I'm not a quilt person, mostly because I'm a cold sleeper and like to zip up tight in a warm sleeping bag. I also toss and turn a lot. It's not a problem when the quilt on my bed ends up on the floor in my 65* bedroom, but it certainly would be in a tent at 18*F. But that's me!

You can get an idea of what quilt sleeping would be like by completely unzipping your sleeping bag (assuming a full-length zipper) and using it as a quilt. The theory is that since the down underneath your body is squashed flat, it is useless. I tend to disagree because it still has some warmth in it, definitely keeps out drafts and I don't like the idea of sleeping directly on my bare insulated air pad. I hope some quilt lovers will challenge my remarks!

Most quilts are made by "cottage manufacturers" who sell on the internet. A number of hammock manufacturers make quilts, because (I'm told) a quilt is more suited for hammock sleeping than a sleeping bag. Nunatak and a new outfit called Katabatic Gear make very high quality down quilts. GoLite is one of the few major manufacturers to make one. I'm sure I've left out dozens of firms; these are those I can remember off the top of my head.