onto the pad and then put it over your neck and cinch it down even more. It’s going to really trap your body heat. On those really cold nights just throw on a down beanie like this one and you’ll have all the heat of a mummy bag.
Quilts Don’t Have a Bottom So They Must Be Colder, Right?
There’s a lot of people out there that say “I don’t know if I can use a quilt, I sleep really cold”. There’s less material with a quilt and there’s nothing on the bottom. So how could it be as just as warm as a sleeping
You have to remember that I’m a warm sleeper, but I haven’t noticed much of a difference on those freezing nights. Both my mummy bag and quilt offer close to the same amount of warmth.
Let’s get into a little bit about the science of how down work (Remember I’m not a scientist, though I was a physics major at Ohio State). Down only works and retains heat when it has loft. Loft simply means that all of the down is nice and poufy.
All that loft creates a nice big fat barrier between you and that cold winters night. When the down is flattened, squished and compressed it simply doesn’t work. So the bottom of a mummy bag doesn’t offer much in the way of warmth.
Look at a mummy bag with all of the down on the backside of it. When you’re laying on that bag you’re completely compressing the down, therefore it’s not working.
What’s actually keeping you warm is the R factor of the pad that you have. So having a nice high R-value sleeping pad(like the one I use) is really important. That is what’s creating a barrier between the cold ground and your back.
Quilts are Much Lighter
Most people make the switch from a sleeping bag to a quilt once they get into ultralight backpacking. Quilts are much lighter than a traditional sleeping bag.
Quilts are usually about half the weight of a traditional sleeping bag. Just think about it, without a back there’s a lot less fabric. We’ve learned that the back doesn’t provide much warmth anyway so why carry around all the extra weight.
Difference in Price
For some reason quilts just aren’t as expensive as traditional sleeping bags. Your average quilt is going to be a lot cheaper than a comparable temperature rating sleeping bag.
Without having a back and full-length zipper manufacturers can save a bit on manufacturing. That being said, top of the line quilts are still going to be pretty expensive. As you get into colder temperature ratings the prices are obviously going to increase.
Maybe once more options hit the market the prices will start to drop. In my opinion, shedding a few pounds from your pack is well worth the price.
Save a Few Bucks
If you’re only going to be backpacking and camping during the summer you can save a few bucks by choosing a synthetic quilt. Synthetic quilts are going to be much cheaper and a lot easier to take care of.
Just toss your synthetics into the washing machine and give it a tumble. However, there is one major drawback to choosing synthetic over down.
Down offers much more warmth for the given weight. Plus down will keep its loft longer than your average synthetic product, just make sure it doesn’t get wet. Given the major difference in price this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
What about Drafts?
For some
So What’s Better a Quilt or Sleeping Bag?
After a couple years of using a quilt, I can tell you my own experience. Coming from nothing but mummy bags and switching to a quilt, I am no colder in this than I would ever be in a traditional bag.
Actually, I have really bad circulation and my feet get really cold at night. This is one of the main reasons I was worried about making the switch. My feet are just as warm in the quilt and it’s so much more versatile.
The quilt has definitely won me over and honestly, I doubt I’ll ever buy a mummy bag again. Hopefully, this article helped you guys decide whether you want to go with a traditional mummy bag or make a switch to the quilt
Make sure you let me know what you prefer in the comments below.