[Closed] Bikepacking quilt - thermarest corus?

Cheaper: https://alpkit.com/products/mora-hammock-underquilt
Synthetic so can handle getting wet better. Is a bit bigger pack size and heavier than a down one.

If you want down, Alpkit also do Cloud Cover at £99.

I've got both of these and they're the same to sleep in, just depends how much space/weight you want to carry

I’ve never been a fan of sleeping bags as I sleep on my side and move around a fair bit.

I mainly use my sleeping bag zipped down to the bottom so it just has the feet together like the quilt above and use it as a quilt over me. But if it gets cold I zip it up.

Are you a warm or cold sleeper?

Big Agnes do a range of bags specifically for side sleeps, they are a bit spendy though

Yeah, I’m a hot sleeper. I did look at the alpkit down one which I think would be good for summer, but probably a bit cold now.

I guess I could unzip a regular sleeping bag, but I assume there must be some advantages of a dedicated quilt?

Just looked at the big Agnes bags but I don’t like the idea of being constricted.

The alpkit cloud cover is great, but I would say it isn't long enough.

I'm 177cm and find it just the right size, but I use it buttoned up like a bag.

I love it, it is great to add some extra warmth if using a bag too, but on is own it is nice and toasty.

Dimensions
Weight: 450g
Length: 180cm
Width: Top - 130cm; Bottom - 95cm
Stuff bag size: 27 x 19.5 x 6.5cm

6' 2" and find the Cloud cover too short for anything beyond the warmest UK nights

Thermarest range are great but go with the "long" option

Curious also

@yourguitarherobthats an under hammock product?

Yes, but you can just sleep under it like a normal quilt too?
It's just a rectangular bag full of insulation, don't over think it

I've got an original cloud cover and an earlier Thermarest "quilt" (actually a backless sleeping bag). The thermarest is a much warmer option for not much more weight. Unless the cloud cover has changed a great deal I wouldn't recommend it. I'd hope at least the material was improved, its very thin and the poppers always feel like they are going to rip through.

I have the corus hd (older version of the one you're looking at) and have been using it for years. The 2 degree comfort rating is accurate- I can go a bit under it to -1 if I'm willing to wear layers/be a little chilly.

The mat is really important with a quilt as I'm sure you know, but also attaching the blanket to the mat in some way (I use elastic or poppers depending on the mat) makes a big difference to the warmth.

As an alternative the enlightened equipment blankets are very popular on other wild camping groups/forums.

Thanks @timizere, looks like I can get the 20F/-6c version for £15 more which has an extra 200g down and a slightly bigger pack size - do you reckon it’s worth the extra weight/size, I’ll probably be using it more in the warmer months, but do fancy a trip before the winter properly sets in.

Yeh maybe- the UK can get deceptively cold depending on when and where you camp.

I stayed the night on kinder low last April and it got down to -6 in the tent.

For that 15 quid extra you might get some more versatility.

I do think sleeping bags will always be warmer- don't underestimate the benefit of a good neck baffle. The night mentioned above I had an alpkit pipedream 400 and was toasty. It would have been an unpleasant night under the blanket.

I always thought there must be more to quilts than was immediately obvious but the best reviewed ones seem to just be a sleeping bag style foot box and no zip sleeping "bag" and I can't see what I'd gain going from an unzipped bag to a specific quilt of similar quality?

On the other hand I've recently decided I need some sort of insulated poncho thing so my judgement is probably slightly off anyway.

Length: 180cm

ROFL

Or perhaps more accurately ROFNSWCF

I always thought there must be more to quilts than was immediately obvious but the best reviewed ones seem to just be a sleeping bag style foot box and no zip sleeping “bag” and I can’t see what I’d gain going from an unzipped bag to a specific quilt of similar quality?

I think the idea is that the underside of a sleeping bag will be compressed by your body weight and the down won’t have any significant insulation value, so effectively you save weight and pack size by removing it. Personally I don’t like the constricted feeling of a sleeping bag and as a warm sleeper it’s easier to regulate your temperature with a quilt.

Yep, get that but if I unzip my sleeping bag then I'm effectively in the same position as having a quilt as far as I can tell?

Not far off, yes. An unzipped sleeping bag is typically wider than necessary if just sleeping under it, so removing some of that material saves weight. There's also a different shape to the top bit. I quite often use an unzipped bag as a quilt, but if trying to travel as light as possible then a quilt is a bit better.
Some do also have straps and stuff to help keep them in place above your mat, but I'm not too bothered by those.