I'm making a purchase (any day now!) of my first top quilt, switching from a sleeping bag. I was curious, do any of you use sleeping bag liners with your top quilts to keep them fresher on the trail? I was thinking that one of the benefits of top quilts in the hammock was that I wouldn't have to crawl into my mummy bag again, which is doable but a PITA... having a liner with a TQ would have the same requirement of crawling into something.
Thoughts?
I've never thought of this. I'm normally not "that" dirty as I change into "cleaner" clothing on long hikes but it may be worth a try. I'd be too lazy as you can wash your quilts if they get dirty and in the hottest of weather when I would be the dirtiest I'm not using a quilt very much.
I think it's a good idea to minimize washing your quilts as much as possible. I have a liner but never use it since I like the ease getting in/out of just the quilt. It's usually cool enough for me to want to wear the lightest weight long underwear bottoms and long sleeve top and socks...so there's not much "dirtiness" getting on the quilt. I usually do a wipe or rubbing alcohol wipedown anyway so I feel less nasty.
Dutch sells them made out of argon.
https://dutchwaregear.com/quilt-liner.html
PIA on the ground, bigger pain in the air.
In summer I use synthetics (more wash tolerant).
In cooler weather you'll rarely want to sleep in less than a baselayer (or could just plan to as many bring sleep clothes). If nothing else the shock of getting in and out of your sleep system isn't worth stripping down. The "sleep naked" myth has long been debunked and even the EN rating test calls for a baselayer with socks and beanie cap as part of the rating test. The only time it's handy to sleep near naked is at home in the backyard when you're testing your system as it's easier to detect a "leak". But once you got things dialed in if it's 50 or under then you'll probably be wearing a layer around camp regardless and you're better off just sleeping in that.
I bring wind pants on summer trips as my only real bottoms... so i'll slip those on if I happen to get really trail funky legs and can't wash up.
The other trick is to use a stuff sack or your pack if you happened to mud puddle stomp all day and your feet are disgusting... a spare t-shirt works fine for this too.
As an older trick that still works fine-
You can put an unscented or clean scented drier sheet into the foot of your quilt (or the stuff sack) to cut down on the odor. We used to use scented ones (I still do sometimes) but that's a bit frowned upon these days by folks who don't like to bring anything scented that may attract animals.
in general- any vendor will tell you to wash your sleeping gear as little as possible for the longest possible lifespan.
The nice thing with quilts is they are much easier to turn inside out than a mummy and give the footbox a quick wash on a longer trip. Especially if you have a drawcord foot box. A drop of doc bronners soap and a little warm water will freshen up the footbox and any armpit odors around the top with out having to full on wash the bag. I try not to truly "wash" any of my sleep gear more than once a season.
UV light kills some stuff too so even just sunning your bag helps. While you can buy any flavor and color your heart can dream (or RBTR can print)... I'm still a big fan of a black shell for this reason. A light wash dries pretty quick and a "sunbath" on a lunchbreak both freshens up the bag and helps drive out any lingering body vapor or ambient air moisture that settled into your down overnight. All them custom colors are pretty- but last I checked- in the dark they are all black
After a trip a quick spot cleaning with a washcloth and an hour in the sun will do as much if not more than washing will.
Storing it in a clean, dry, uncompressed place (I hang mine in the closet) will make a big difference long term. Besides B.O. build up... that musty/mildew smell is probably a bigger deal as that will really ruin the down fast.
I use the JRB Fleece liner quite a bit when I'm car camping. It protects the quilt and it's the same shape as a top quilt so I start out with it when I'm going to sleep. If I get a little cool, I slip my feet into my top quilt and when I get cold I pull the top quilt fully on.
Yes, I use one when hiking. I've needed the extra warmth and really wanted the assist with keeping my TQ clean.
I needed to wash it anyway, but believe the barrier did help.
Walmart has a $5 poly bag liner that works pretty well, and Snugpak has quite a frew different ones. I use my Snugpak Thermalon bag liner to boost the temp on my 3 season quilts sometimes when they are right at their lower limit. The Dutch liner mentioned above is by far better than these though. It does get pretty humid where I live so a bag liner helps keep my quilts cleaner for longer even though I always wear clean clothes to bed.
" The best pace is a suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die." ~ Steve Prefontaine
I tried using a liner, but the really light ones are a PITA to use, and the ones that would be easier to use are too heavy for my taste. I never sleep without clothes, so the only problem area are the feet. I ended up getting a pair of loose fitting silk socks. They feel quite nice, too. Nicer than any liner I have ever used. They weigh less, and are easy to put on and take off.
I use a silk liner sometimes. In the shoulder seasons when it's suppossed to only be 35-40 that night and gets down to 27...makes a huge difference in extending my comfort without having to take my winter quilt. Light weight and about an apple, I don't mind carrying it for that lottle bit of unpredictability
Thanks all for the thoughts. Even though I wear clean clothes to bed, I have worn them around the fire and I don't want my stuff smelling like fire. Easy solution for that is to just wait to get dressed though : ) Thanks for the link to the Dutch one... guess that's going on my wishlist!
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