No, quilts aren’t always better than sleeping bags

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

Thanks in advance for all the comments and discussion!

[@Johnjds]

Great balanced chat. I live in a small town on the PCT and the majority of hikers are novice and decked out with the exact same gear that popular KZbinrs of the year declared was the best. Most gear is trend based because most people out there have very little experience and shop based on their KZbin feed. Cottage companies then chase, not lead, these trends and it all becomes an echo chamber.

[@AR9ify]

Finally some sensible words 👏 Rab Mytic 360 my current favorite, then Mountain Hardwear Phantom Torch. Quilt, only for summer trips.

[@MrRourk]

What really blew up quilts was the Hammock Movement.

[@pabloelsur1624]

Sleeping bags advanced much. I found something I think will be a good combination between a quilt and a sleeping bag - Nordisk Oscar Curve - no drafts, but space, feet ventilation, arm ventilation, and a hood, you can open it or close it completely.

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

That sounds like my bed at home!

[@jasonstephenson9959]

Sleeping bags are defineatly better in freezing conditions. However, My problem with them is I am a side sleeper/stomach sleeper. The back is not usually insulated to save weight. I’ve started using them without the hood (use a separate hood) so that I can turn over without the back of the bag leaving the mat.

[@anderw2]

I like quilts for warm weather during the day, with cooler nights. Where you go to bed too warm, but need the insulation in the morning. Quilts breath better and have better options for cooling off your feet without totally getting out of the quilt/bag.

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

I take my feet out of my bag when it’s too warm, not a big issue.

[@SamwiseOutdoors]

I feel like maybe 2006-2007 was when I first began to notice talk of quilts in the cultural zeitgeist, first emerging in the dark corners of internet message boards. By that time, I'd already sunk several grand into my sleeping bag fleet and didn't adopt. Now I'm looking at upgrading my Marmot Atom and the weight difference between a modern UL mummy bag and a UL quilt is pretty negligible. It's really crazy to think about.

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

Exactly! The difference is negligible in terms of weight when you compare “equivalent” models - but the bag is warmer.

[@cheapskatehiker]

Nice, I have the newer cat's meow, which is under 3 pounds and good for about 5c comfort (for me). Your old one seems a bit like the snow leopard, a beefier cats meow basically weighing a bit under 4 pounds.

[@elainewhitmore3383]

Obsessed w my Feathered Friends 20° quilt

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

How's the performance at 20° or lower? Do you need to supplement with a puffy jacket?

[@elainewhitmore3383]

@@KaneDoesOutdoors I'll let ya know this winter. Not seeing those Temps yet. Quilt is new last month.

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

@@elainewhitmore3383 What area are you from?

[@elainewhitmore3383]

@@KaneDoesOutdoors I've lived in travel trailer past 2 years. Moving every 1-2 months. Looking at property on Thursday in NC. Hickory area.

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

@@elainewhitmore3383 I guess the camping season will go pretty late into the fall to test that quilt out!

[@TheAdventuresofEli]

i'm totally with you on this... i'm from Houston and its mostly hot and if not just down right humid as hell.. 3/4 of the year i'm using a quilt 40 degree EE, Now if i'm going to utah or Colorado or even north Texas in the winter i'll pack the sleeping bag .. i've have almost come to a conclusion in getting a hybrid at this point. EE and Zpacks pretty much make a converter quilt/sleeping bags now.. i say if you can afford it .. have it all lol that way you have options and options are always nice lol Great Video!

[@donnydread7631]

I like my quilt. Like others I just feel too restricted in a sleeping bag. I’m currently using a 10 degree EE.

[@SeymourThanU2]

Reckon you’ll take some heat for this one! As for me, 100% agree. Everyone is unique. With my rotisserie style of sleeping I find a quilt annoying below about 10C, or higher still if I’m under a tarp and it’s breezy, even with a bivy. A friend of mine sleeps like a slab of stone and doesn’t have that problem. A quilt works for him below zero. It’s all good.

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

🤣🤣🤣 Like I said if a certain gear choice works for you great. But I found I was cornering myself on that choice just to be a few oz lighter. I think you’re right in that quilts work well for people who don’t move much in their sleep.

[@danflowers8584]

OMG….i just figured out who you sound like exactly. Ricky from Trailer Park Boys. That is a high compliment in my books just so you know. Just discovered and scribed to your channel. Loving it so far. I don’t agree with everything you say but different things work for different people I guess. Stay stocked and awesome.

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

🤣

[@evanhammond7305]

Great vid. I personally like the quilt over a sleeping bag to 0°c. I would probably prefer a bag with a tarp setup, although i have never used one. But a quilt is definently an advantage when hammock camping. It is difficult to get into a bag in a hammock. Another advantage you didn't touch on is that premium quilts are a lot more affordable than bags.

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

No question, in a hammock quilts are the way to go! For the cost you’re probably right, but for things like tents and sleeping bags I tend to make my choices more on if it fits well in my system vs trying to save money. A good sleeping bag (or quilt) can last a long time. I’ve had a lot of gear for 10 or 15 + years. That being said I haven’t been able to justify a 1000$ DCF tent, and I go for budget options on my clothes whenever I can.

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

What’s your hammock setup?

