I've had 3 top quilts so far. All have had sewn footboxes up till now. I recently got a HG Burrow 40 Premium 950 with a zipper footbox and tried it out this weekend (got a good deal on it 2nd hand and was otherwise exactly what I was looking for. Man I love HG quilts. The quilt itself is impeccable. Stupid light, very warm. In lieu of what Im about to say, I still loooove the quilt and every interaction I've ever had with HG.)
Anyways, it only got down to 55ish overnight and I had cold feet! Mid-night I woke up and stuffed my wool shirt down there and it was fine, but the cinch closure still leaves a silver dollar sized hole! its worthless IMO! I know stuffing something down there is standard operating procedure, but it seems like an inherent design flaw IMO. (I would suggest there should be a small 'flap' or 'pillow' sewn into the bottom of the quilt so you can plug the hole if desired, or just flip it out of the way if you want the venting. This would weigh less than .5oz and solve all my qualms with the zip footbox - Harry, you guys should offer this, or my Down Dumbell idea below. It could attach to the cinch cord so you dont lose it)
I know people say 'stuff unused clothing down there' but I need every inch of my regular size quilt - My 150 wool shirt stuffed down there took away 3-4" of length and I was struggling to stay covered (but im fine in my HG regular length sewn footbox's). Also, I have been trying to reduce extra clothing and when I pack perfectly I have no extra clothing (that I feel like putting next to my stinky feet all night, even though I carry a dedicated pair of Darn Tough Midweight sleep socks. I have backup clothing, but most of it is pricey, 7d/10d fabric I dont want by my feet)
I think I'll end up ordering Down Socks from Goosefeet or Zpacks, or maybe just selling the quilt down the line and purchasing the same one in a sewn footbox.
I'll message ben and see if he will make me a Down Sausage - a tube about the size of a summer sausage for me to stuff in the hole. Or maybe a Down Dumbell would work better to keep it in place.
I guess if its really, really warm - like 65* and muggy overnight - it might be nice to unzip. But in the dry, cool nights of southern California semi-desert, the zipper/cinch is just a liability warmth and weight wise. I am not a fan. Sticking a leg out of a sewn footbox never caused me problems, and its much warmer.
I should say, I never use my quilt for anything but sleeping. I guess if you use your quilt around camp as supplemental down insulation the zip could be nice. You could use it as an almost-serepe. But I just have dedicated puffies for that. Also I am super OCD that my quilt touches nothing but sleep clothes and Hammock. If that's not you this rant may not apply.
None of this is a knock on HG or their quilts at all. I know the Zip FB works for some people, just not me. I wanted to try a zip quilt because I'd never tried one, but now I know what I know. I dont like them
Anyways, this is my opinion column for the week - I highly recommend sewn footboxes unless you're in really warm weather or wear your quilt outside the hammock.
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