Less is indeed less, and don’t allow anyone to sway your opinion. This notion holds especially true when you’re packing everything necessary for a week’s survival on your back, leading us to the backpacking quilt: It’s a sleeping bag, but in a reduced form. In many situations, a backpacking quilt suffices, and I have found them preferable to sleeping bags for nearly all but the chillest outings.

These quilts are not comparable to the ones your grandmother gifted you. Backpacking quilts are crafted from nylon and filled with down similar to a conventional sleeping bag, but they sit atop you like a quilt, rather than cocooning you as a sleeping bag would. The advantages are twofold: A quilt is lighter, resulting in less weight to carry in your pack, and in suitable conditions, you may find your sleep improved as well.

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Why Is a Quilt Superior to a Sleeping Bag?

I have an entire article dedicated to exploring this question, but the brief answer is that it provides equal warmth while weighing less. The reasoning behind the first claim involves basic physics. When you recline in a sleeping bag, your body’s weight compresses much of the down fill to the sides. The down that remains beneath you is minimal and compacted (due to your weight), leaving you with inadequate insulation. So why carry weight that you aren’t benefiting from?

Quilts eliminate the bottom layer present in a sleeping bag, resting on you like the quilt on your bed back home. Typically, quilts weigh less than sleeping bags and compress into smaller sizes, making them popular among backpackers eager to lighten their loads and conserve space.

When Is a Sleeping Bag Preferable to a Quilt?

When temperatures drop significantly. The drawback of quilts lies in drafts (since they don’t encase you, they’re susceptible to cold air) and their absence of hoods. Drafts aren’t a significant issue in summer, the season during which most of us backpack, which is why I prefer quilts over sleeping bags most of the time. However, when I venture out to ski or snowshoe in the depths of winter, I opt for a subzero sleeping bag.

After years of experimentation, I’ve determined that nearly any quilt is suitable for summer use. For trips during transitional seasons where temperatures could fall below freezing, I still lean toward a quilt, but I favor a Zenbivy, which effectively blocks drafts compared to other quilts thanks to added sheets and side baffles. Whenever I anticipate temperatures dropping below 20°F, I equip myself with a sleeping bag.

If They Use Less Material, Why Are Quilts Pricier?

Quilts can sometimes—but not always—carry a higher price tag than a traditional lightweight sleeping bag. Why pay more for less? Usually, it boils down to down-fill power. Inexpensive sleeping bags commonly utilize 650 down fill, whereas most quilts fall in the range of 800 to 1,000 fill-power, which contributes to their increased cost. That being said, there are some excellent budget-friendly down quilts available, such as REI’s Magma Quilt.

The Best Quilt for Ultralight Summer Excursions

For summer trips, when I aim to travel as light as possible, Enlightened Equipment’s Revelation Quilt is my top recommendation. I own the 40°F model, which weighs a mere 19 ounces. Unlike many manufacturers, Enlightened Equipment does not use dual temperature ratings for comfort and lower/extreme limits. Instead, they select a midpoint number and advise on their website that most individuals “use a quilt 10 degrees warmer than the lowest expected temperatures.” My experiences with the Revelation align with this advice. I’ve found the Revelation keeps me warm down to approximately freezing, provided I’m wearing a base layer. If temperatures drop further, I’ll also wear a puffy jacket, but in summer, even in mountainous regions, this is seldom necessary.

The Revelation can lay completely flat on hotter nights, which is my typical usage. The foot box incorporates a 20-inch zipper and a drawstring that permit you to close it down, forming a snug (read warm) area at your feet when desired. Additionally, there are straps that create a loop and secure around your sleeping pad to hold the Revelation in position. The straps are separate, which is advantageous since I often don’t utilize them, though it poses a risk of misplacing them. They also differ slightly from other systems I’ve tried, as they wrap around your pad (instead of just beneath) and then you clip the Revelation to them. Since I dislike sleeping on the strap, I use these straps in an unconventional manner, placing them under my pad and ignoring the loop feature, and it works perfectly. On warm nights, I completely forgo the straps—after all, quilts are designed for flexibility.

The Revelation is