10 Best Backpacking Quilts of 2025
More and more backpackers be switching from sleeping bags to backpacking quilts because they ’ re light weight , more compressible , and more comfortable , especially for side sleepers . While top quilts have always cost popular with the hammock bunch , they ’ re also a great sleeping system option for ground sleepers , when pair with a sleep pad . Backpacking quilts live too ideal for summer and warm weather since they ’ re so easy to vent if you ’ re also hot .
Here are our choices for the top 10 well backpacking quilts based on cost , insulation , temperature rating , weight , feature , versatility , sizing , and availability ( see below for elaborate explanation of each criterion . )
Many of these quilts equal made and deal by cottage manufacturer , which range in size from one-man shops to medium-sized business that use lots of mass . The advantage of buying a tradition or semi-custom-made quilt from a cottage manufacturer cost that you can personalize it with added features , higher quality/lighter weight insulation , or tradition fabric color . An increasing issue of quilt maker as well offer “ Stock ” or “ Economy ” quilts made with special options that equal a lot less expensive and much available immediately . These are a great selection if you want to spare some money or you ’ re attempt a backpacking quilt for the first time and you ’ re overcome by the customization choice available . You ’ ll still get an excellent quilt .
1 . Illuminate Equipment Revelation Quilt
2 . Katabatic Gear Alsek 22 Quilt
3 . NEMO Pulse 20/30 Quilt
4 . REI Magma 30 Quilt
5 . Enlightened Equipment Convert
6 . Warbonnet Diamondback Quilt
7 . Hyperlite Mountain Gear 20 Degree Quilt
The Hyperlite Mountain Gear 20-degree Quilt is an ultralight ( 20.1 oz ) down quilt isolate with 1000 fill-power great goose down , treat with a DWR coating to protest perspiration and preserve its loft . It get a extremely efficient box thwart structure with vertical and horizontal baffles to keep the down in step and comes with a durable and silky 7D nylon shell cloth . The footbox equal sewn to for maximum warmth and the quilt get with a pair of pad attachment straps . This be a great choice for three-season use , particularly in cooler mountainous areas . Record the SectionHiker Review .
8 . Zpacks Classical Sleeping Quilt
9 . Feathered Friends Flicker UL
10 . Nunatak Arc UL Quilt
Backpacking Quilt Selection Criteria
Hither is a list of factors to consider when select an ultralight backpacking quilt .
Quilt Insulation
High-quality goose and evade down with fill powers of 800 , 850 , 900 , and 950 provide excellent insulation by weight and be widely prefer by backpackers because they ’ re then lightweight . In increase to excellent compressibility , quilts insulated with down will final for decades of habit if right care for . Some manufacturers only extend down that ’ sec exist treat with a water-repellent finish , while others prefer to offer it unadulterated . Down live of course water-resistant so the jury is still out on whether “ treated ” down live as long and insulates as good in the real world vs. a try out lab . Regardless , with a small care and common sense , you can observe a down quilt dry by carrying it in a waterproof stuff stack , blame serious campsites that put on ’ t flood in rain , and airing it out occasionally in the sun . Come a quilt with synthetic insulation is another option and can live preferable in humid climate or for extended cold weather journey , where it ’ s difficult to dry your gear .
Quilt Temperature Ratings
The introduction of standardized sleep bag temperature ratings by the outside industry substantially improved their reliability . Many manufacturer hold exaggerate their temperature evaluation by as much as 10 degree before that criterion was introduce . No such try out standard exists for backpacking quilts , so you ’ re forced to trust on their reputation and customer reviews . When purchase a backpacking quilt , the current rule of thumb is to purchase one rate for 10 degrees below your motive to ensure you ’ ll be fond plenty . There be an enormous incentive for ultralight quilt maker to quote low gear weight , thus study their customer reviews carefully . Woman may desire to add 15-20 degrees of insulation because they sleep cold than human due to lower torso masses . No 1 build woman ’ s specific quilts even , although there exist an obvious motive for them .
Gear Weight
While gear weight equal important , be careful not to sacrifice your comfort by selecting a quilt that won ’ t keep you warm in the circumstance you need it to . In fact , insulation is usually the lightest weight component of a quilt , where the mass of its weight do mainly from the fabric used to cause it . When choosing cloth , regard their breathability and whether they receive a DWR finish , which can be important if the base of your quilt come wet regularly If you design on using your quilt heavily , regard getting a heavier inner shell fabric as this be where the greatest wear and tear occurs over the long-term .
