Less is less, don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. This is especially true when you’re carrying everything you need to live for a week on your back, which brings us to the backpacking quilt: It’s a sleeping bag, but less. In many cases, a backpacking quilt is all you need, and I’ve come to like them better than sleeping bags for all but the coldest of trips.
These quilts are not like the ones your grandmother gave you. Backpacking quilts are made of nylon and filled with down like a traditional sleeping bag, but they lie over you like a quilt, rather than wrapping you up the way a sleeping bag would. The benefit is twofold: A quilt is lighter, meaning less weight to carry in your pack, and in the right conditions, you just might sleep better too.
WIRED Top Picks:- For Ultralight Summer Trips: Enlightened Equipment Revelation Quilt (40 degree)
- The Best Sleep System: Zenbivy Light Quilt
- The Best Budget Quilt: REI Magma Trail 30
- Best Quilt for the Long Haul: Feathered Friends Flicker UL
Why Is a Quilt Better Than a Sleeping Bag?
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronI have a whole article devoted to answering this question, but the short version is that it’s just as warm, and weighs less. The science behind the first assertion is basic physics. When you lie down in a sleeping bag, the weight of your body forces most of the down fill off to the sides. The down left under you is so little and so compacted (by your lying on it) that you’re not getting any real insulation from it. Why, the logic goes, carry around weight you’re not using?
Quilts get rid of the bottom layer of a sleeping bag, and lie over you like the quilt on your bed at home. Quilts typically weigh less than sleeping bags and pack down smaller, making them very popular with backpackers trying to reduce weight and save space.
When Is a Sleeping Bag Better Than a Quilt?
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronWhen it’s really cold. The problem with quilts is drafts (they don’t wrap around you so they’re prone to letting in cold air) and their lack of hoods. Drafts aren’t a big deal in the summer when most of us backpack, which is why I like them more than sleeping bags most of the time. That said, when I head out skiing or snowshoeing in the depths of winter, I bring a subzero sleeping bag.
After years of testing, I’ve found just about any quilt fine for summer use. For shoulder-season trips where temps may dip below freezing, I still use a quilt, but I use a Zenbivy, which keeps out drafts better than other quilts thanks to the additional sheet and side baffles. Any time I think temps will dip below 20°F, I bring a sleeping bag.
If They’ve Less Material, Why Are Quilts More Expensive?
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronQuilts are sometimes—but not always—more expensive than a traditional lightweight sleeping bag. Why are we paying more for less? In most cases, the answer is down-fill power. Cheaper sleeping bags often use 650 down fill, whereas most quilts are in the 800 to 1,000 fill-power range, which makes them somewhat pricier. That said, there are some great lower-priced down quilts, like REI’s Magma Quilt (see below).
The Best Quilt for Ultralight Summer Trips
- Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
- Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
- Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
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Enlightened Equipment
Revelation Quilt (40°F)
$370Enlightened Equipment
For summer trips, when I want to go as light as possible, Enlightened Equipment’s Revelation Quilt is my top pick. I have the 40°F version, which weighs just 19 ounces. Unlike many manufacturers, Enlightened Equipment does not do a dual temp rating of comfort and lower/extreme limit. Instead it picks a number in between and recommends on its website that most people “use a quilt 10 degrees warmer than the lowest expected temperatures.” My experience with the Revelation suggests this recommendation is solid. I’ve found the Revelation keeps me warm down to around freezing, provided I am wearing a base layer. If it’s any colder than that, I’ll sleep in a puffy jacket as well, but in summer, even in the mountains, this is rarely going to be necessary.
The Revelation has the ability to lie completely flat on warmer nights, which is how I typically use it. The foot box has a 20-inch zipper and drawstring, which allow you to close it down to create a nice tight (read warm) space at your feet when you need it. There are also straps that form a loop and wrap around your sleeping pad to keep the Revelation in place. The straps are separate, which is nice because half the time I don’t use them, but it does make losing then something of a risk. They’re also a bit different from other systems I’ve tested in that they loop around your pad (rather than just under) and then you clip the Revelation to them. I don’t like sleeping on the strap, so I use these straps “wrong” and just put them under my pad, ignoring the loop feature, and it works great. On warmer nights I don’t bother with the straps at all—quilts are about flexibility after all.
The Revelation is available in an almost endless array of configurations, with temp ratings from 50°F down to 0°F. You can also get different lengths (short, regular, long) and different widths (wide, regular), and choose between 850-fill-power and 950-fill-power down. A draft collar is available on bags rated below 30°F. I tested the 40°F model with 850 fill power, which weighs 19 ounces and costs $370. It’s also worth noting that there is an option to build a completely custom, made-in-the-US Revelation using your exact dimensions and fill power and fabric color preferences.
The Best Sleep System for Shoulder Season Trips
- Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
- Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
- Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
- Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
Zenbivy
Light Bed (25°F)
$329Zenbivy (Quilt, Large)
$139Zenbivy (Light Sheet)
$309Garage Grown Gear (Quilt, Large)
When the temperature dips below freezing, I turn to Zenbivy’s various sleep systems. In my neck of the woods, freezing temps can extend into June and start up in early September so I spend a lot of time in Zenbivy quilts. I’ve tested every model the company makes and part of the beauty of the Zenbivy system is you can mix and match different quilts and sheets according to what works best for you. My favorite combo is the Light Quilt (convertible version, which opens flat), paired with the half sheet/hood from the Ultralight Bed. I prefer the 10°F version of both. This ends up the most versatile, lightweight combo for the temperatures I tend to encounter (using the half sheet saves me 6 ounces over the full). That said, if I were backpacking mostly in the mountainous West or in warmer climates, I’d go with the 25°F option.
