Questions about Quilts

I'm a side sleeper who tosses and turns throughout the night. I go to sleep with one knee drawn up waist high. Is a quilt going to suit me? Currently using a WM Megalite since it is cut wider. I like to be warm when sleeping and I'm not sure of the correct adjective (warm or cold) to use to describe that.

I'm interested in wearable sleeping bags like the Jacks R Better quilts with a head hole, or the Feathered Friends bags with an open footbox (closed with a drawstring). In the high desert of Arizona, it is 25 degrees at night and 60 degrees in the daytime. See the need for insulation only in camp but not near as much on the trail. These days, I have the time for some longer distance hikes, so I'm working towards UL gear from somewhat LW gear.

Any and all comments are welcome.

I believe a quilt is the way to go. I've been using my Campmor 20* Mummy for a quilt, but one of these days I'm going to save my pennys and get a real quilt - or make my own.

I've quilted with temps in the mid-20's and that was definitely pushing it. But I don't camp in those temps very much so no big deal.

Most of my camping is in temps no colder than high-30's and I think a good quilt would be superior to any sleeping bag for overall comfort. Like I said, I started quilting with a cheap down bag and it works pretty good (I need to cut the hood off though).

“I go to sleep with one knee drawn up waist high.”

Doing that is so comfortable.
I’ve been quilt camping all summer. I have not done it in the winter. With the knee/s drawn up high in the winter, means more area to cool. I think you can stay warmer keeping your legs down to the pad/mat.

-Barry

I use a quilt for most of my year-around hiking in Arizona. I like it for the same reasons that you are discussing; cold nights, warm days and lots of water weight in my pack. I also use a quilt in the Sierra in the summer. One of my quilts is a home-made, baffled, down version with 2" of loft and a head hole so I can wear it as an insulated serape. The other is the same but with about 1" of loft. When the weather gets too much below freezing, I generally either wear a lot of clothes under the 2" loft quilt or just bring my sleeping bag.

If you make your own quilt, I would recommend that you include a draft-stopper strip down both sides and perhaps across the top. In my experience with a quilt, it is the drafts that will make you cold. So a way of keeping the sides tucked or otherwise draft-free makes a huge difference in how warm you sleep.

Your sleeping habits are very similar to mine. I just started using a Jacks R Better quilt (some are on sale right now) last spring and I'm very happy with it.

With a quilt, the price you're going to pay for freedom of movement is drafts. IMO it's a good tradeoff unless it's really cold. I've been experimentig with heavier clothing while using a quilt in lower temps so the draft problem is reduced.

You're going down to 25 degrees. That's below quilt territory for me but as always YMMV.

Ask yourself why you're looking at quilts. Is it mainly to save weight, the dual use aspect, or for freedom of movement? You can take a quilt down to lower temps but you might need draft barriers/straps/heavier clothing which partially negate the weight savings.

A quilt sounds like a good fit for you. I often pull one or both legs up to sleep in a quilt. Ditto what the others say about managing drafts -- easy enough to deal with when you get some practice and/or technical solutions like draft blockers, straps underneath, bivy, etc.

-Mark