If you are Concerned about Backpacking Quilt and Sleeping bags and want to know are quilts better than sleeping bags and How to use a Backpacking quilt, you are at the right place. If you are unfamiliar with backpacking quilts and looking for answers to why to buy a quilt over a sleeping bag or is a quilt worth buying over a sleeping bag or how to use a backpacking quilt you are at the right place. We have provided every answer to questions related to backpacking quilts in the article below.
Are quilts better than sleeping bags?
Quilts are lightweight and versatile as compared to sleeping bags and it makes it easier to carry to long hikes with high altitudes. But quilts are not suitable for cold / harsh weather conditions. Quilts are suitable for hikers who prefer long altitudes hikes and also travel in the summer or spring season( weather temperature above 17 degrees).
Both quilts and sleeping bags are warm, but a sleeping pad is required when a person uses a quilt. Quilts don’t contain a bottom pad for sleeping and if your Sleeping pad is not able to insulate properly, you will be cold under harsh weather conditions.
Quilts wrap around your body and give your more movement while sleeping at night. It is more suitable for people who move and it’s lightweight while sleeping. So the person will feel more comfortable when he sleeps in a quilt rather than a sleeping bag.
Related: How to Attach Sleeping Pad to Backpack
Why are quilts better than sleeping bags?
If you haven’t used a quilt you should know how it works and will you be able to feel comfortable and warm in a quilt rather than a sleeping bag.
Sleeping bags are congested
Sleeping bags are packed and it’s like you dug a hole in the sand and only your face is out and the rest of the body is inside the sand. Sleeping bags are warmest as they are well insulated from top to bottom.
Quilts do not have a bottom pad and quilts are also represented as blankets. The structure is the same as any blanket but it is lightweight and warmer than normal blankets. But you need to buy a camping mattress to keep yourself insulated from the ground. Sleeping in quilts is just like sleeping on your bed, you’ll feel the same comfort as your home.
Easy to use
Using sleeping bags is easy, you just open the zip and get inside the sleeping bag. It could never have been easier.
Quilts are also easy to use, the person starts by lying in the sleeping pad and use the quilt as the blanket. When the person uses a quilt, he is more comfortable than in the sleeping bag, because in a sleeping bag the body is confined space and it’s hard to move to the sides. But when we use quilts, the person is easy to move around to sides and he has to make sure that the quilt doesn’t lift from one side. If that happens, the warmth inside or insulation is released, the person will experience cold.
Related: How to Wash Hair While Camping
Quilts are comfortable in sleeping
There are two ways you could use a quilt while sleeping. The first option is to put a sleeping pad on the ground and use a quilt as a blanket. You have to cover it properly from the side and bear to get it fully insulated. If the person could manage to make it fully insulated, the quilt is lifted from the side it could destroy the insulation. It primarily happens when a quilt is if smaller in size.
Another option that is recommended by the brand is to use to attach the sleeping pad to the quilt. If the person’s quilt is attached to the sleeping pad, there is no risk of losing the insulation and it will keep the person warm.
How do you attach a quilt to a sleeping pad?
Attaching the quilt to the sleeping pad makes your quilt more insulated. There is no risk of getting a draft on a chilly night. All Quilts and sleeping pads have straps and buckets on the sides to attach a quilt to a sleeping pad.
- To begin you should start the search for the straps on the sleeping pad.
- The sleeping pad consists of two straps that help in attaching the quilt.
- Every brand provides Quilts with several buckles around the corner for attachment.
- To attach the sleeping pad to the quilt, you have to take the strap of the sleeping pad and roll it over the quilt.
- Use the buckets if quilts to tighten the strap around the corners.
- Attaching the quilt to the sleeping pad doesn’t make it difficult for the person to move in sleep.
Tips for Buying a quilt
For a long comfortable sleeping with a quilt,
you should always buy the perfect quilt that could hold the insulation and keep you warm in cold weather. But choosing a quilt is not an easy task. It could be easy if you remember the point mentioned below before buying a quilt for backpacking.
Size:
Your quilt should be if the perfect size. If you sleep on your side, you should focus on the width of the quilt. If the quilt isn’t wide enough, it will lift from the side and the insulation is removed and the person will feel cold.
Before choosing the quilt, remember to measure its length. If you are 6 feet tall and your quilt length is also 6 feet, when you place your quilt over your head, your feet will be touching the sleeping pad. It’s a danger sign you feel cold and you have zero insulation.
Quality:
Quilts are lightweight and have less stuff for insulation than sleeping bags. When buying a quilt, the person is also required to buy a sleeping pad along with it. The quilt does not come with a hood back, so the person has to buy a sleeping pad.
Quilts quality are different than sleeping bags, quilts quality are represented in r-value.
R-value of sleeping pad and quilts are. different. Quilts quality is often represented in temperature. 10 degrees could provide insulation up to to 10 degrees. If you are in a place where the temperature is below 10 degrees, you’ll feel cold.
Sleeping pad insulation is represented in r-value. Generally, for a summer or spring hike ( temp above 20 degrees), the person is recommended to buy a sleeping pad with an R-value of 2.6.
For cold temperatures, the person needs to buy either 3.2 for temp above 10 degrees and if you want to feel warmer, you could choose a sleeping pad with an R-value of 5.7.
Weight:
Quilts are mostly lightweight and it is one other advantage people choose quilts for camping than sleeping bags.
The weight of the quilt depends on the material manufacturer uses. The low-budget quilt has low-quality materials and low quality doesn’t help you keep warm for a long time.
The weight of the quilt is enough to determine whether to buy that quilt or not. The best benchmark of weight for the quilt is under 20 ounces ( 567g) and the most suitable weight is 24 ounces( 680g).
If your quilt weighs more than this amount, you should never buy this quilt. Low-quality materials are heavy and also don’t provide enough insulation to keep you warm in cold weather conditions.
Water-resistant
Most brands provide water-resistant quilts, as it also helps in increasing the life expectancy of the quilt. Brands mostly adapted to dry down technology in the gear as it provides the best water-resistant and also dry down quickly as compared to other materials.
Materials
Quilts are lightweight and the material used is woven which makes it hard to penetrate and also a thin layer of water repellent material. This adds to the durability of the quilt in the long run.
The quilt is used to be made of ripstop nylon and a water-resistant coating. You have to always check for the material listed before buying a quilt.
If the material is listed are ripstop nylon and a water-resistant coating, this is one quilt you should buy.
Related: Outdoor Shower Ideas for Camping
What is a backpacking quilt?
Backpacking quilts are used in camping for sleeping, they are like sleeping bags but quilts are more lightweight and give more movement while sleeping than sleeping bags.
In a sleeping bag, the person is being confined to a place and it’s hard to move around to the side. But quilts provide movement to the person while sleeping on a camping trip.
An additional benefit of quilts is it’s lightweight and that makes it easier to for hikers to carry on high altitudes.
