sleeping quilts vs bags

[BethW]

I'm looking at the Mountain Laurel Design sleeping quilt and would appreciate any info/experience you have with it. Or any other sleeping quilt/bag suggestions for ultra light summer backpacking in the White Mountains. I'd like to keep the weight close to 1 pound, if possible. I don't want to freeze at night either.

 

[Will]

I'm looking at the Mountain Laurel Design sleeping quilt and would appreciate any info/experience you have with it. Or any other sleeping quilt/bag suggestions for ultra light summer backpacking in the White Mountains. I'd like to keep the weight close to 1 pound, if possible. I don't want to freeze at night either.

Quilts are wonderful.

I mostly use a Jacks 'r' Better Shenandoah in the Whites late June-Early September. Just under a pound. There's a lot of variation in nighttime temps during the Summer. And, in a given mass of air, lots of variation due to cloud cover, altitude, micro-climate conditions at your site, etc. Wind is a big factor: quilts leak.

I always, unless the extended forecast is absolutely perfect, bring a fleece jacket and through much of the period a very lightweight down vest. Their primary purpose is to keep me warm on exposed breaks/lunches if the wind picks up, during camp setup and in the mornings; I hate getting chilled. With these "security blankets" available if a specific night turns frigid, I can say I've never had an uncomfortable night with the quilt. One of the many nice things about a quilt is you can wear layers underneath without the down getting squished and useless as an insulator. Also it's so easy to adjust (in your sleep) if you've over-layered and start perspiring.

OTOH I have to say that I almost always cherry-pick my hiking trips based on weather, so I can't claim I've seen the coldest that Whites' Summers have to offer.

 

[BethW]

Thanks, Will. I will take a look at the Jacks R Better - I have not heard of them but then I'm not very familiar with the smaller cottage companies. I really like the quilt idea and I've used my mummy bag that way in the past, meaning unzipped and as a blanket, so no point in carrying the extra weight.

 

[Chip]

I don't want to freeze at night either.

You may be all set in the sleeping pad department, but IMHO what's under you is as important (maybe more) than what's over you.

 

[Will]

You may be all set in the sleeping pad department, but IMHO what's under you is as important (maybe more) than what's over you.

I very much agree, as a general principle.

But during Summer in the Whites, the ground is not much of a heat sink. Currently I mostly use a neoair 3/4, but that's primarily for comfort. In the years before the neoair, I used a thermarest ultralite 3/4 with the quilts without incident. In both cases I use my pack (a simple rucksack) under my shins and feet. Either a tyvek or silnylon ground sheet.

Get later into September and you definitely need some significant R-value underneath you. For luxury beyond compare, I'll occasionally use a full-length, 25 inch wide neoair with the 1/8 closed-cell foam sheet "frame" from my rucksack tucked underneath. Snuggle yourself into a quilt over THAT and you're good even with a film of ice in your water bottle next morning!

 

[BethW]

You may be all set in the sleeping pad department, but IMHO what's under you is as important (maybe more) than what's over you.

I totally agree with you on this too. I've got a long list of questions and tackling one at a time. Maybe you could offer your suggestions for sleeping pad? That would be helpful. I'm thinking about designing my own similar to the one that Mike Clelland talks about in his "contents of my pack" video here: http://ultralightbackpackintips.blogspot.com/search/label/video tutorials

 

[Chip]

I'll carry a little extra weight for the comfort, so you'd probably prefer something lighter.