Top Quilt Conundrum

[SteveE]

So I'm in the market for my first top quilt and I'm quite torn as to what to do. I'm currently using a -10C/14F sleeping bag as a quilt and it works pretty darn good (zipped half way with the zipper underneath me). I was leaning heavily towards buying a 0* top quilt as the majority of my camping is in the late fall, winter and early spring here in Ontario and I sleep cold. When I give it some thought though, I'm really not going to get a ton more out of a 0* quilt than the bag I am currently using. I'm wondering if I would be better to buy say a 40* top quilt which I could use in the warmer months and then use it WITH my current -10C/14F bag for deeper winter use. At least then I would have a few more options and be able to extend the temp ranges of the quilt and bag... Any idea roughly how low I could take a 40* quilt stacked with a 14* bag (both down)?

I also understand that condensation might be a bit of an issue on the outer bag....I'd have to figure that one out...

I did a search here and found the thread with that formula about stacking bags/quilts but in all honesty I'm terrible at math and cannot for the life of me figure it out

The practical side of me says I can make this work but the realistic side of me says I should just get the 0* quilt now and save for a 40* down the road...

Time to shake that magic 8 ball!

[Dublinlin]

So I'm in the market for my first top quilt and I'm quite torn as to what to do. I'm currently using a -10C/14F sleeping bag as a quilt and it works pretty darn good (zipped half way with the zipper underneath me). I was leaning heavily towards buying a 0* top quilt as the majority of my camping is in the late fall, winter and early spring here in Ontario and I sleep cold. When I give it some thought though, I'm really not going to get a ton more out of a 0* quilt than the bag I am currently using. I'm wondering if I would be better to buy say a 40* top quilt which I could use in the warmer months and then use it WITH my current -10C/14F bag for deeper winter use. At least then I would have a few more options and be able to extend the temp ranges of the quilt and bag... Any idea roughly how low I could take a 40* quilt stacked with a 14* bag (both down)?

I also understand that condensation might be a bit of an issue on the outer bag....I'd have to figure that one out...

I did a search here and found the thread with that formula about stacking bags/quilts but in all honesty I'm terrible at math and cannot for the life of me figure it out

The practical side of me says I can make this work but the realistic side of me says I should just get the 0* quilt now and save for a 40* down the road...

Time to shake that magic 8 ball!

I saved a table that showed what you could expect temp wise stacking various down quilts...I think it might have been on Enlightened Equipment's site? Anyway, that table shows that a 10 degree quilt stacked with a 40 degree quilt should take a person down to minus 20 degrees F....a 20 degree with a 40 degree gets you down to minus 10 degrees...so, theoretically, I guess, assuming your 14 degree sleeping bag isn't too heavy to compromise the loft of your potential 40 degree down quilt, I'm guessing it'd get you down to about minus 15 degrees.

I think if I were you, I'd be more inclined to get a 50 degree quilt because that's would pack up smaller than the 40 degree quilt, weigh less, and be more comfortable to use on summer nights. Stacking the 50 degree with a 10 degree would get you to minus 10 degrees...with a 20 degree quilt it would get you to zero degrees F....so I'm betting with a 14 degree quilt the 50 degree quilt would get you to minus 5 degrees.

I'd get a 50 degree down quilt now, then, next winter get a 20 degree down quilt. Then you'd have quilt coverage for 70-50 degrees (the 50 quilt alone), 49-20 (the 20 degree quilt alone), and 19-0 degrees (the 50 and 20 stacked together). And ditch the sleeping bag at that point, because I'm sure it is way heavier and bulkier to pack than a 50 AND 20 degree down Topquilt combined. (But I see that you are WAY further north than I am, so, maybe you should go with a 40 and a zero degree F quilt!)

What I ACTUALLY did myself was get a 40 degree and a 0 degree topquilt...but later wished I'd gone 50 and 20, so I picked up a 50 used here on the forums.

Hammock Gear offers the Econ line of quilts that are a terrific value. If you need to stay in a tight budget but still want a really awesome quilt I'd recommend you take a look at their quilts. Their 50 degree F down topquilt is $99.95. http://www.hammockgear.com/econ-quilts/

[Vanhalo]

I saved a table that showed what you could expect temp wise stacking various down quilts.

x - (70-y)/2=Z

where x equals the warmer quilt and y is the lesser

Ex. 10°-(70-40°)/2=-5°

[Dublinlin]

x - (70-y)/2=Z

where x equals the warmer quilt and y is the lesser

Ex. 10°-(70-40°)/2=-5°

Or for the math impaired, like me(!):




Except that table and the answer to your example equation don’t match up. Guess it’d be safest to go with your equation as it is the more conservative expectation.

[rais'n hammock]

x - (70-y)/2=Z

where x equals the warmer quilt and y is the lesser

Ex. 10°-(70-40°)/2=-5°

What is the source of the equation? Did I miss a link?

[SteveE]

Thanks for the info guys!

[Cruiser51]

Hi Steve,

I do similar camping in Algonquin, French river ... I have a HG Burrow 40 which I have used down to 2C, at that temp I wasn't cold, but I wasn't toasty, so that is the limit of that TQ for me. I added early spring (ice out) and later fall trips last year, so i swapped to my -7C sleeping bag instead (for those trips) ... warm, but way too bulky for backpacking, so I am making a TQ modeled after a Burrow 30 (with a little extra so say a 25). The intent is to take whichever one best suits the weather at the time. So early spring will be the heavier Burrow "25" and the rest of the time I will take the Burrow 40.

You don't mention your bottom insulation and that will likely be important to your sleep system, I am using an Exped Downmat 9, so I can handle most temps I am likely to encounter. You also don't mention how you are insulating your head area as the temp gets to single digits, that is also a pretty important part of the sleep system.

I would second the HG TQs ... it is a pretty awesome piece of gear.

Brian

[SteveE]

Thanks Brian that's a good gauge for me. I've ordered a UGQ 0 degree Zeppelin (long and wide) so I should be good there. My hammock is double layer too so I can always throw one of my Thermarests in there if I need to boost the bottom insulation. I do tend to sleep very cold so I all my bags are rated for colder than what most people would use them for. Hence my reasoning for thinking of going with a 0* and venting if needed. Man who thought this stuff would be so overwhelming lol!

[Peter Dragon]

Awesome graphic, thanks!

[duckyy]

I usually add 10F to bags because big manufacturers typically rate their bags down to survival and not comfort like the cottage vendors. So in my mind, your bag is a 25F bag. You might not actually be a cold sleeper if you're trying to use that bag below that. Anyways, I would grab a 0F quilt if did a lot of single digit camping. If not, I would go for a 10F.