Sleeping systems - bags, pads, matts, liners

Ding ding, bargain alert

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mountain-laurel-designs-spirit-quilt-30-deg-ultralightbackpacking-apexsynthetic/113655047962

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ZPacks-Down-Sleeping-Bag-full-Zippered-green-ultralight-Goose-Hood-Ultralight/113654205194

Need a new bag but don't think that'll fit me. Plus probebrly a bit warm.

zpacks one is a bit warm.
the MLD quilt would be great for your kind of stuff. about as light as it's possible to get with a synth quilt

Interesting. I was looking at a PHD half bag but this quilt kinda does the same thing.
What is the go with quilts? I always assumed they were just flat and you threw them over a sleeping bag for extra warmth. This looks more like a sleeping bag that has been fully unzipped.
Confuzzled

No. Quilts replace a sleeping bag. they have the flexibility of having them slightly open if you're too hot.

Yeah, so in theory I could get this instead of the pied d'terre or whatever it's called.

Any reason to get one over the other? I think the MD thing is heavier than the half bag, but it's a bit bigger. I think the half bag would be less faff.

Yeah but I sleep in a bivi so not sure how thatd work.

Fine if sleepmat inside bivi bag.

I tried a Cumulus 350 quilt and swapped it out for a bag after too many cold nights 3 weeks into a GDMBR trip, where night time temps were often very cold. I think a combination of being a restless sleeper and the quilt being a standard size so a bit small for me at 6'2" being the reasons.

Me too, hundreds of nights in a quilt and bivvy. Much nicer as it’s less restrictive.

Half bag is a lot of faff. The MLD quilt on eBay is an easy solution and well reviewed.

Need to try a quilt again really as its a fair wieght saving.

I have a Katabatic Palisade and love it more than any other piece of camping equipment.

How is it faff? You just put your legs in a tube.

The quilt would have to be arranged and cinched and stuff.

Also, if you're not using a sleep pad, does it wrap right around?

Less room to move in a bag than a quilt. If you’d tried it you would agree with me!

I'll be aslseep, I'm not moving.

I don’t think I’m going to win this argument...

Of course not. No one ever wins an argument with hippy, they just wonder where the last 12 months of their life went and carry on. All your quilts are belong to us.

To clarify, I think the quilt could be useful for normal bikepacking stuff, where you're taking a sleep pad and have more setup time but I think for racing the half bag might work better? Or do you reckon I could be quicker with the quilt?

the biggest drawback to quilts (to which i am a total convert btw) is lack of hood so needing a warm & comfortable hat you can sleep in (rapha merino beanie ftw) and possibly something to put under your head for cushioning.

one unmentioned benefit of a quilt is you can easily wrap yourself in it while seated to keep warm when you stop and jam it back into its stuffsack nice and quickly.

warm & comfortable hat you can sleep in (rapha merino beanie ftw) and possibly something to put under your head for cushioning

You mean leaving my helmet on so i pass out with some semblance of a 'pillow'?

I only need to wear a hat with my quilt when it’s below 0, by which time I’m carrying a beanie already. YMMV tho

Spotted this in Blacks the other day, anyone had experience with one? Too cheap and cheerful at £50?

https://www.blacks.co.uk/equipment/133692-eurohike-down-500-mummy-sleeping-bag.html

Fair enough.

My new setup is to just sleep in my down jacket. I'd rather a jacket than sleeping bag as more versatile but I need something more for legs.

I'll get a quilt.

Anyone had any experience of aliexpress sleeping bags? Have been looking at this
How accurate are the temperature guides. I have a cheaper robens synthetic sleeping bag and the guide is well off.

Don’t buy a bag from Ali express. The down is sourced from live plucking which is horrible. And the temp ratings are mostly fictional. Go to Cumulus or Decathlon instead.

It’s entirely your call but I think it’s worth considering the means by which the filling in a £100 down sleeping bag is procured. Or infact any down product, but particularly an ‘unknown’ brand.

I’m not pretending to be any kind of moral arbiter for anybody, but you only have to look at the brands - and cost - required to get (in theory) “ethical” down. Work backwards from there, lowest common denominators etc.

I’ll leave it there, each to their own etc.