I wanna get a quilt for my wife and me, and I would love it if quilt for two users bestowed some size knowledge upon me. Talking with Tim (M) he suggested that I cut a sheet and sleep under it, progressively making it smaller until the right size is found. But I figured I'd let the folks that here that use them throw in their 2cents.

I suppose I'm asking for the quilt size and both of the occupants' size.

-Just trying to get an idea the lazy way.
But I guess other way would involve sleeping- so maye it's the lazy way:)

THX

I have one that's 60x72 and it works ok for us but it's for warmer use only. If I did it again I'd go wider and longer. 66x84 (standard twin dimensions) is probably the smallest I'd do, especially for cool weather use. I'm 5'8, she's 5'7 and we're both around 145 lbs. 84 on the length would be fine for us but I'm not 100% sure 66 is wide enough for a good tuck.

Alright, alright, good to know.

We have tug-o-wars with twin sheets. Double plus a little might be just right

Tim can make one up to 70' wide without going up a price class. It seems I will prob have to go past 70"

I weigh 200, but she's only 100, so it kinda throws me off. I guess before I drop mad cheese (a lot of money, for ye olde personages) I should really just do what Tim suggests rather than estimating. Probably a waste of a thread...

Anyway, Thanks Chris

"Tim can make one up to 70' wide without going up a price class. It seems I will prob have to go past 70""

70" would be way too narrow IMHO. Try using a b double quilt in bed at home and see how you go, keeping in mind it's likely to get colder when you're out in the real world, so you need enough width to really tuck the edges under. The other option is to add "wings" to help keep the quilt in place.

Shameless plug... Look at the JRB Large Family Quilts, 1 1/2, 2 1/2, or 3 1/2 inches of single side loft...nominally 61 x84 and add quilt wings for extra 12 inches of tuck...All in stock.

Pan

Actually I checked the mt. rogers out and emailed for some advice. the reply was reccomending I get two single bags and use flot to connect them. The reasoning was sound, but I just want 1 big ol quilt. I also looked at the wings but it still only gets it to 72". I suspected this would be a little small and the adivce I've collected backs this up. Thanks though, they look sweet, but I'm afraid that it'll be too small. I think I'm lookin to get one about 76.

I've used my Back Country Blanket from Nunatak as a top quilt for two (asnd the two were about your weights - 205 and 90) and at 60 inches it was much too narrow at the shoulders. I'm considering another BCB to mate with it and I wouldn't consider anything less than 72 inches. More if I'm dating a blanket hog.

Richard,

I kind of "speed read" your post so it came to me the first time, "dating a hog", which isn't, of course, what you said— but it made me chuckle.

Henry, Big difference between a blanket hog and an ordinary hog! Usually

Hi Jeff

Well, we have an article on MYOG SBs and quilts, at
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/MYOG_down_quilt_bag.html
In this I detail how I make our quilts, and that includes a winter quilt for the two of us. It goes over our light summer quilts in winter.

I use Pertex fabric which is 1.64 m wide - or 64.6". I don't add anything to the width even for a double quilt. That assumes that you are going to sleep snuggled up of course - what else? Remember - two mats side by side are less than 40" wide.

Cheers

Roger,
I just don't know how to account for a quilt going up and over us. How much length that equates to... (math deficient)I talk english good, but I cain't do no math:)

We usually start snuggled, then my back starts screamin at me to get on my side, and spooning only lasts 10 minutes before she makes me overheat. I want to get something that we can sleep our separate ways if needed.

Plus she has been known to steal the blanket. In keeping with the dialog of this thread I should say she's a blanket hog...

I see that the Nuna Dual Arc, or whichever, is like 110" That seems overkill for sure. In reading about it I'm thinking 76" (193cm)

Does your 1.64m just lay on top, or are you tucking it?

Hi Jeff

Complex. :-)

We have some MYOG UL quilts which started life as UL SBs, but then got converted to quilts. They started life at 550 g each (300 g down, 250 g shell), and were really meant just for summer use. However, we kept pushing them into late Autumn, and ended up using them at -7 C. We were OK at that temperature with Cocoons on, and the two quilts layered on top of each other. Just. Took some managing of the two layers. :-) I have since added about 100 g of down to each one to handle colder conditions.

