The REAL difference between sleeping bags and quilts

My Other Gear

In this video I will be to spelling some of the myths about quilts and sleeping bags and also discuss the differences. Which is best? Which should you buy? And then I'll tell you what I think is best, a Backpacking quilt or a sleeping bag.

[sicemdawgs]

Me personally, I sleep in a giant tortilla. It's cheap, super light, and if I get hungry in the night, I can eat it.

[jonathanswayer]

I was trying to decide on a new bag last year and couldn't decide what to do. I went with the Kelty Galactic 30 sleeping bag (tall/wide). It's a down filled, rectangle sleeping bag with a drawstring top. Lightweight and roomy. I can use it like a "normal" sleeping bag, I can use the drawstring at the top and make it into a "mummy bag", or I can only zip up around my feet and use it like a "quilt". So far, it's been awesome and I love the versatility.

[vincentvega]

So basically I've been using a "quilt" for the last 30 yrs when camping. It's called unzipping my sleeping bag and sleeping under it. I still don't buy the gimmick that a quilt is completely different from an unzipped sleeping bag. I can even leave the last bit of my sleeping bag zipped to create a foot box.

[chemistryflavored]

Interesting pad straps. Mine are totally different and the quilt never goes under the pad I never get drafts. I do quilt most of the time since I sleep on my side and got tired of feeling suffocated, but in the winter for freezing temps a sleeping bag is pretty cozy!

[CheeseOnEverything]

This is why I like using a square bag, that way theres no draft, no restrictive movement, and I'm still warm.

[deanojohnson]

I love my Thermarest Corus 20 quilt, I use it with a Thermarest Neoair Xtherm sleeping pad.
I’m a cold sleeper and I roll around a lot.
Now I’m always warm and I’m not tangled up in a sleeping bag, hunting for the zip when nature calls.

[davidson_oldbull_sectionhiker]

I switched to a quilt to save weight and find it to be very comfortable in both warm and cold weather. I am a tosser which does give me some challenges but I work around it. Take Care Dan

[phillipp]

If you’re getting drafts in a quilt when rolling around and using your straps properly, you need a wider quilt. This is one of the most common misconceptions. Get the wider quilt. I’m a wide & tall side sleeper who thrashes about. I have a wide and tall 10 degree quilt that’s amazing down into the teens with no layers on my body. I notice any draft instantly. Get a properly sized quilt, use the straps as designed, no drafts.

[katherinekatherine]

So, using a quilt, you are directly on the pad? That does not seem appealing to me at all.

[elisaadams]

I am a side sleeper that flips and flops all night. I love my UGQ XL Bandit Quilt. Absolutely my favorite piece of equipment. My sleep system: Gossamer Gear 14” foam pad, Nemo Tensor sleep pad - regular wide, Sleep liner (I put my sleep pad inside the sleep liner) and my UGQ XL Bandit Quilt. Lovely night of sleeping results.

[msfam]

Great balanced video! I appreciate that you use both for different situations. I use the Aegis Max sleeping bag as a quilt by unzipping it most of the year and switch to a zero degree sleeping bag for winter trips. As always, thanks for showing us different options.

[dsixbury]

Some of the quilts look really nice and they are definitely equally (maybe not quite) equally expensive. I have a western mountaineering 20 degree bag. Sometimes wonder if I should have done the 0 degree? but was convinced by someone to go with the 20 degree to cover me for 90% of the time. Last weekend I camped and used the bag (too warm except morning temperatures) but I unzipped the bag and then it was basically a sleeping bag acting as a quilt/blanket. Worked very good that way. Also bought a rumpl blanket recently that packs nicely (haven't used yet) that I hope can be used for warm weather or possibly as extra insulation for the cold nights which will be way below 0.

[smithe]

Great info for people to think about. I have been thinking about a quilt but will probably stick with bags for a lot of reasons. People ask all the time about the hood of a mummy bag not being in the right place when they move around but that’s easy, don’t try to turn in the bag, just move with the bag. Another thing I have noticed, all the comments about weight savings, it’s just not that great. Sure if you compare a custom quilt to a large manufacture sleeping bag there are savings but, if you actually compare both from the same manufacturer it’s minimal. Plus that custom quilt weight doesn’t include strap weight so some of “savings” aren’t that great. Here’s a quick example of that big weight savings everyone talks about! REI magma 30 quilt 19oz and REI magma 30 sleeping bag 19.8! You do save $30 though! Take care and thanks again for the great info in your video!

[ManivanAdventures]

It would be so cool if someone came out with a sleeping pad/sleeping bag combo with the quilt attached to the pad and maybe a half zipper on one side to get in and out, so you could eliminate drafts completely, while also not having the extra weight of the back of the sleeping bag.

[DanielSultana]

Finally, learned the difference between a bag and a quilt, to be clear, I've never seen a quilt in my life, they're just not a thing where I'm from, but I've found them mentioned a lot.

Now to learn the difference between a pad, a mat, a mattress and a cot, oh and air/non-air versions of each

[MrDanAng]

Thank you for a balanced view.
For me, asking if a quilt is better, I would ask back, better for whom? Better at what? Better in what conditions?

I absolutely sleep in a quilt i every condition I can get away with it, I feel so much more comfortable and free to move.. but of course, that is a preference, not an inherent quality.

[tomlovesdiy]

I don't get why a quilt is better than a sleeping bag. With nothing but your base layer between you and the sleeping pad, the heat loss will be greater for a quilt. Even partially compressed some insulation (bag) is better than nothing. And why are quilts sooo expensive cpompared to sleeping bags with similar FP down? One of my camping buddies uses a quilt and had to buy an expensive, heavy, noisey sleeping pad with a high R-value to stay warm. He also sometimes carries a packable down throw to put over his $275 quilt. I now make my own hybrid bag/quilt with 700 FP down on the top and sides and Climashield + emergency blanket layers on the bottom. 1.5 pounds and good to 43F with a cheap R2.5 pad. Total cost for the quilt/bag is about $60.

[kdstoffel]

Am I missing something here? If I buy a bag and want a quilt can’t I just unzip the bag and use it like a quilt?

[bandicoot]

You should check out the Zenbivy quilt system. It uses a ul sheet that has a hood with small cord loops and small hooks all around it to seal it up. Also the fitted sheet has the pad straps on it not the quilt. Its the best of both world. Had mine to 3° F in February toasty warm.

[sawyerhaupt]

Hey Dan nice meeting you today!! Lmk if you want any areas around here!