The Zenbivy Light Quilt convertible version opens up completely and whenever it’s warm enough, this is how I use it—essentially as a comforter. When it gets colder, I cinch it down using the color-coded hook-and-loop system. The Light Quilt fits together with the Light Sheet, and attaches to it using a similar color-coded hook-and-loop system. The sheet fits to your pad and the side baffles come up to attach to the quilt, eliminating drafts. The sheet also has a hood, which keeps you much warmer and prevents drafts on colder nights.
As mentioned previously, I’ve ended up with a slightly customized version of Zenbivy by pairing the Light Quilt and Ultralight Sheet. On summer trips when I’m not expecting things to get too cold, I’ll leave the sheet at home and just use the Light Quilt on its own (I bring a couple small lengths of Dyneema cord that I can use to strap down the Light Quilt, should it get cold, but I’ve never needed them.) The Light Quilt/Ultralight sheet combo ended up weighing 2 pounds and 3 ounces on my scale, and costs $538, which is on the high side, but I think it’s worth it for the versatility.
The Best Budget Quilt
- Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
- Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
- Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
REI Co-op
Magma 30 Down Trail Quilt
$329REI
The REI Magma Trail Quilt isn’t massively cheaper at full price, but it is reliably on sale three to four times a year for less than $250, making it possibly the best-value quilt you can get. It offers 90 percent of what our top pick has, though it is a bit heavier. The straps aren’t as nice as what you’ll get with the Revelation (they’re more like shoelaces), but it’s just as warm and does a respectable job of keeping out drafts. The zippered foot box with a drawstring makes it easy to convert between quilt mode and something more like a sleeping bag, and at 24 ounces for the long, wide version I have, it’s competitive on the scale as well.
The 15-denier recycled ripstop nylon shell has proved plenty durable in my testing (I would argue REI could save some weight here going to a 10-denier shell), and the 11.6 ounces of 850-fill-power down make this quilt quite warm. I would, however, call the 30°F rating somewhat conservative. I’ve slept in this in temperatures down to around 25°F and, with a lightweight puffer jacket on, was fine. My one caution here is that I find it runs small. I have the long, wide version and it’s roughly the same size as the regular Revelation quilt. The good news is, if you have an REI store near you, you can give it a try in person and make sure you get the right size for you.
Best Quilt for the Long Haul
- Photograph: Martin Cizmar
- Photograph: Martin Cizmar
- Photograph: Martin Cizmar
- Photograph: Martin Cizmar
Feathered Friends
Flicker UL
$589Feathered Friends
I’ve tested a half-dozen down camping quilts, and the Feathered Friends Flicker would be the one I’d grab if I were going to sleep under one of them for a month or more at a time. I liked the Flicker so much on a short winter trip that I ended up using it on my bed at home for about a month in the dead of winter. This quilt weighs less than 2 pounds and packs to the size of a gallon of milk, so it’s plenty light for a thru-hiker. The 950-fill-power down lofts up beautifully, like a swan landing on a placid lake. It’s comfortable in temperatures below freezing, but if you push it into the 20s or below while it’s unzipped as a quilt, plan on wearing wool long underwear and maybe a fleece.
The main reason I prefer it over others is the craftsmanship that’s obvious in every stitch. Feathered Friends products are made in Seattle, and there are no rough edges or loose threads. Most of the shell employs high-performance Pertex Quantum Pro fabric, which is 7 denier but doesn’t feel fragile—this is not a blanket you’ll fret ripping open every time it snags on a branch. The footbox is lined with Pertex’s more durable and slightly heavier Diamond Fuse fabric. There’s a full-length YKK zipper and draw cords at both the top and bottom so that you can configure your quilt to your preference or convert it to a sleeping bag for extra chilly nights. —Martin Cizmar
Other Quilts We’ve Tried
Photograph: AmazonSave to wishlistSave to wishlistTherm-a-Rest
Vesper 32°F
$400Amazon (Regular)
$400REI (Regular)
I like the snaps that allow you to keep this quilt nice and tight around your shoulders and thighs, which cuts down on drafts. The 900-fill-power down packs down small, and the weight is competitive (20 ounces for the regular), however, the sewn footbox means you can't use it like a comforter on warmer nights.
Photograph: Scott GilbertsonSave to wishlistSave to wishlistZenbivy
Conversion Patch Kit
$40Zenbivy
What if you love the idea of Zenbivy’s sheet/quilt combo system but already own a nice quilt? This kit is the solution. It allows you to stick Zenbivy attachment loops to your existing quilt, which can then be paired with any of the company’s sheet/hood combos. The loops are secured with a sticky backing and worked as advertised in my testing (I turned the REI Magma 30°F into a Zenbivy-compatible quilt).
How to Sleep Better in a Quilt
The biggest thing to keep in mind is your sleeping pad. Sleeping directly on a sleeping pad, with no sleeping bag beneath you, places greater emphasis on the pad’s insulation and texture. You might not get much insulation from a sleeping bag, but you do get a little, so overall, I would say quilts sleep a bit colder on the same sleeping pad. When I use a quilt I do sometimes bring a warmer pad. I might, for example, bring an R3 pad with a sleeping bag and an R5 with a quilt.
There’s also the pad’s texture to consider. Bare skin on something like our ultralighter pad of choice, the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT, is an unpleasant experience. Many people, including me, get around this by sleeping in a base layer (or more if it’s cold), but this is something to bear in mind on warmer nights when even a base layer is unnecessary.
My final tip, something I discovered by accident through my own laziness, is that if you fasten down only one side of your quilt, it’s much more like sleeping in a bed at home. This works best in the Zenbivy system, but I’ve done it with other quilts as well. You won’t want to do it on the coldest of nights, but it’s what I do the rest of the time.
