[pct-l] Quilts versus sleeping bags

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good morning, Marie,

I don’t know how the term “quilt” began to apply.  Quilting is just a
manufacturing process.

Robes, or "quilts" if you must, have the advantage of being lighter because
they don’t have extra material beneath, and they lack a zipper.  Many have
a small, enclosed foot-box at their bottom just like a sleeping bag with a
full-length zipper.

People have been sleeping wrapped up in robes or blankets for a very long
time, so most can adapt to sleeping in that way, but there are some
peculiarities:  If one tosses and turns a great deal in the night edge
management can be a problem; particularly if the robe is cut to a near
theoretical minimum profile where almost any movement lifts an edge and
encourages a draft.

The best embodiment of a robe saves weight by not having insulation, or any
fabric, beneath the sleeper – letting the sleeping pad provide the
necessary insulation.  The question there is can one be comfortable
sleeping on the pad surface.  I sleep in my hiking tee-shirt and athletic
shorts with bare legs and arms, and my pad is smooth-surfaced 3/8”
foam.  Sweaty
skin on plastic foam isn’t really comfortable.  Adding anything else to
mitigate that feel – pad cover, sleeping clothes, etc. -- also adds weight
to the point it may just be easier to use a sleeping bag.

Some robe peddlers claim the advantage of a user being able to walk and
lounge around camp wrapped snuggly.  Maybe, but I don’t lounge around camp;
I’m on the trail walking or on the ground sleeping.  Besides, who wants to
be sitting in front of a snapping, crackling campfire dodging flying embers
in an expensive robe?

Possibly the best pre-purchase test of the robe principle is to sleep out
on your pad, and in the clothes you intend to sleep in, but under an
un-zipped mummy bag.  The bag – opened up – will be wider than a robe, but
that too will be telling:  If edge management problems are noticeable under
an un-zipped bag, they will be a much greater problem under a robe.

Enjoy your planning,

Steel-Eye

-Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/

On Sun, Feb 10, 2013 at 10:02 AM, Marie Ferguson <tatazina at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Aloha PCT Community,
> I wanted to know what people's thoughts and experiences are with using a
> quilt versus a sleeping bag. I've been doing a good amount of research and
> at this point am more inclined towards a quilt. Also, does anyone have a
> Ray-Way Quilt (specifically the 2-layer Alpine insulation) that they have
> used for their long-distance trek? Thoughts?
> Many thanks!
> Marie
>