My Sleeping Bag vs. Top Quilt decision

[OneClick]

I can’t begin to tell you how long I’ve been contemplating a top quilt instead of my sleeping bag. Well, actually I can. Two years!

I’ve literally put a 40° Burrow +1oz in my Hammockgear.com shopping cart a dozen times over the past year, just to close the page and come back a few weeks later and do the same thing.

So close to pulling the trigger but still can’t make up my mind!!

Pros for my 3-season sleeping bag (Marmot 30°)
+ Hood for extra warmth
+ Hood doubles as nice soft pillow
+ Extra coverage on my back side, even if it’s minimal due to compression
+ Basically draft-free when zipped up
+ Helps pad any calf ridge issues. Sometimes it’s there, sometimes it’s not. I think it just depends on my setup each time.
+ Already have it so there’s no extra expense

Pros for a 40° Burrow +1oz
+ Much lighter (12oz vs 39oz!)
+ Less bulk. I’m sure I’ll really appreciate this in my pack.
+ Easier to manage and keep cool when it’s 50°+. Sleeping bag is a bit much when it’s this warm.
+ Not out much money if I don’t like it and decide to sell

So I have all the info. Read many threads about this same predicament. Just can’t make up my mind for some reason!

[ne_hanger]

I assume this will be my next dilemma also. After much internal debate I finally purchased a 20 deg incubator. I spent a bit of time over this past weekend using it in my back yard. Really happy with and glad I finally pulled made the move.

[Cali]

The weight difference will amaze you when you get a tq. I couldn't believe how lite weight it was. Awesome, and definitely worth it.

[SilvrSurfr]

You had me at "much lighter" and "less bulk."

When I dumped my 0 degree sleeping bag (3 lbs. 9 oz) for a 20* Burrow, I couldn't believe the reduction in bulk. I went from a 90L pack to a 50L pack overnight. I no longer had this towering backpack that blocked out the sun (though I do miss the shade).

Where you live, I think a 20* Burrow would probably be much more useful. I've used mine from 75 degrees down to 3 degrees. It just has a boatload more utility than a 40 degree (even with 1 oz. overstuff).

I could never pull the trigger on 40 degree quilts - that's a luxury item I'll probably never add. I'm buying a 0* Burrow next month and then my quilt set will be complete: 0* & 20* Burrow TQ, plus 0* Incubator and 20* Phoenix UQ. That's my four-season solution.

If it's really hot I just bring a light fleece blanket, but I don't do much hot weather camping. Summer is my least favorite season for hanging.

[miyanc]

i keep knocking this around. I guess like with me it would depend on the rest of your gear. I keep pushing it off because I have needed or wanted other stuff. I knew I needed a uq because there is not substitute. as for tq I have options. they are not the lightest and least bulky but they are options. as of yet I have not done distance hikes with my gear. As such I find a tq sleeping bag to still function. I have some money at this moment, almost enough for a new tq or and if the right deal came up it the fs forum I may have enough. I am choosing to purchase a zebralight, BA pad, Packit gourmet, maybe a izula II and some smaller items. My son is almost a boyscout. I hope to have one or 2 by then, to help us both out.

[Brancher]

Oh, for goodness sakes! Get a quilt!! I used bags forever -- my favorite was my Sierra Designs 15* that could be unzipped or zipped all the way down - and with all the frills - draft collar, full hood, more cinch cords than I needed, long, footbox, etc, etc. Wonderful bag. But lugging 3+ lbs on a long section is tough -- not to mention the thoughts running thru my head when it's only 35* at night and I'm cooking inside - even with the bag in 'quilt' mode.

Anyway, I broke down and got a real quilt years ago - and picked up a Sea to Summit Reactor liner just in case of a really cold snap - and I haven't looked back! It is warm, versatile, perfect for a hammock, mates well with the bag liner, and can be ventilated better imho. And I saved almost 20 oz in the process. I'm good with this setup down to about 20*F with appropriate layering and only a ccf pad between hammock layers.

Only change I've made since then is I cut my Mt Rogers quilt down to be more tapered and shaped for my hammock, and swapped my Reactor out for a silk liner.

Get a good quilt, and if you hate it somebody here will buy it!

Hope this helps!

[OneClick]

You had me at "much lighter" and "less bulk."

When I dumped my 0 degree sleeping bag (3 lbs. 9 oz) for a 20* Burrow, I couldn't believe the reduction in bulk. I went from a 90L pack to a 50L pack overnight. I no longer had this towering backpack that blocked out the sun (though I do miss the shade).

Where you live, I think a 20* Burrow would probably be much more useful. I've used mine from 75 degrees down to 3 degrees. It just has a boatload more utility than a 40 degree (even with 1 oz. overstuff).

I could never pull the trigger on 40 degree quilts - that's a luxury item I'll probably never add. I'm buying a 0* Burrow next month and then my quilt set will be complete: 0* & 20* Burrow TQ, plus 0* Incubator and 20* Phoenix UQ. That's my four-season solution.

If it's really hot I just bring a light fleece blanket, but I don't do much hot weather camping. Summer is my least favorite season for hanging.

Yeah I can't do summer at all.

I thought about the 20° but that's just too much. I just used my 15° sleeping bag and 20° Incubator in 3° last weekend and was toasty warm.

So I'm looking for a quilt when it's around a low of 45-50°. I seem to run into this a lot in the spring and early fall. I use my 40° Incubator a lot during these times and find the 30° sleeping bag too warm. Plus with the bulk, you can't get the darn thing away from you without it falling out of the hammock.

Oh, for goodness sakes! Get a quilt!!

LOL I know I know...getting even closer...

[FLRider]

If you're looking at a top quilt for above freezing, you're golden. Below freezing, fit and drafts become much more important than above. That's the only advantage I see to bags in an hammock (and, honestly, I'd rather do a pea-pod style thing as add-on insulation or a sock than try and manage a bag in an hammock).

Yep, you'll not have an hood, and if that matters to you, then that's something. On the other hand, I'd rather have good modular head gear than something I can only use with the bag, so if I want to sit around the fire then I'm covered.

The only real downside, for me, would be the price. I find it hard to justify shelling out $200+ for a piece of camping gear. On the other hand, that's why most of my stuff is DIY. YMMV there.

[meckelangelo]

My wife and I just dumped a hefty portion of our tax return (she's a student, we still get the Hope Credit) on HG quilts. I can't believe how light the Incubator 20 degree is. More-so, I can't believe how little bulk it has. My Coleman fleece sleeping bag is bulkier!!!

You can always get a down hat/hood if you require it. I use a separate pillow, anyway. Love my Armadillo...

GET A QUILT!

[GoProGator]

Buy Walmart down bag for $80
Push down into top half and cut off excess material
Sew the sides closed
????????
Profit