Which is why i've been having a look at the Rock Wren from Feathered friends.
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I have the full temperature range of light backpack bags from my ground dweller/sore back days and they work fine for me so far with a pad in the colder temps but I'm hoping there's an underquilt under the tree this year just to try something new and maybe eliminate the pad in colder temps ... I've been sleeping in a bag for so many years I don't see that I will eliminate them
I went to quilts before I went to hammocks, because I hate sleeping bags with the burning passion of a raging claustrophobe. I don't mind tucking and re-tucking, or putting up with velcro, if it means I never have to fight with a zipper again. I also don't mind never going out in subzero weather because I hate being cold.
But that's just me.
I use my snugpak 12*F sleeping bag all the time. It's warm and I've never really had any problems with it. The caveat is that I can't zip it up. I have to use it as a quilt. The footbox is sewn in, so I can get good and deep in there and my feet never come out.
My only real issue with it is the synthetic insulation. It weighs 5lbs. That's almost the same weight as my entire shelter put together, minus the bag. Great if I'm dragging a pulk or if I had one of them fancy roller packs, but I don't.
I wish I could get some more down added to my top quilt and get the footbox sewn together.
There's certainly something good to be said about both...
a sleeping bag & 0 drafts
and a top quilt & it's weight savings & freedom of movement & ease of use.
That's why I keep thinking about a "best of both" design:)
It's true both work. If you have a good bag there is no reason not to use it. If you have nothing or are in the market for new top insulation I think quilts are the way to go in hammocks. I much prefer top quilts to bags. Not only is it a bit easier not having to deal with zippers I like carrying less bulk and weight in my pack. Drafts really aren't an issue with top quilts either if you are using a good fitting underquilt that wraps up around the sides of you. I was skeptical of TQ's before I got my JRB Old Rag Mountain but after using it several nights now I am convinced that they work great.
I'm pretty happy with my ems bag on ccf pads in a hennessey backpacker asym. it's really not that big a deal to get into the bag and get comfy. Once I am, it's like being in a little draft-free nest.
I've seen several folks make the "if you've got a bag might as well use it" argument.
I want to be perfectly clear on where *I* stand on this one....
I prefer mummy bags for colder weather. Given a choice, I will zip up inside every time when it started getting really cold.
If it's 40 or 50, sure, a top quilt is fine, but if I'm below freezing, I want that cocoon wrapped around me and sealed up even if I roll onto my side or move my legs around.
I figured I would add what I consider cold - I'm comfortable into the low 20F range in the quilts. I start to add clothing at 50F around camp, and am generally a cold sleeper, but the 3 season JRB quilts only start to feel not-warm around 22-24F for me. I'd probably be actually cold around 20F... Since I sleep in a midweight base layer I would probably be able to extend the range of the quilts by layering up clothing with the quilts.
The patter of rain on my tarp woke me up this morning. My WM Megalite bag was a quilt all night. Crawling back into the hammock at 0630 after a chili nature stroll called for the zippered snuggle power of the bag.
The zipper doesn't bother me as a quilt and I like the option. I would switch to quilt in the summer if it saved a bunch of weight.