But for winter/snow use I decided to make up an overquilt to go over these summer quilts. That's what I am talking about here. I'm 64, so yes, we do both turn over a few times in the night - at about 10% wakefulness.

Now, the secret to happy quilting in my humble opinion is to have a genuine footbox on the quilt. That applies to both the summer quilts and the winter overquilt. The summer footboxes are just like the bottom end of an ordinary SB. Not surprising, as that's how they started life. The winter footbox is actually a full-width single layer of UL fabric under the bottom 1/3rd of the quilt.

Why? Because while you can control the top end of the quilt easily, your feet can escape from under, and fixing that up in the middle of the night is a full sit-up job. But with a footbox the lower end of the quilts stay totally under control, and that does tend to keep the top end under control as well.

So, Sue gets under her quilt while I finish off tidying up. Then I pull my quilt over me. In summer, that's it. In winter in the snow I then arrange the overquilt at our feet, with the footbox going under us and just under the botom end of our airmats too, and then I pull it up over the two of us. And it stays there on top of us.

No, I do not tuck it in at the edges at all. That width is quite enough to leave an adequate amount flopped on the ground at both sides. It could even be a bit narrower maybe and still work just fine.

You mentioned that 'she's a blanket hog' - a well known happening. My wife clutches a bit as well. But if I keep her warm she relaxes and we spend a happy and warm night. If it's a warm night I just push the overquilt down off us a bit - but it is still there if we need it.

Does this help?
Cheers

Edited by rcaffin on 03/02/2010 19:36:38 MST.

Definitely helps-

I've read before about how you stack quilts in winter. Interesting solution- I bet it holds a lot of heat.

One thing you mentioned I hadn't thought about was how the footbox helps to control the quilt from getting out of place. I can picture exactly what you're talking about.

I live in the Pacific NW and it usually doesn't get ridiculously cold so I'm thing a 3 season temp range here would be 30F (-1C) I want us to be able to tuck it if we have to-it can get windy.

I suppose if it were truly that cold we would be snuggling, thus leaving more extra material to tuck if necessary, so... maybe so much length isn't needed.

We use a rectangular sleepingbag zipped open. It is 80cm wide, so 160cm/64" when unzipped. This is just enough for us to tuck a bit in.

For cold weather and under a tarp etc we would want a bit more. we use it in cool weather and under a tarp but then we have it zipped to a bottom sheet, closing it off completely. So if it was just a quilt, I'd want a bit more, at least fabric, not necessarily insulated, to be able to tuck agains drafts.

Mine is 220 cm/86" long.

I am 6'5"/175#, my wife 5'8"/140#

The Nunatak Dual Arc Alpinest and the new Z Packs Two Person Quilt are both over 80"

I have a JRB quilt and it is 62 inches wide with two 7 inch wings in the side for tucking in. It is big enough for us, but I think in cold weather, a little wider would be best. Good luck! I do love having a 2 lb quilt for the two of us.

Cary

"which is 1.64 m wide - or 64.6". I don't add anything to the width even for a double quilt. That assumes that you are going to sleep snuggled up of course - what else? Remember - two mats side by side are less than 40" wide."

Mine is 64" wide and works fine. I'm 5'8" and 170, my wife is 5'5" and on the heavy side (not posting her weight ;) ). I also made it 92" long. This gives plenty to bunch up around your shoulders, but it is probably a little too long. With the width, since the pads together are at most 40" wide you have to sleep closer than at home. The 64" for us is fine (I wouldn't do any less).

Anyone tried one of these yet?

i think you should each carry your own quilt, in the case of an emergency where you'd become separated. plus that if you go with a single quilt and sleep like my fiance and i do, you'll wake up in the middle of the night frozen and she'll be cuddled up underneath every blanket on the bed.

It could be that seperate quilts/bags would be better, but I think a two person quilt might work for us, though we have never used one before. I am not worried about getting seperated. I use quilts to about 20 deg, but my wife uses bags, and will not try a quilt, but she is also interested in trying a two person quilt. Anyone tried a two person quilt? Did you like it or go back to seperate quilts?