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Blankets vs sleeping bags

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    • Blankets vs sleeping bags

      It seems most hikers use sleeping bags as opposed to blankets. I've always hated how constricting sleeping bags are at night. I also like to hang my feet out of the covers on warm nights to regulate my temperature, so I'm wondering if a quilt might be more up my alley? What are the pros/cons of blankets vs sleeping bags in your experience? Thanks!
      www.appalachiantrailclarity.com - Life on the A.T.

      Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

    • mummy style bags are the most confining, also the lightest weight/warmth.rectangular bags allow you to move within the bag. most bags have 2 way zips that can allow you to vent the lower part of the bag. rectangular bags can be fully opened and used as a quilt. a quilt is just a bag with no zipper. i'm still unsold on any advantage, but rasty swears by quilts.
      its all good

    • I am a quilt convert. I use a Revelation "X" made by Enlightened Equipment. You can use it like a blanket or on colder nights zip the foot box (zips up about 24") and then you can use the snaps to further close it under you and close the upper part with the small elastic cords. You can run the cords under your pad if you want to. enlightenedequipment.com
      zpacks, jacksRbetter also make them, but Tim at EE gives you more choices and IMO better prices. I also use a synthetic quilt that I made with RayWay (Ray Jardine) kit. Both my quilts weigh right at 19 oz, the EE is good to at least 25* and my RayWay is my summer quilt good to about 35 or 40.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference

    • hikerboy wrote:

      mummy style bags are the most confining, also the lightest weight/warmth.rectangular bags allow you to move within the bag. most bags have 2 way zips that can allow you to vent the lower part of the bag. rectangular bags can be fully opened and used as a quilt. a quilt is just a bag with no zipper. i'm still unsold on any advantage, but rasty swears by quilts.


      Yeah, I hate mummy bags personally. It seems every recommended brand I read is of the mummy variety.
      Anyone have any recommendations for a rectangular bag?
      www.appalachiantrailclarity.com - Life on the A.T.

      Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

    • check out big agnes bags. they have a sleeve where you insert your pad in to form a "bed. all the down is on top, like a quilt, and because of the sleeve. you cant slide off the pad in the middle of the night.they make a number of semi rectangular styles that have this sleeve.i love my ibig agnes lost ranger15 so much, im actually thinking of replacing my western mountaineering highlite 30 for a lighter version of the lost ranger.the highlite is a mummy style and i love it, but nothing so far has beat the nights sleep i get in that big agnes bag.
      its all good

    • twistwrist wrote:

      It seems most hikers use sleeping bags as opposed to blankets. I've always hated how constricting sleeping bags are at night. I also like to hang my feet out of the covers on warm nights to regulate my temperature, so I'm wondering if a quilt might be more up my alley? What are the pros/cons of blankets vs sleeping bags in your experience? Thanks!


      uh OK here is an interesting hint, don't zip them up. Been doing this for years. No quilt needed.

      Even in bed you have to layer when cold.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • twistwrist wrote:

      I know this one is a "starter bag", but I wondered if anyone here has had any experience with it?
      amazon.com/Kelty-Cosmic-20-Deg…ds=western+mountaineering


      FWIW, I have a Ketly Light Year Down 20 and 40 (perhaps the model the Cosmic replaced). For the money (bought on sale at Campmor.com or Amazon.com) I felt they were good for the price. Just recently bought a Western Moutaineering HiLite for the weight savings.

      I actually had 2 of the Kelty Light Year 40, and sold one (my sons) to my student who did the AT in 100 days. So for a starter bag it would work (at least it did not stop him from being successful in his thru-hike averaging over 20 miles a day).
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Astro ().

    • twistwrist wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      mummy style bags are the most confining, also the lightest weight/warmth.rectangular bags allow you to move within the bag. most bags have 2 way zips that can allow you to vent the lower part of the bag. rectangular bags can be fully opened and used as a quilt. a quilt is just a bag with no zipper. i'm still unsold on any advantage, but rasty swears by quilts.


      Yeah, I hate mummy bags personally. It seems every recommended brand I read is of the mummy variety.
      Anyone have any recommendations for a rectangular bag?


      Not exactly, but the Montbell bags with the stretch feature give a lot of room.
      And in the warm weather I zip it down and use it like a quilt with a foot box.

    • twistwrist wrote:

      I know this one is a "starter bag", but I wondered if anyone here has had any experience with it?
      amazon.com/Kelty-Cosmic-20-Deg…ds=western+mountaineering


      I used the Kelty on a Philmont trek this summer with the Boy Scouts. I was never cold, but we never got near 20* either. When it was too warm for zipping up completely, it became a quilt with a foot box. I'm happy with it.

    • twistwrist wrote:

      I know this one is a "starter bag", but I wondered if anyone here has had any experience with it?
      amazon.com/Kelty-Cosmic-20-Deg…ds=western+mountaineering


      It's a few ounces heavier than a bag in the same temperature range that isn't a "starter bag." Aside from that, you'll find little difference in performance. If you don't start angling for extreme-ultralight, and you take care of it, it will give you years of faithful service. I seem to recall that Mags has been using his for a good many years. Paul, am I right?

      The REI Radiant and the EMS Pemi are similar, so get what's on sale. The North Face Furnace is also similar, but is a few ounces heavier still (and a few bucks cheaper) and may be less durable. I've been using my Radiant for a tidy few years now, and haven't yet felt a need to trade up.

      If you decide to trade up, there'll always be someone else just starting out that will be glad of the gift of a gently used bag.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • If it is summer and warm, I may use a fleece blanket instead of a bag. If it is really warm at night, I use just a sheet. I went to JoAnn and had them cut me some fleece long enough to fold under my feet and over my head (longer than a typical blanket).
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does

    • EE has some inexpensive synthetic quilts:enlightenedequipment.com/tags/syntheticMountain Laurel Designs also has some fairly light and moderately priced quilts.http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=42&products_id=133or if you a little sewing skill you make one from Ray Jardine's kits:rayjardine.com/ray-way/Quilt-Kit/index.htm
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference

    • I have a schizophrenic relationship with my mummy bag.
      Love the warmth and the protection from drafts - hate the narrow cut and the weight.

      In the winter time I would always opt for a mummy bag. It is just great to have a hood, a draft collar and a sealed environment that traps heat better than a quilt. Also easier to put a hot bottle in the bag. Sure, it sucks that the insulation on the bottom is compressed and therefore useless but at least down gives you the option to distribute insulation to where you need it.

      My MYOG quilt seals also pretty well, I can attach it to my sleeping pad (make sure you have plenty of R-Value) like a Kattabatic quilt and have a very warm sleeping experience, but it still is more drafty than a mummy. Can't move around like a crazy person either, simply because you going to compromise the layer of insulation.

      Don't get me wrong. I love my quilt. It kept me warm every single night I used it and I used it from pretty cold nights in the 25°F area all the way up to 70°F nights in July. I used it as a blanket, as an sleeping bag-style, wrapped it around me next to a fireplace and still use it at home when I miss the trail.

      Yet I would never use quilt in the winter time - even a dedicated one. But I would also not bring a knife to a gunfight.

      PS: 3-Season mummy bag + Summer quilt make an excellent sleeping system for the winter.