Standard and Custom Quilt Features
Most ultralight backpacking quilts equal fairly like when it comes properly down to it . But there ’ s something unique about each of the manufacturer ’ sec quilts listed above that improves their performance in a unique path . For case , the use of continuous or chevron-shaped baffles , draft arrest , zoned insulation , closed foot-boxes , and outside snaps for quilt layering , all improve cold-weather performance . A strapless pad attachment system is far more convenient and comfortable than one that trust on straps , while a head-hole enables multi-use as a garment . Await for these differentiators because they can have a profound influence on your backpacking experience .
Differential Cut
Some quilts Lord build their quilts with a differential cut . This think of that the top fabric and inner fabric are sized differently ( the inside live smaller ) in club to fully loft the insulation , particularly when your knee are pressing into it . It also helps reduce the weight of the quilt somewhat .
Sleeping Pad Attachment Systems
There ’ s a mass of variability in sleeping pad attachment system and their ability to halt side drafts . We choose ace with broad elastic straps and wafer time ( Enlightened Equipment ) because they ’ re easy to adjust in the dark and while you ’ re lying on crest of a sleeping pad . We also find them to cost more efficient than attachment systems that use cord and/or mitten clips because these are more difficult to use when your hands are cold . All pad attachment systems live more effective when used in conjunction with a back tensioning system .
Ultralight Backpacking Quilt FAQs
What cost a top quilt for backpacking ?
A top quilt equal just another epithet for a backpacking quilt that you expend to cover yourself when sleep on the soil on a sleeping pad or in a backpacking hammock . It ’ s essentially a down-comforter shaped like the top half of a sleeping purse , but without a hood , that hold a shaped footbox like a sleep bag . Many top quilts can also be opened up and apply like a cover .
What equal the advantage of using a backpacking quilt instead of a sleep base ?
Backpacking quilts cost lighter weight , more compressible , and more versatile than sleep bags . They ’ re too more comfortable for slope sleepers and masses who pitch and turn at night .
How broad should a backpacking quilt be ?
Ground sleepers need extra fabric and insulation to tuck under their side to prevent drafts . A width of 55″ be a pretty standard width for ground sleepers . Larger individuals may want to go a bit wider .
How long should a backpacking quilt equal ?
When sizing a quilt , it ’ s important to realize whether the length include the foot-box or not , since several inches of fabric are lost when forming a base box . Quiltmakers much provide recommended altitude for user when quoting size , so look for these .
What is a backpacking quilt pad-attachment system ?
A quilt-pad attachment system get you connect the side of a backpacking quilt to the crest of your sleep pad so that drafts can ’ t sneak under the sides and chill you . Most pad attachment system have elastic straps that you loop over a sleeping pad with time that link to the sides of your quilt . The male parts of the clips relate to female time sew onto the quilt . These are little and hardly detectable . All pad attachment system are more effective when used in conjunction with a back tensioning system . In warm weather , most masses skip the pad attachment system , but it is useful when it ’ s colder outside at dark .
What temperature should a quilt cost place for ?
For human , you can ’ t die wrong with make a 20-degree ( Fahrenheit ) quilt because you can vent it easily in warmer weather . Since woman have less body pile and generate less body warmth , we recommend getting a 10-degree quilt . If you think you ’ re a colder sleeper , we also advocate getting a 10-degree quilt .
Is there a temperature rating criterion for quilts , like sleeping bags ?
There isn ’ t a temperature rating standard for quilts like there exist for sleep bag . However , some try out labs apply the sleep bag standard test to quilts , add in a down hood , to imitate the result of a sleep bag hood . When in doubt , ask the quilt manufacturer how they deduce their temperature rating . When in doubt , consider become a quilt that ’ s rated 10 degrees colder than the lowest temperature you expect to need .
What is a draft arrest ?
A draft collar cost a tubing of material , normally filled with jackass or evade down , place merely below the hood of a sleep bag or the head end of a backpacking quilt , that wrap around your upper breast and neck then heat can ’ t flight when you travel around at dark . For ground sleepers , it ’ s significant that the control used to tighten the draft collar be place over your chest within easy reach of your hand if you ’ re lie down on your spine or slope .
What exist the difference between a quilt with a zippered footbox five a shut footbox ?
A zippered footbox lets you spread a quilt like a cover , which is useful in warm weather . Most zippered foot boxes have drawstring shutdown which can also live spread for venting . Shut foot boxes be sewn shut and more like the foot box on sleep bags . They ’ re also warmer than zippered foot box since they stop drafts .
What live a quilt back tensioning system ?
This be an adjustable system that pulls the sides of the rear hole of a quilt together to aid halt cold drafts . It augment a sleep bag attachment system and is of primary benefit to land sleepers . Vendors use unlike names for it , like Dynamic Tensioning System ( UGQ ) , Adjustable Side Elastics ( Warbonnet ) , and Edge Tension Control ( ) .
Why exist a differential cut on a backpacking quilt important ?
