Hi Everyone,

I'm in the market for a new sleeping bag/quilt. I had the chance to climb into a Montbell UL super stretch Down Hugger and really liked the roominess. I don't know of any other sleeping bag which is as roomy at the same weight/warm point. As an alternative, I'm wondering if there are any quilts out there that are:

-less than 2lbs, which is around the weight of the (now extinct) #2 hugger.
-offer the roominess of the Montbell super stretch bags
-are preferably closer in warmth to the #2 rather than the #3 down hugger

Your wisdom and experience are appreciated :)

Thanks so much,

rhz

Spiral Down Hugger #1?

15* rating, 2.0lbs and is $360?

On the other hand 1.3lbs, 30* and $260 for Hugger #3 is really not shabby...

A katabatic alsek or sawatch in wide

Hi Yuki.

Thanks for your response.

The price and weight of the Hugger #3 are fine. From what I've read, seen, and experienced with Montbell products, I wonder whether it would be adequately warm even with a down jacket and pants (I'm a super cold sleeper). The #2 would be better but has been discontinued.

rhz

Hi William,

I had a look at the Katabatic website. It says that the shoulder girth on the wide version of these quilts is 58". I tried some wider western mountaineering bags with 64" girth and found them to be too confining. I wonder whether different manufacturers somehow use different definitions of shoulder girth????

Thanks.

rhz

It will still have plenty of room due to the fact that a good 12+ inches isn't under your body. This is because it's a quilt not a bag. so figure that in to the 58 inch girth and your at 70+ inches of actual girth. someone with a wide could give a better deception of actual room but my normal palisade is more then enough room for my 5,10 180lb dad. Hope that helps

Ok,

So the actual girth calculation is different for a quilt as compared to a sleeping bag. If the effective girth is 70", then that certainly competes with the Montbell bags.

Thanks.

Since you sleep extra cold, I recommend trying to use your existing sleeping bag as a quilt (by unzipping the zipper all the way) before you buy the new bag or quilt.

I love the roominess, but find it to be a little colder. Other people don't find it colder. I think it depends on how much you toss-n-turn in your sleep.

On the other hand, you can layer more puffy clothes on under a quilt than inside a bag - without compressing the insulation in the clothes and losing some of their effective insulation. I think this benefit depends on whether you need the puffy layers for camp chores in the evening/morning, versus just for sleeping in.

If money isn't a big deal, I'd say go with the Nunatak Arc Alpinist quilt. You can get great (accurate) rating to 20 degrees for 20 ounces in the Quantum version.

I switched to quilts last year and think as long as you have companion head wear and the right sleeping pad for the elements you're in, are just as warm and arguably more comfortable than sleeping bags.

I'd have a look at the Jacks R Better line of quilts - excellent quality at a reasonable price.

He told me that the 58" shoulder girth spec on the wide version of his bags is the actual circumference of the bag around the shoulders. Since this portion of the bag does not close completely, there is a 10" gap, which gives an effective total of 68" of shoulder girth.

If you are unsure about quilts and want to give them a try, jrb is a quality quilt with a decent price.

If you are sure you want to go this route, then katabatics are top notch and available.

Enlightened equipment is what I personally use but there is a wait time for his quilts.