Doing a bit of research and I really like these quilts. Any body have much experience with Tim Marshal and his quilts? What other brands should I look at? Thanks in advance for the responses!
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The wind wont howl if the wind don't break.
I have an EE Revelation X quilt. I am very happy with it. You do have to wait for them to make it, but he beat his promised time. The construction quality is excellent. I had a difficult time finding the cosmetic flaws in the fabric he uses for Rev X. It is really an amazing price for what you get. I chose it over a WM bag that costs twice as much. I think the EE quilt is just as warm, lighter, and more flexible (plus half the cost!).
I posted a review with pictures somewhere. Since I can never figure out how to get pictures up here it is probably over on backpackinglight.com
It really is the way to go. Honestly I don't see the advantage of a sleeping bag over a quilt except if you sleep somewhere where bugs or critters would be an issue. But in those cases bugs and critters could stil crawl in the top opening of a sleeping bag...so again I don't see any advantage. I challenge anyone to try a quilt and explain how it's not at least equal if not superior to a sleeping bag. The only reason I feel this way is because my quilt is so freakin comfortable and I would never have known except I got a good used quilt for cheap which allowed me to try it out on a trip.
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6800
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
Some of us do a lot of tossing and turning at night and can't stand cold drafts down the neck. Give me a sleeping bag with a good draft collar any day! Sleep styles are very individual. Whether to use a quilt or sleeping bag is something that each person has to try and decide for him/her self.
Edited by OregonMouse (10/23/1201:40 PM)
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
I also toss and turn and was a bit concerned before I ordered a quilt. I found that when I closed the top snap on the EE quilt, the whole pulled in around me, just like a sleeping bag. Plus, if I get to warm, I just have to stick out a leg or an arm, or unbutton the top snap and let the draft in. Try to do that in a half-zip sleeping bag.
It is true though that not everyone who has tried a quilt has loved them. They do tend to be more drafty than a sleeping bag with a draft collar. I think they tend to put more insulation in to compensate, but if you get annoyed by drafts, a quilt probably won't work for you.
I toss, turn and roll in my sleep. Won't do sleeping bags - one incident with a stuck zipper and a full bladder, and a claustrophobic panic attack, was enough to say NEEEVVVVVVVER AGAIN. Quilts rule!
I have a winter bag - it has to truly be winter to get me to use it. And it is roomier than Most 3 season mummy bags.
Edited by lori (10/23/1205:00 PM)
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"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few." Shunryu Suzuki
Most of us (myself included) that toss and turn also do that in beds at home, but manage to keep covered and sleep well enough I have only spent one night in below 40F with my quilt and it worked great. I also prefer to sleep in underwear only so for me the only downside is either sleeping directly on my air matteress or having to bring a sheet of some sort. But for sure "to each his own" and if you don't plan your sleeping gear well and sleep comfortably trips jus aren't as fun. On this subject I have also learned a heavier but more comfortabe mattress is worth the extra weight!
I toss, turn and roll in my sleep. Won't do sleeping bags - one incident with a stuck zipper and a full bladder, and a claustrophobic panic attack, was enough to say NEEEVVVVVVVER AGAIN. Quilts rule!
I have a winter bag - it has to truly be winter to get me to use it. And it is roomier than Most 3 season mummy bags.
I've had a similar experience at 13000 feet, so I was already lacking o2, I almost never zip my bag up all the way.
What is it like sleeping on the straps?
Thanks everyone for the usefull information.
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The wind wont howl if the wind don't break.
Registered: 11/21/05
Posts: 193
Loc: Sunnyvale, Ca
I purchased one back in March, Revelation X- 6' reg with the 30% overfill for the 30 degree ( 20 oz) and used a silk liner to keep the inside clean. I used a 8L WP bag to stuff mine in worked perfect.
Tried it out on 2 trips this season.
Wore a light fabric Balacava, T-shirt & hiking pants & use a 3/4 Z-lite pad. One trip was just 40 degrees and the other was down to 24 degrees. Note : I use a Tarptent Squall 2
Determine if you are a cold or warm sleeper when choosing!
Will not got back to a bag again for 3 season camping
I don't have too many issues with draftiness, either. I seem to have practiced enough with a 20" mattress and a quilt that I sleep quite warmly, into the low 20F range with appropriate base layer and a warm beanie hat.
I sleep directly on the pad - NeoAir or Big Agnes Q Core - and the base layer does the job nicely of limiting the issue of skin-on-nylon.
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"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few." Shunryu Suzuki
As for the straps w/snaps, I never use them. I cinch down the bottom end and zip it up to create the "foot box" and once my feet are in there the rest of the quilt drapes over me like a bed quilt. I think the foot box does two things, it keeps the feet warmer becasue they are surrounded by down and also as you move around it keeps your feet contained and also keeps the quilt mostly centered. You could use the quilt unzipped and lying flat like a normal blanket but I don't think it would work well at all like that. So I guess really it's a hybrid, 1/2 quilt 1/2 sleping bag.
A lot of sleeping bags can be used as a quilt if desired. I have a WM Summerlite that I mostly use as a quilt but it has the advantage of being zip-upable if drafts become a problem. I have a homemade down quilt I used until I got the Summerlite that is warm to the mid-20°'s unless it or I get out of position. Then, drafts and cold air will wake me up and make me adjust me and the quilt. Then it is back to sleep until the next cold spot comes along. It does not have straps but does have "draft stopper" fabric strips along the sides. For temperatures to around 28°F, I like the Summerlite; it can be used as either a sleeping bag or quilt depending on conditions and it only weighs 19 oz. I can extend it's useability to near 20°F by wearing my clothes to bed. My purpose-made quilt weighs 18 oz. The quilt does have a head hole so I can use it as an insulated jacket but I can accomplish pretty much the same thing by wrapping my sleeping bag around me in cold weather.
Great. Now I'm considering one. Need a 3 season quilt or bag. My 15 degree Mountain Hardwear bag has quarter zip. Impossible to vent and easy to get hot in it. Therefore, it be reserve for cold, cold nights in this area.
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It is one of the blessings of wilderness life that it shows us how few things we need in order to be perfectly happy.-- Horace Kephart
190$ 20 deg overstuffed, basicly the same as the 10 deg quilt, really not bad at all.I just ordered it and Tim instantly emailed me and said it would be stuffed and shipped by Thursday! That's impressive.
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The wind wont howl if the wind don't break.
I noticed he has a synthetic version, anyone know the stuff size? Sorry for mildly derailing the thread.
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It is one of the blessings of wilderness life that it shows us how few things we need in order to be perfectly happy.-- Horace Kephart
I noticed he has a synthetic version, anyone know the stuff size? Sorry for mildly derailing the thread.
Derail away! It still is very pertinent to the conversation. I too are courious about this.
On a side note funny how no matter where we are technologically we still find the basics the best. Wool, down, skin... Anyone see the nat geo a few months ago, the last inset has a picture of a Eskimo with a walrus gut coat. I swear it looks as modern as any high end parka produced today. So it makes sinse that a blanket format is more comfortable in general. It's what we are use to and use everyday.
Talk about derail......
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The wind wont howl if the wind don't break.
You will not find anyone complaining about Tim's quilts, even if you look hard. Certainly nobody will have anything ill to say about his customer service.
The one thing is, though, you have to like quilts. If you don't like quilts, there's nothing in particular that EE can do to change that.
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