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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/nunatak16 on 2024-03-28 03:34:32.
Yes I know I make and sell some of the stuff mentioned, but where else do I go for a discussion with a credible audience
Maybe dangerous for me to say here but I’m increasingly not into quilts with their fiddly straps, checking and tucking when turning and almost unavoidable drafts. It’s been a slow reckoning but of late with an exponential curve to it. A while ago I decided only above freezing will I pack a quilt; then July-August only aka 40°F. Now maybe not at all
This is the West. We have little moisture in the air to hold heat, it’s mostly solar radiation thru relatively cool air. So once the sun sets at altitude the temps drop fast. Same in the deserts during shoulder seasons. I don’t remember ever sticking a foot out to cool off, or peeling back half the torso to vent, some of the quilt virtues lauded here
So now I use a bag, zipper less and hoodless. I purposely choose a temp rating matching the warmer times of the season and add clothes to deal with the more frigid events. When it gets too cold for that I have an Alpha Direct lined DWR nylon ripstop hooded over-bag . The last resort is to slip into a VBL sack
VBL? Meant for winter above the arctic circle this is about the lightest way to get a temp boost in mild conditions too. Just apply it correctly. No naked skin or breathing inside the VBL bag, and use the top cord to regulate. Still, lots of folks who tries this tries it once, lol. Yeah it’s different
Using such a layering system is not saving me weight over a single high loft down unit, on the contrary actually, but being a tinkerer it’s satisfying to blend different tech and geek over their properties - while gaining a few advantages over a big puffy quilt:
I am laying on top of down too. This almost forgotten luxury feels so good
I have a wide temp range of comfort, maybe as much as 25-30°F without sticking limbs out into the night
For me it’s a set and forget system. No midnight adjusting of straps and cords and edges, besides the top cinch
Drafts are a thing of the past
Dewy cowboy camping, or prolonged rainy spells with the Alpha over-bag allows me to immediately stuff an almost dry down bag in the pack come morning. I’m into dawn starts so this should not be dismissed
The VBL further helps with having dry down
Things do get wet sometimes, despite all this talk. Three smaller individual items dries faster
Here’s a breakdown of what I brought to the Utah desert here in March for a 12 day'er. All size long/reg
VBL: 70g
Bag: 340g w 210g of 900 down. What’s this, 45°F, 50°F? Not sure as it was an experimental project finished the day before we left. Box baffled with tiny minuscule mesh walls, but still - I put more fill in my 3 season down pullover..
Alpha/ripstop over-bag: 290g. 60 GSM with 10d DWR shell. 24” zipper. Contoured hood with room for pillow. Pad goes outside where it belongs
Total 700g
Which is between a 10°F and 0°F Enigma and about equivalent to a roomy WM MegaLite 30°F mummy. (Wow, wait what..?)
Too heavy of course, but I was so comfortable after getting some practice with it all. Low was mid-twenties. We had dewy nights, rainy nights, snowy nights, cold clear nights and warm nights, ie perfect across the board conditions allowing me to use most available combos.