[@evanhammond7305]

@Kane Does Outdoors I use a Hennessey explorer ultra light with their super shelter insulation system it's good to about -2, but I've used it in -12 with other stuff stuffed in there. I use outdoor vitals 15°f down quilt when summer camping in a tent or hammock. But i opt for a sleeping bag in the winter. I use the storm loft quilt till about -5

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

Sounds dialled in

[@evanhammond7305]

@Kane Does Outdoors the Hennessey isn't the most lightweight, but it's built like a tank isn't super heavy and is cost effective. I believe my entire setup insulation hammock and tarp is under 6lbs and good from may to October without supplements, and it was under 800$. I'm going to get an underquilt and combine 40°f synthetic quilt with my down quilt to get me into colder Temps.

[@Martyupnorth]

I've been hiking in the Rockies for 35+ years, and I can attest that there was a significant evolution in gear during the 90's and early 2000s that significantly reduced our overall weight. I remember buying 3/4 length mattresses to save a full 300 g of weight. A 2P tent under 5 lbs was unheard of. Stoves were bulky, filters were ceramic and LED lights were non-existent. I learned to hike with a 30 lb base weight. My current base weight is in the 14 lbs range, which is totally manageable, without sacrificing reliability and durability. I find the idea of a rain jacket made of the same material as a grocery bag to be foolish. I never bough in to the whole quilt debate. I did plenty of side-by-side, apples to apples comparison, and sleeping bags always came on top. The only valid argument I give to quilts is that they're less restrictive if you don't like feeling claustrophobic (which is actually one the the reasons I like my bags). Here in Alberta, the average backpacker hikes during a 2-month window, and potentially only spends 10-15 nights in the backcountry. They don't actually have time to properly evaluate / experiment with gear, so they just go with trends. To me, quilts, hammocks and trail shoes are all trends that are coming to an end. Just my opinion.

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

Good points Marty. My take is that some of these are specialty items that have their time and place. For example hammocks work extremely well in the dense humid forests of the northeast where it's hard to find open ground to camp and established sites are heavily impacted/muddy. Would I suggest that someone buy a hammock and not own a tent first? Not a chance. For a casual backpacker who gets out on one or two trips a year, these speciality items are in my opinion not the best first choice. As you pointed out, a person can now outfit themselves with a tent, full size air mattress, framed backpack etc etc and hit a 15 lbs base weight quite easily.

[@nodescriptionavailable3842]

I have a 35 degree down quilt but I bought it for extremely mild weather, warm weather, or to use with a wool blanket, They say your insulation compresses in a bag so it's not necessary but I'm gonna go ahead and call bullshit, a bag is warmer than a quilt, especially the air leaks are a problem Ultra lighters need to get off the high horse, man up and carry more weight where it counts

[@carrdoug99]

Amen. Quilts are lighter by the weight of a pair of wool socks. Quilts are lighter.. then they added foot boxes, snaps, hooks, (and advocates recommend sleeping balaclavas). Sleeping bags can be used like quilts, + the hood section easily goes beyond your head. 5c is about right for choosing quilt over sleeping bag.

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

Another part of the equation is the popularization of thick inflatable air mattresses. I find it more difficult to get a good seal around your quilt when you use a thick pad vs a thin foam pad. I used a homemade ray jardine quilt for years, followed by a jacks r better quilt, and never had draft problems. When I switched to a thicker pad drafts really became a problem. I'm not interested in attaching my insulation to the ground pad. Like you say the quilts have so many add ons now that it pretty much defeats the purpose.

[@carrdoug99]

@Kane Does Outdoors excellent observation. One of the main driving arguments for quilts is the ground pad ... which can defeat/diminish the value of the quilt. 👍

[@woodchip2782]

I agree with everything you mentioned. My beef with sleeping bags is when I need to go pee in the middle of the night and the effing zip catches. At one time I just let go. I couldn’t make it out in time. So I partially peed myself. Imagine the mess. I had to sit the night out and then there’s the hiking with the open bag sprawled over the backpack while it dries out! So I went with quilts. Those drafts as I tossed and turned were sleep killers… Does anyone know how much a zipper weighs? Is it that much? Finally I found the Sierra Designs Backcountry Bed. That was a revelation! I can toss and turn without drafts and rise up in a flash if nature calls. Unfortunately the company doesn’t make it anymore. I’ll have to treat it well.

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

There are a lot of interesting products that companies pull from the market. Just too different for most people I guess…

[@tomnoyb8301]

Weight was always the issue for pundits, but freedom of movement is the real difference. Hood is attractive benefit of sleeping-bag. Surely somebody makes a quilt with a hood (with a footbox that can be opened flat)?

[@christopherdesantis9876]

Thank you for the truth ! A lot of bandwagon quilters.

[@marclawson2536]

Another false justification for quilts is that the insulation under the user is compressed, and therefore ineffective. That does not, however, account for the form the bag accommodates as a torso is not a completely flat panel. A sleeping bag's insulation under the sleeper fills the hollows and crevices beneath and around, greatly increasing efficiency. And, as is well known, an unzipped sleeping bag serves as a very nice quilt.

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

100% agree that the material under your back, though compressed, helps create a good seal. I use a quilt for very minimal summer trips but the moment the weather looks bad I pack a sleeping bag.

[@marclawson2536]

@@KaneDoesOutdoors I have a stupendously beautiful Feathered Friends 20 degree bag given as a gift by my brother after I wore out my Marmott Plasma 15.

[@Jason-pf8qc]

Did you just put 30lbs of food into your pack? lol

[@KaneDoesOutdoors]

Nope it was just under 10 lbs!