Quilt Temp Recommendations

[PeterQuill790]

Hello Everyone,

My wife and I are planning a fall trip to the Bridger-Teton National Forest next September and are thinking we may need to get new quilts with lower temperature ratings. I wanted to see what everyone might recommend for our trip.

It looks like the historic nightly temperatures in the closest city range from 23-37 degrees for the month. However, we will be in the forest and probably at higher altitudes ranging from 8,000 to 10,000 asl. The closest city's elevation is about 6,200.

My initial thoughts were to look at 0 degree quilt sets, but I was concerned about the weight and pack size for a multi-day trip. However, if the lows have a chance of dropping into the twenties in the closest city, I am now concerned that 0 degree quilts might not cut it at higher elevations.

Thoughts? Recommendations?

Thanks!

[binfordw]

My wife is a super cold sleeper, and I've been working on her gear/pack size for awhile trying to get it under control.

She started with a 0 degree quilt and a huge, +3oz 0deg incubator. It nearly took up her whole pack. Since shes a cold sleeper, she wanted to take this combo essentially all the time lol. In the past years we've shrunk things down and actually managed increase the cold rating at the same time, by going to quilts that have less coverage.

Look at partial underquilts or Warbonnet wookies. I use a JRB Greylock 4 (0 degree rated) for any of our trips that are forecast to go below 20F. Its a "long" partial I believe, good coverage. Packs nice and small for a winter quilt imo. Warbonnet yeti's would pack even smaller I'd assume, as they are shorter (been eyeing them for awhile).

My wife recently got another wookie (Already has a 20deg) for cold trips. A "Scadinavian", which I think is a generous -20 quilt. For an extreme winter quilt, it packs pretty darn small.



I stuck the Scadinavian wookie in its storage bag for size reference. It would compress to probably 3/4 or more of this size I'd guess in a compression bag. A partial UQ like a similar rated yeti would be even smaller.

IMG_3458.jpg

Its an insane amount of down..

IMG_3408[1].jpg

[arutha]

Its an insane amount of down..

IMG_3408[1].jpg

Being a cold sleeper myself that looks sooooo comfy though!

[cougarmeat]

PeterQuill790 - your first post so welcome to the forum. I like a 10 degree cushion. If they say 30 degrees, I’ll use my 20 degree gear. But I hear you about bulk of 0 degree quilts. There are a few options to that. You could go with three quarter length. Depending on your heights, ¾ length might be nearly full length. It is for me in the 5’ 6” range (it’s a feature, not a bug). For the lower part of your body you can use a pad. Also, adding a UQP (under quilt protector like 2QZQ sells) adds some warmth - as does a tarp with doors. Those two items add very little weight or bulk but definitely contribute to warmth.

As everyone is different, I can’t say if 20 degree gear will work for you. It definitely will have a wider range of use throughout the seasons of the year. Here’s my problem … you are planning for one trip, most likely something more extreme than your usual outings. So you are considering gear that is higher cost, higher bulk, higher weight, for that one event. That’s why I’m hoping there is a way you can “play” with 20 degree gear in colder than 20 degree temperatures and see if - with the suggestions I made and others that members post - you can find it comfortable if you dip a bit lower.

When I read “September”, I thought - “That’s still summer!” But I only live at near 4000 feet. The rub is, it looks like you are right on the edge between 0 degree and 20 degree.

Full disclosure - I have both 0 degree and 20 degree. With my bridge, I may even put another quilt on top of my top quilt and 0 degree Lynx. But I am “into” hammocks. If you are new to hammock camping, I’d hate for your first investments to be for premium priced quilts to cover a temperature environment that you will seldom be in again. It’s like that one year in Bend when everyone had to buy Polar Wax for their XC Skis and after that year the can lived in their kit box for the next ten years until they threw it away. But that can of wax was only a couple of bucks - not several hundred dollars.

Most people buy for the summer, then add stuff to extend their camping/comfort season. Finally they arrive at “Winter Camping” with the gear, considerations, challenges that entails. You have plenty of time before next September to get dialed in. You can start with 0 degree gear if you want and maybe lighten up as we move into summer. Nothing wrong with evolving in that direction.

[cmoulder]

I do realize that I'm a "One-Note Sally" on this topic, however when the words "...concerned about the weight and pack size..." are uttered I feel compelled to chime in.

When space is at a premium, as it is for most backpackers, keep in mind that shell material is an extremely important consideration, more so than down FP rating. A 10D or 7D shell will compress far smaller than a typical 20D shell that is found on "economy" quilts, and when speaking of hammock quilts that's a big deal because there's an awful lot of "acreage" involved when it comes to the material for two quilts.

