Originally Posted by
MassiveD
Make your own quilt. There are kits, but you can just tape the perimeter together and use a tagging gun for stabilization, or the yarn bits. One of the ideas behind quilts is to make them somewhat disposable so that when the loft starts to be lost you toss them. Not really how I roll, but they have a point. Quilts are less likely to wear out anyway, since you aren't lying on them so if you don't like that idea, it isn't required.
They are definitely one option and making one can be pretty inexpensive. I have not found that for me at least they save weight or are nearly as versatile. Quilts are one of those things that I had high hopes for, but they didn't really pan out as well as I hoped. I found that in order for a quilt to work for me it needs to be big enough to either hang over a good bit or tuck under me. That makes them as heavy or heavier than a slim cut bag. I find that a slim cut bag of a similar weight can be warmer and more adjustable.
When it is the warmest I sleep on top of my mummy bag and then as the weather cools down, I partially cover myself with it zipped open like a quilt, then fully cover my body, then climb in, then zip up, then put the hood on, then pull hood drawstring tight leaving only a small opening to breath through. That gives a lot more range of comfort than I got with a quilt.
As far as longevity... down bags can last quite a few decades. Synthetics tend to compact over time and not last as long. That is true for quilts or bags, but yes synthetic quilts may suffer from that less than synthetic bags do on the bottom.
I have a 1 pound 1 ounce bag (Mountain Hardwear Phantom 45) that I have been comfy with in everything from hot weather to the mid teens F. I sleep really warm, wear a layer of or two clothes as needed, and the bivy adds warmth as well.
I am sure quilts work well for some and I'd possibly reconsider a quilt if I did trips where I didn't need as wide of a range of comfort. I'd also consider one if the budget was tight and I didn't already own an expensive bag.
Originally Posted by
MassiveD
I don't really buy the whole tarp thing, and then Jardine got really ill with lime disease. But a very simple single wall tent is pretty much the same weight.
A few points on that. Having lived much of my life where ticks are super plentiful, I have found that ticks tend to get on you when walking around where grass or brush touches you not. They hang out and latch on as you pass by. I have seen no reason to think that they come to you when sleeping on a pad. They may be found on you in a tent or under a tarp after they hitched a ride on your clothing or gear and found you later.
Pretty much the same weight? My tarp is 7 ounces and it isn't the lightest possible tarp. My setup is heavier than that though. I add a bit of thin cord and a few needle stakes I also take a bivy (7 ounces) or a bug bivy (5.5 ounces), so the total winds up being 13 ounces to a pound.
Also on most of my tours they may be rainy sections, but a large majority of the time it is dry. While I pitch the tarp when I have to, I like to cowboy camp when conditions are suitable. It is nice to just throw down the bivy, inflate the pad that is already inside of it, throw the sleeping bag on top, and turn it. If it unexpectedly turns worse I climb inside the bivy. If it really rains hard I pull the tarp loosely over me.
If I tour where I expect it to rain a lot of the time I do take a tent, but if a rain day here and there is all that I expect I definitely like the bivy and tarp.