Quilt Or Sleeping Bag
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A sleeping bag wraps insulation all the way around you. The trouble is the part underneath. When you lie on it, your weight crushes that insulation flat, and flat insulation barely keeps you warm. Your sleeping pad is doing that job, not the bag.
A quilt leaves that part out. It’s basically a sleeping bag with no back and usually no full zipper, so you’re not carrying insulation that sits crushed under you, or a zipper you never use. That’s why a quilt is warmer per ounce than a bag with the same fill.
Who Should Switch
Most people, eventually. If you sleep on your side, expect about two nights to get used to it, and then you’ll stop noticing.
The exception is a sleeper who really thrashes around. A quilt can shift off you when you roll hard, and cold air gets in. If that’s you, a bag is the honest answer, so keep yours.
The Pad Matters As Much As The Quilt
Since a quilt has no bottom, your pad does all the work between you and the ground. Below about R4, you’ll lose heat into the ground no matter how good your quilt is. Don’t spend the money on a great quilt and then sleep on a cheap summer pad. If you can only upgrade one this year, upgrade the pad.
Synthetic Or Down
Synthetic is heavier and bulkier, but it keeps insulating when it gets damp, and you won’t cry if you soak it. It’s the right first quilt for wet climates.
Down is warmer per ounce and packs smaller. Wet down stops insulating until it dries out properly, so it wants a dry climate and a dry bag to live in.
Pick A Rating For The Nights You Actually Camp
Buy for the coldest nights you really camp in, not the coldest you can imagine. A quilt rated far below what you need is dead weight for most of the year. For three-season camping across most of the country, a 20-degree quilt is the usual answer.
Where To Buy
The Therm-a-Rest Vesper 20F is the pick most people should start with: three-season, 900-fill down, and one of the very few real quilts you can buy on Amazon instead of ordering direct.
If you want a custom quilt, Enlightened Equipment and Katabatic build them to your temperature rating, width and fill. They don’t sell on Amazon. It’s only worth going custom if you actually camp below freezing.
