Thinking of getting top quilt as opposed to sleeping bag. I would like to have nice down sleeping bag but can get comparable temp quilt for far less money. I like the weight and packability of down. Looking at jrb hudson river. Don't get many temps below its rating here in GA. These big decisions.
At the current price, the JRB is a pretty good deal.
If you look at the top insulation and bottom insulation forums, you'll find a huge amount of information. To add to the confusion, here's a thread reviewing a new and promising vendor:
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...0*-Marcy-quilt
Don't put too much faith in the published temperature ratings...the numbers are 'all over the place'.Originally Posted by Charliev
Temp ratings are sometimes 'survival', not 'comfortable' ratings.
Loft is measured with very dry, 'pre-fluffed' items - not the slightly humid thing you will be using in real life.
IMO, it's better to look at the area,loft, and fill weights when comparing different bags & quilts..though it isn't very easy.
Some folks love quilts...but they are 'not for everybody', IMO..... if you want a sleeping bag, I'd suggest doing your research and buying a bag. If you watch for clearance/closeouts on sites like backcountrygear and campsaver and the REI/MEC clearance areas you can get good deals...IF you have done the research first.
I recently switched from an old synthetic bag to a JRB Sierra Sniveller. Having an actual quilt is much nicer than trying to get in and out of my old mummy bag and have the hood keep hitting me in the face. At the time it seems like kind of a luxury but having a quilt seems like the way to go inside a hammock. As a bonus I can fit the new TQ and UQ into the same size stuff sack that used to hold my old synthetic bag.
-Tim
Sleeping bags work in a hammock. Top quilts work great in a hammock. Both require underquilt or pad. If you are going to ground camp part of the time, go with a bag. If you already have a bag, use it. If neither apply to you, then get a top quilt.
Mike
"Life is a Project!"
I agree with this.
I have a big agnes bag that only has insulation on the top so it very close to a top quilt. I tent camp as well and the big agnes bag has a slot in the bottom to accept a pad. It works fantastic. Packs almost as small as my 66" leighlo UQsmall and warm.
Just my 2 cents - but if you get an appropriate sized and temperature quilt - I think you can use it on the ground in place of a sleeping bag. And as stated above it is the best option in a hammock.
I was facing a similar decision and went with a burrow from Hammock Gear. After all of the research I did, it was pretty unanimously stated that if you want to use it on the ground part of the time, you get a long+wide and it will do well. I have tried it on the ground and it does do good job. Maybe not quite as good as a bag, but close enough where if size and pack size matter to you and hammock camping is your primary, it is an excellent option.
I also can't say enough about how warm and light my burrow is. Really hard to believe. When I pulled the thing out of the box I was worried about it keeping me warm in the 50s let alone the 20s. Pretty amazing stuff.
What I don't understand is what a bag has over a quilt on the ground. Granted, I've only really ground camped and never used a TQ, but if compressed insulation is worthless and one would be using a pad anyways, what makes a TQ any less substantial?
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