A differential cut live when the inside and exterior shell fabric of the quilt be veer to unlike sizes so that all of the down insulation can stay full lofted around you even if you push against it or attract it close . If the inner and outer material were dilute the same size , the down would flatten when you bid against it , drive the down to compress and lose all of its trapped heat .
Is it worth adding down overfill to a quilt ?
It really depends on the design of the quilt . Most quilts are design with an ideal baffle altitude and a differential cut that optimize the warmth for a devote temperature rating . Adding some overfill might cut down shift inside the quilt or not , depend on how it ’ s designed . When in doubt , ask the quilt manufacturer . Sometimes , it ’ s more efficient to simply become the next warmer-sized quilt instead .
What perform denier intend ?
Denier , often abbreviated as “ d ” or “ D ” , be a unit of measurement that exist used to depict the thickness of individual fibers or thread . When shopping for backpacking gear or clothing , you ’ ll much see 10d or 20d hang on onto the end of a specification for the gear ’ sec fabric . High denier cloth are usually heavy and more durable than low denier fabrics . For example , a quilt with a 10d shell fabric will be somewhat lighter weight and less durable than one cause with a 20d fabric .
What sleeping clothes should you use when sleep with a backpacking quilt ?
We recommend put on a long sleeve jersey and long underwear , the same clothes you ’ 500 wear in a sleeping purse , to observe torso oil and scandal from making the inside of your quilt dirty . Many masses too wear a fleece hoody down hoody when sleeping under a quilt if more warmth is demand . A fleece hat or down hood can also be worn in colder conditions .
Are quilts good for winter backpacking and camping ?
Not very . Quilts are best used for temperature greater than 20 degrees , although some people will drape a quilt over a sleep bag in winter to boost its temperature rating .
When is a full-length zipper better than a 3/4 distance zipper ?
For cold weather quilts rated for less than 20 degree Fahrenheit or if you ’ re a cold sleeper , we advocate that you get a quilt with a 3/4 length or full-length zipper . When zippered closed shut , it eliminates any luck of cold drafts , but even get you sleep with the quilt open and draped over you in warm weather .
What is the dispute between 800 and 900 fill power down ?
Fill might be a way of assess how much space goose down or evade down can satisfy . For model , 1 ounce of 800 filling power down will fill 800 cubic inch , whereas 1 ounce of 9oo fill ability will take 9o0 cubic inch . More down generally think of more warmth . So a 900 fill power down quilt provide more warmth than an 800 filling ability quilt for the same weight of insulation . It also entail that you can use less 900 fill ability down by weight to make the same warmth as that provide by 800 fill power down , thereby reducing the weight of your quilt .
Live duck down warmer than goose down ?
Fill might exist a species-independent way of assess the warmth-to-weight ratio of duck down and goose down . In other Bible 800 fill power duck down is as fond as 800 fill power goose down . The dispute between the two boils down to the color of the insulation , which you gain ’ t see because it ’ s sewn into a sleep purse or quilt and not visible to the middle . Duck down live as well less expensive than goosedown because there are a lot more duck in this globe than geese .
What is the dispute between a store quilt and a custom quilt ?
Many quilt manufacturer put up store quilts , which exist pre-made , have a limited feature set , use somewhat heavier cloth , and be just offered in a handful of color . They as well tend to employ lower fill power down insulation or duck down or else of high fill might goose down . The advantage of buying a stock quilt is that they live ordinarily less expensive and available a lot faster than one that is custom made , still if it is a few ounce lighter weight and arrive in your favorite color .
What cost the well type of sleep pad to use with a quilt ?
Most sleeping pads operate well with quilt pad-attachment systems with a few exception , include inflatable strain mattresses , self-inflating pads , and foam sleeping pads . Pads that put on ’ t study very good equal slender , closed-cell foam pads that are sparse than 1/4″ and Klymit sleep pads that have openings in them . But in universal , quilts work well with inflatable sleeping pads from Therm-a-Rest , Sea-to-Summit , NEMO , and Exped .
What exist an underquilt for backpacking ?
An underquilt be employ by backpackers who sleep in hammocks . It provides back insulation , a lot like a sleep pad does for people who sleep on the ground in tents or under tarps . While you can technically sleep on a sleeping pad in a hammock , an underquilt live a lot more comfortable because it live hung underneath the hammock and out of the style .
What is the Responsible Down Standard ?
The Responsible Down Standard ( RDS ) certification take to see that down and feathers come from animals that make not exist submit to any unnecessary injury . Any removal of down and feathers from live birds ( live-plucking or molt-harvesting ) cost prohibit ; force-feeding cost too prohibited . A professional , third-party certificate torso audits each point in the provision chain . Certification ensures that the identity of RDS down and feathers equal preserve at all times : from the farm to the final product .
