Bargain down quilt for summer

[Trudy]

I've been dissatisfied with my warm weather (+60 degrees) sleeping system - a silk liner (5 oz.) and a fleece bag (1 lb. 12 oz.). The fleece bag is not that warm or light and is kind of bulky. I often woke up cold towards morning.

I considered making a down quilt. Then I found this down throw for $28.


It is 58x50, weighs 23 oz. and is duck down - I figured duck down would be OK for summer. The shell is some kind of soft polyester; one drawback is that a nylon shell would be a lot lighter.

It's very warm, but never too warm because I can always vent. Too small for some, but at 5-2 and in a narrow 1-person tent, how much extra do I really need? It also comes in a blanket size, 72x58 for $35.

It meets all my criteria: warm, light and very compressible - it's bigger than a softball, but not much.

A subsequent Google search turned up 58x50 'Christmas print' goose down throws for as little as $13.

[72hw]

Huh!

Well I think for that price I am gonna check it out - seems to be just what I have been looking for and heck, if it don't work on the trail for me it will do fine as a late night movie throw.

Thanks for the 411!

[Gazbo]

I've been tempted by these for some time but I've read that the fabric is highly water absorbent which has kept me from trying them out under my tarp. I wish they would offer these with DWR treatment.

Let us know how this works for you.

[Trudy]

Like anything made of down, I'm careful to keep it dry. This isn't hard if you're tent camping. If you use a tarp I'm guessing you'd be more likely to be exposed to misting or blowing rain.
Yikes, I just saw down throws on sale at Boscov's (online) for $9.99. I think I paid too much. Worth picking one up for that price and giving it a try.

[Trudy]

I've used this down throw on four overnights now and my opinion is that it's perfect for hot summer nights that may start off as high as 70 but end up 60 degrees or below at dawn.
It is so small and takes up so little room that you can throw it anywhere in the pack.
I inadvertently got it wet this week while kayak camping on the Hudson River. A combination of an unusually high tide and a passing freighter sent waves into the tent at 5 am. (OK, so I camped a little too close to the shore.)
I hung it in the sun and the microfiber polyester shell dried out as fast as nylon. The whole thing was dry and fluffy in a half hour.
People may dis an item like this because it has its temperature limitations, or they will complain they froze when it fell below 50 degrees - well, of course they did. But for hot summer nights it's great.
Sleeping bags are the ticket for cold weather, but quilts - with their venting possibilities and because they allow you to change position freely - are now my first choice for summer.

[Perkolady]

This sounds pretty cool, Trudy !
Thanks for the report!

I may want to give this a try....

Perkolady

[gussomer]

Trudy,

Do you have the link for the throw at Boscov's? Do you use any elastic bands to help wrap the blanket around you?

I've personally considered this Marmot Trails liner bag as an option. Cost is more, but reviews have been good. Anyone ever used one?

[Trudy]

It is still on sale here.

Once you bring the page up do a search for item 5587.

This has 6 oz. of down, the one I use specs 8 oz. Same microfiber shell though.

I just tuck it around me, no need for anything to hold it in place. Tall/large people would NOT be happy with this size quilt. I'm 5-2 (on a good day) and 125 lbs.

[mesacrow]

Originally Posted by gussomer

I've personally considered this Marmot Trails liner bag [/url]as an option. Cost is more, but reviews have been good. Anyone ever used one?

I have a several Marmot Venture liner bags that I got from Campmor last year. I believe the one in your link is a newer version. I really like them. I got the second for my wife and she has been very happy with it also. I bought mine primarily for a trip to the tropics last year where I used it with my Hennessey hammock. It worked out great since it can be unzipped and opened flat which made getting into it easy in the hammock. I really only needed it at high altitude when we camped near the base of Arenal Volcano. It was 45-50F at night and I slept like a baby. It stuffs into its own compression sack and is smaller than a regular loaf of bread. I'm now keep it in my emergency daypack that travels with me in my truck wherever I go. It will probably also be my regular boat camping bag later this season.

[PBF Support]