Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting quilts - your experience

I need a new sleeping bag. I'm 70 and don't sleep as warm as I used to. My feet are a problem. Wool socks don't work like they used to. I don't carry a heavy pack anymore. I use llamas so weight isn't much of an issue. Bulk is, though. Panniers fill up quickly.
For a pad, I use a 3" cold weather air mattress with a rating of R-3. If it gets colder, I have a 1" Thermarest self inflating pad that adds another R-3.

Warmth is my primary issue and I'm kind of intrigued by the quilts but I've never used one. The zipper on my old bag has been a perpetual snagger since it was new. I'm tired of fighting it to get up for the 3AM pee. I like the idea of not having one at all.
Do they tuck in easily to prevent butt crack drafts?
I've been looking at Enlightened Equipment's quilts. Their instructions aren't clear at all. Do you put the straps under you or wrap them around the pad? They say it attaches to the pad but how?

What's your experience?

I've used a fair amount of quilts.

First - I hate pad straps
Second - Drafts can happen , it is mostly a function of the type of sleeper you are and the sizing. Many size them too small and thus get drafty if they toss and turn

Of the available quilts, there are a lot of good options. I used the Western Mountaineering Astral Lite at 17 ounces. For me , it seems true to temp or very close to it (26 degrees) , and the fabrics leak very minimal feathers for being so light.

An air pad may reduce drafts a bit .

Yes, I'm with you I hate zipper snags on bags.

I just used an EE for an 8 night backpack hunt and have has it for 3-4 years or so. Mine is the 10 degree Revelation. Inflatable pad under. Nights were mid to upper 20's. I love the EE hoodlum too. You basically strap the quilt around your pad, climb in and tighten the drawstring at the top of the quilt to lock you in. Easy to roll from side to back relative to a bag. I wouldn't want to take my 10 degree bag to 10 degrees though....

With my hunting pants on and an upper base layer, and hoodlum, I was pleeeenty warm each and every night even after poor calories at dinner....

I'm on the margin between regular and long and between regular and wide. I'd definitely go long/wide.
I'm 95% side sleep, sometimes stomach. Never back. I have a touch of sleep apnea that prevents back sleeping. I'm fine on my side or belly.

EE's Enigma and Revelation quilts both come in 0 degree versions. They should be good down to 10 or 15. If it gets colder than that, my camp trailer looks pretty good. The Revelation has the advantage over the Enigma in that the foot opens up into a flat blanket. That would be useful in warmer weather.

Yes. The footbox is nice...

Negative- go Extra Long/Extra Wide. Every single person that I know that has went with the recommended sizing got drafts, got cold, and regretted it. Conversely every person who has went with as wide and long as possible has loved it. Also your pad will be the weak point. Highly recommend you get an insulated pad with at least a 5 r-value. Exped, Thermorest, BA, all make insulated pads that roll up small.

I haven’t found a single bag that my feet doesn’t get cold in first. That’s an easy fix though- boil water and fill a Nalgene bottle up with it. Put it in the bottom of your bag wrapped in some clothes. Your feet won’t get cold.

We tested the EE Revelation quilts where I work for a year. 20 or so guys used 20, 10, and 0 degree quilts in regular, all the way to extra wide/extra long sizes, from 60 degree nights, to negative 9 degrees in snow. The dudes ranged from 5’5”ish 140 lbs, to 6’2”ish 240lbs. All greatly preferred a 0 degree quilt and as long and wide as they could get, in conjunction with a good pad.

I've been using EE quilt for few years now, like Form said extra long extra wide and will never go back to bag. I use blow up pad with middle straps run around the pad . I found there is a learning curve with the quilt but well worth it in my opinion. EE quilts are good stuff.

I am in the extra long extra wide camp, or at least one size up from what the chart says if your a smaller sized person. I sleep on my side and front and like the quilt to come up over my head and wide enough I can move around and not worry about drafts.

I like to move and even with the extra size the quilt is lighter than an equivalent sized bag would weigh and much more comfortable for me.

I have number of quilts, most homemade some synthetic, some down. now a EE enigma. I like the down best, but before I put down 3-4 hundred on a nice down quilt, I would try a synthetic on a trip or two so you know the sizing works for you. Its possible to make a synthetic quilt in 1-2 hours for well under a hundred bucks.

Just for experimenting, a standard twin sized blanket is 60x90". The quilt wide sizes I've seen are generally 55-58" wide +/- . EE Revelation is a little wider - 54" standard, 58" wide, and 64" extra wide. Their lengths are 78" standard, 84" long, and 90" extra long.
So, an X long, X wide Revelation is about the same as a twin sized blanket. You can lay on the floor and see how it drapes around you. Of course the loft of a quilt will likely make the effective width a bit less.

You can get a twin sized comforter on Amazon for under $30. It might be a tad wide but that can be trimmed off if you want to experiment.
If you're good with a sewing machine, Amazon has 750 fill goose down for $26 for 1/2 lb. An X-long, X-wide Revelation has 26 oz of 850 fill down. $52 for 1 lb of Amazon's down will give you a 0 degree quilt. Of course, quilting with down isn't as easy as it sounds.

there is a learning curve with quilts, they aren’t for everyone

as the temps drop, I go back to bags (roughly teens or below), the few ounces extra outweigh drafts at that those temps

definitely size up, especially width- this will significantly reduce drafts

if you are set on a cold weather quilt, I’d argue going with a closed foot box (Enigma)- again draft concerns; higher temps a open foot box has real advantages

also consider in the equation with a cold weather quilt, the weight of a hood- not needed in moderate temps- a good warm hat/balaclava that you already have will work, temps approaching teens- you’ll want a dedicated hood

I never was successful with quilts backpacking and I've given up on them. The only quilt-like setup I use now is a Thermarest Alpine down blanket which has elastic around the edges to pull it tight around a neoair pad. Instead, I use that for pulling it in tight around me but I use it on top of a Cabela's cot pad. It makes for a pretty good night's sleep when truck camping.

Tom

I've read that the open foot type typically have a small hole at the drawstring. They say to stick something in it before drawing it tight. Something like a bulky extra sock or a coat sleeve. That will plug the hole.

Have you tried just leaving your bag unzipped and see how it works for you?

You might look at Katabatic Gear quilts over EE.

I’ve been using a quilt I made from a Ray jardine kit for about 15 years and it works well, despite the duct tape. I also use a hill people gear mountain serape as an over/under bag depending on temp and it works for me. Xtherm pad. Any bag is a quilt with a foot box. Like others have said, go wider than you think.

+1

I’ve got the 15 degree wide and it’s just the right size and uber warm and sub 2 lbs. it has a better designed open foot box than EE, with the built in draft tube you don’t need to stuff anything in the hole to prevent drafts.

My bag is literally 40 years old. It still lofts pretty good but I think the down is falling apart. It just doesn't hold the heat any more. My body is also 40 years older and it doesn't hold the heat as well either.

I have used an EE Enigma for about 45 nights over the past two seasons and I can't imagine returning to a traditional bag when temps are above zero. I do some winter camping (down to 20 below) and have a -40 bag that is huge for such special purposes. Otherwise, the EE has proven ideal for me. Admittedly I toss and turn in my sleep, but I've never slept more comfortably in the outdoors than I have since making the switch to the quilt. I used both a Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XTherm and Klymit Insulated Static, but much prefer the comfort and warmth of the NeoAir.

It's highly unlikely that I'll ever be camping below 10F, maybe not that cold. I'm looking at 0F bags/quilts that should cover all bases. I'll be winter camping with some scouts but we'll be car camping so I can take an extra bag for a cover if need be.