Sleeping Bags VS Quilts

Description

In this video I talk about the differences between Sleeping Bags & Down Quilts and why I made the switch.

Check out Enlightened Equipment - http://www.enlightenedequipment.com

Music By: Thunder/Dreamer

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Tags: AT,Appalachian Trail,Thru-Hiking,Hiking,Sleeping bags,Down Quilts,Mummy Bags,enlightened equipment,Backpacking

Video Transcription

hey guys it's Darwin so today I figured I would make a video talking about the main differences between traditional sleeping bags and down quilts and why I made the switch [Music]

so in 2015 when snuggles and I started our thru-hike at the Appalachian Trail both of us carried a traditional down mummy bag I carried a big Agnes 15-degree down bag and then this is actually snuggles bag that she carried and still uses today so the problem I had with a traditional bag was it was really great in the beginning all the way through the Smokies as the weather started to warm up and spring started to creep in I sleep really hot and I was just starting to get really uncomfortable so whenever we got into Virginia I actually went to an Outfitters and found a 45 degree synthetic bag and sent my mummy bag home I used it for a little bit and then all of a sudden about two weeks in the temperature actually started to drop and I started to get cold again so I sent my 15 degree bag home and I had my 45 degree bag and then had to borrow a bag liner from another hiking friend to be able to put in my 45 degree bag to make it warmer once it started getting warm again I got rid of the liner and then I was back to my 45 degree bag in a handful of months I used three different setups first the 15 degree mummy bag then the 45 degrees synthetic bag then the 45 degree synthetic bag with a liner then the 45 degree synthetic bag so I was switching bags back and forth as the weather changed if any of you have been out on the 80 you know that weather changes all the time especially when you're doing it through hike and you're hiking with the seasons so this year 2016 when snows and I returned to the 80 I knew that wasn't going to be an option whenever we were going to first start out it was going to be a lot warmer and then as we moved north into New Hampshire and Maine it was going to be a lot colder I did not want to start out with one

and then replace it with another bag it was just too much work so I decided this year to switch to a Down quilt the big differences in a mummy bag and a quilt are a few things number one with a full mummy bag it just has one zipper down the side typically it has a fully enclosed foot box and then a hood with the mummy bag you can cinch it up at the top and get plenty of warmth on a cold night you can undo the top to breathe so if you're getting too hot you can open that up and have a little room to breathe or you can sleep on top of it so essentially just three ways to use a mummy bag between cold and warm weather the reason I like the quilt is the quilt is mainly like a blanket with the quilt I can either use it like a blanket I can stick my feet out of the bottom if I get too hot I can cinch it down with straps that come with a lot of quilts to cinch it onto the pad I can put it over my neck and cinch it down to really trap my body heat in and if it gets really really cold I carry it down beanie that I can also put on to pretty much turn my quilt into a mummy bag now there's a lot of people out there that say oh I don't know if I can do a quilt I sleep really cold there's just less material and there's nothing on the bottom if we talk about the science of how down works the only way down works and retains heat is if it has loft loft means all of the down is nice and poufy that way it creates a nice big fat barrier between you and the environment on the outside of it if the down is flattened or squished compressed it doesn't work so whenever you look at a mummy bag with all of the down on the backside of it when you're laying on that bag you're completely compressing the down therefore it's not working what's actually keeping you warm is the R factor of the pad that you have so having a nice high r-value sleeping pad is really important that is what's creating a barrier between the cold ground and your back so having a higher r-value sleeping pad is actually what's trapping the heat in so whenever you're laying on your pad and lying in your mummy bag you're compressing that down and you're not really trapping the heat in with the down you're trapping the heat in with the pad so the genius of a quilt and why a lot of people switch to quotes number one it's a lot lighter this bag in particular comes in right at three pounds my 20 degree down quilt comes in at one pound six ounces why is it lighter we don't have all that extra material and down on the back that you're going to be compressing anyways so I can tell you my own experience throughout this last year coming from nothing but mummy bags my whole hiking career and going to a quilt I am no colder in this than I would ever be in this a lot of times my feet get cold anyways I have kind of poor circulation in my feet and it doesn't change between this for this and this gives you a ton more options the quilt is definitely won me over and to be honest I don't think that I'll ever buy a mummy bag again so hopefully this video helped you guys decide whether you want to go with a traditional mummy bag or if you want to make a switch to the quilt like I did if you're interested in checking out some quilts or looking at some custom designs by enlightened equipment I'm going to put the link to their website in the description box below or you can click up on this little tab up here and it'll take you straight to their website they have a lot of really cool features and options depending on your your weight your length what type of bag you want colors all kinds of great stuff and lighting the equipment has been a really awesome company to work with and their customer service is awesome from here on out on the channel at the end of my videos I'm wanting to do some Q&A s so I'm going to ask you guys is to send me some questions any questions about thru-hiking about day hiking about traveling in a van traveling with a dog bite packing any questions that you guys have for me go ahead and either leave the questions in the comment box below or send me a video question to Darwin on the trail at yahoo.com

if you send me a video question I'm going to send you guys a Darwin on the trail vinyl sticker that you can rock on a bottle on the back of your van or truck or it is pretty much wherever you want to and then from here on out at the end of my videos I'll answer a few of those questions if you haven't got a chance yet go over and check me out on Instagram I post a lot of new photos throughout the week of some of the things that snuggles and I have going on like adventures plans but I also post a lot of photos about new products that I'll be reviewing or some previews to the videos that I'll be doing later in the week go ahead and like or dislike this video subscribe to my channel if you haven't already and as always guys thanks for watching you

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