Yep, it's gonna cost a small fortune to outfit 2 people with premium quilts, but this really is a "buy once, cry once" situation. And if you are the type who really does get out and use them a lot, you'll thank yourself every time you're snugly ensconced in your warm, downy goodness.

[bkrgi]

I do realize that I'm a "One-Note Sally" on this topic, however when the words "...concerned about the weight and pack size..." are uttered I feel compelled to chime in.

When space is at a premium, as it is for most backpackers, keep in mind that shell material is an extremely important consideration, more so than down FP rating. A 10D or 7D shell will compress far smaller than a typical 20D shell that is found on "economy" quilts, and when speaking of hammock quilts that's a big deal because there's an awful lot of "acreage" involved when it comes to the material for two quilts.

Yep, it's gonna cost a small fortune to outfit 2 people with premium quilts, but this really is a "buy once, cry once" situation. And if you are the type who really does get out and use them a lot, you'll thank yourself every time you're snugly ensconced in your warm, downy goodness.

Exactly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do not cheap out in cold temps as your life may be dependent on your gear especially when far into the hills away from your car or a cabin or......
Life is a lot easier when toasty warm than trying to stay warm and if a chill sets in at 20* and you crawl into a good 0* quilt setup life will improve very quickly.

Please do not compromise in the cold ...buy once cry once

[Countrybois]

Exactly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do not cheap out in cold temps as your life may be dependent on your gear especially when far into the hills away from your car or a cabin or......
Life is a lot easier when toasty warm than trying to stay warm and if a chill sets in at 20* and you crawl into a good 0* quilt setup life will improve very quickly.

Please do not compromise in the cold ...buy once cry once

Precisely... If your pack won't hold the quilts needed for the temp you will be at.... Get a larger pack, not smaller quilts.


Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[Bob-W]

I'll echo what others have said: In summer I'll take the lightest, most compact kit. In winter I don't, I take what's needed and adjust plans, pace, etc to suit that extra load.

I'd consider stacking quilts: get a quilt set that will cover the majority of your needs and a lighter secondary set to go over the top. If you select wisely then the lighter set could be your high summer set with the main set being for the cooler parts of summer plus the shoulder seasons and using both together for winter. Plenty of threads on here about stacking. For temperature guidance there's a chart on the Enlightened Equipment site that gets linked to.

[PeterQuill790]

Thanks everyone for the replies and advice. I really appreciate it.

binfordw and courgarmeat: I had not considered a yeti and a pad for my feet. This might really help lower the weight while also providing warmth. I already carry a sit pad with me anyways, so this would be a good option to test out right now, while the nights are already in the 20s here in Wyoming. I am really tossing up if I want to go with 0 degree quilts or Scandinavian. I just don't foresee needing something with a -20 rating when my 0 degree sleeping bag has worked in the past (although no were near as comfortable, which is the whole reason I am becoming invested in hammock camping).

cougarmeat: Fortunately, my wife and I prefer to camp no earlier than mid-late August, as I cannot stand the heat (anything above 65-70 is too hot for me to sleep. So a 0 degree quilt might be of more use, since most of our camping is between August-November. We already have 0 degree sleeping bags and those definitely work, however, I was not sure if a UQ and TQ would be comparable to a 0 degree bag and 4.8 r value pad.

cmoulder: I will definitely keep the fabric in mind when I order the quilt sets. Since we prefer to be in the backcountry, pack size is really important for us. Thank you for the tip!

Bob-W: Do you think a 0 and 20 degree quilt sets would be over doing it? I am wondering if I can find some used quilt sets to purchase to offset the cost and maybe leave the 20 degree sets in the truck unless we need them. Thoughts? Maybe a 30 degree set just for packability reasons.

Overall, after reading everything, my thoughts as of right now are leaning towards testing the additional warmth factors of utilizing a tarp with doors and winter sock and seeing how they reshape my sleeping experience. But I am still wondering about what temp quilts would suffice. I know it will ultimately come down to testing, but like many of you have said I would prefer to "buy once, cry once," but also not be underprepared for the cold.

[binfordw]

If you have been fine with a 0 deg bag and pad, I couldn't possibly see good 0 deg quilts letting you down any. The "comfort" ratings on atleast the quilt brands I've owned seem really generous. I personally wouldn't give it much thought going 10 degrees or so below my quilts- especially TQ's, I just don't take chances on purpose when the temps get below freezing. We don't hike above 75degrees either, so its not often night time temps are much above 40-45.


The comment about fabrics is a good one too, I noticed this after buying a few over the years and wondering why they were different lol. The first wookie we got I was impressed with the thin fabric, so when we ordered the next I made sure I didn't just pick by color, but by fabric. If I wind up trying a yeti I plan to get a 7D if they have them, even if its the ugliest color made.