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As summer quickly approaches, so does backpacking, hiking, and camping season and all the gear that accompanies some of my favorite outdoor activities. When planning for my husband and I’s Tahoe Rim Trail thru-hike in 2019, I attempted to lower our base weights (everything we carried on our backs, excluding food and water) as much as possible to make our overall experience more enjoyable. We initially thought we could use a lot of the gear we already had, but that changed as I realized how much gear has changed and improved. I quickly became willing to replace some of our heavier, older gear with newer, lightweight versions.
As we prepared for our trip, I initially purchased a Big Agnes Double Sleeping bag. I had visions of the trip being a romantic getaway for the two of us. I quickly learned that although I could pine for romance and connection out there on the trail, a bulky and heavy double sleeping bag wasn’t a realistic option.
Through listening to podcasts and combing through fellow hiker’s gear lists and reviews, I chose to order a UGQ Outdoor Bandit 20° backpacking quilt. Prior to my research, I never even knew something like this existed! Now, it’s accompanied me on every overnight trip into the backcountry that I’ve taken for the last 2 seasons and quickly became one of my favorite pieces of gear in my pack.
What is the difference between a backpacking quilt and a sleeping bag?
When I first heard the word “quilt” associated with backpacking, I envisioned a colorful patterned gigantic blanket on my grandparent’s bed. Obviously, people don’t carry this in their pack.
A backpacking quilt can be unzipped or unbuttoned all the way to become an actual blanket shape. A backpacking quilt is unlike a sleeping bag in this way- most sleeping bags have a zipper that fully encloses it’s user from the foot of the bag towards the head. Depending on the type, you can unzip a sleeping bag most of the way, but often the bottom tapers down to a point, trapping your feet inside.
Quilt on right. 
Underside view. 
Underside view from the neck down towards the footbox. 
Underside view from the footbox towards the neck.
A backpacking quilt has a drawstring at the bottom of it that, when loosened, opens up all the way to become an actual blanket, giving it more versatility in variable conditions.
What is the advantage? If you’re backpacking in the summertime months in certain climates, climbing into an insulated tube each night can feel claustrophobic. The quilt allows you to have good ventilation and more temperature control depending on how you adjust it. On warmer nights, I often loosen the drawstring all the way. This allows the bulk of my body to remain covered, but my feet to be free and well-ventilated.
Backpacking quilts are also different because they aren’t insulated on the majority of the underside. The thought is, when they’re used in conjunction with a sleeping pad, the sleeping pad provides your underside insulation and thus you save on both weight and overall size/bulk with the quilt due to less material overall in the construction. Because I wanted to lighten the load on my back, a 1.5 pound quilt with a 20° rating felt like a great option!
Quilt with sleeping pad inside from top… 
…and from underside.
A quilt is a good option for those of us active sleepers. My husband often describes my sleeping technique as a “rotisserie chicken”. I move around a LOT at night and a sleeping bag, especially the mummy style bags, have always been a challenge to sleep in. I end up laying on the zipper or twisted up into a weird knot by morning. The quilt allows me much more room to move around without shifting my entire sleeping situation around.
What are the specifications (options, weight, size, & price point for my quilt?
I went with UGQ Outdoor, a small cottage company based in Jackson, Mississippi. UGQ custom builds their quilts to order, right down to the color. You can choose fill power (level of insulation), temperature rating, width, length, shell color and fabric type, neck and footbox style, and also select from a variety of accessories you may or may not want (storage sacks, extra straps, etc.).
Multiple companies are now making backpacking quilts. I chose UGQ Outdoor because of their amazing customer service. I delayed way too long in deciding which company/quilt to order, so I was up against a tight timeframe when I initially ordered my quilt. They worked with me and I ended up getting it just in time!
Also, I had a lot of questions when I was ordering my quilt- they were easy to communicate with and patient with me. Talking to an actual person when I called their contact number was important to me. If they didn’t answer and I left a message, my phone call was always promptly returned. In a world of automation and impersonal interactions, this stood out to me as a huge positive.
Specifications of my Bandit 20° quilt:
- 20° temperature rating: You can “batten down the hatches” of a quilt to make it snug and tight like a sleeping bag by cinching the drawstring down tight and utilizing the straps and buttons that run up the backside of the quilt. This gives you maximum warmth when paired with an insulated sleeping pad; however, you want to select a temperature rating of about 10° below the lowest temperature you think you’ll encounter. For example, I wanted something that would work in a low temperature of 30°, so I went with a 20° rating.
- 850WGD (White Goose Down) Fill Power: I wanted a nice balance between weight and cost, so I went with this option. UGQ Outdoor sources all their down from Responsible Down Standard Partner. If down isn’t your thing, they also offer a Synergy Bandit down alternative quilt.
- 55″ width and 72″ length: beware of ordering it too short! I am 66″ tall and this is the perfect length for me.
- Color: Crimson Red (interior) and Moroccan Blue (exterior) –she’s so pretty!
- Foot box style: zipper and drawcord, no taper (I wanted it to be able to unzip my quilt into a regular sized blanket but you can choose the tapered option to cut overall weight even more.
- Weight: 1.5 lbs./24 oz.
- Size packed: 12″L x 7″W
- Price: $283 before shipping
* One option I would have chosen that I originally did not was the overstuff option. They offer to pack the down to 130%, giving you extra warmth and insulation. You can choose this option for the entire quilt or just for the footbed. Because our thru-hike was in August, I didn’t need the additional warmth; however, I’ve taken some late fall trips and used my quilt and wished I had ordered it with the overstuff option.
Tips for Backpacking Quilt Users
A few things I’ve learned since having my quilt:
- In cool conditions, stuff a sock into the hole at the bottom that is created when you cinch the footboy drawstring down tightly. This will eliminate any draft coming through that opening.
- Take a sleeping bag liner and/or bivy sack with you if the temps are going to be lower than your quilt is rated for. These can provide you with 30+° of warmth on cool nights.
- Always store your quilt loosely in a large mesh sack uncompressed. Over compressing down or synthetic causes it to loose the loftiness that is used to keep you warm.
- If you intend to purchase a custom quilt, do it well before your planned trip- they construct them upon you ordering it, and often you’re in line behind multiple others, so it can take 12 weeks+ to actually receive it depending on what company you go with.
With any gear you purchase, the better you care for it both on and off the trail, the longer your investment will last. A great post on general care for your quilt or sleeping bag can be found here.
How do I know if a backpacking quilt is right for me?
A quilt isn’t for everyone. Gear is a personal thing- what works for one person doesn’t work for another. Lightweight backpacking gear can cost you a small fortune, so the more you can research and ask yourself what you think you’ll want out in the backcountry before making this big purchase, the better.
I knew I wanted something lightweight, but I also didn’t want to compromise my own comfort. Sleep is likely the most important thing you can get out on the trail! With my former wildland firefighting job, I spent enough time in sleeping bags to know that I needed a different option to maximize my sleep quality. A backpacking quilt fits my needs perfectly.
Until you get out there and spend a few nights on the ground, it’s hard to know for sure if a quilt will work for you. I was pretty stoked after night #1 in mine! …which was obviously a huge relief.
Happy trails, friends!