This data based guide evaluates each 0 degree sleeping bag based on its warmth-to-weight ratio. We focus on lightweight and ultralight winter sleeping bags for backpacking.
The best backpacking quilt for you is right here! We’ve compiled the warmest, most affordable, ultralight camping quilts of 2023.
Find the best ultralight sleeping bag for backpacking! We’ve compiled the lightest and warmest backpacking sleeping bags in existence.
An ultralight 0 degree quilt is the best way to stay warm in sub-freezing temps, and offers the highest warmth to weight ratio.
If you want the very best backpacking sleep system (sleeping bag or camping quilt) then you are in the right place. Our top picks offer the best performance and value on the market — ensuring you get a very warm and light bag, but still save money.
In this guide, we showcase the very best sleeping bags and camping quilts on the market. We back up these recommendations with a data-based analysis of weight, warmth, & cost as well as extensive field experience in a broad range of conditions. Save weight and money while still getting a great night’s sleep!
The Hammock Gear Burrow Quilt may well be the best deal on the market for getting a good night’s sleep in the backcountry. It blows most ultralight sleeping bags out of the water, costing 1/2 or less of a similarly rated down sleeping bag.
The Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20 is one of the most popular backpacking quilts in the entire backpacking market for a very good reason. Along with the very similar Enlightened Equipment Enigma it’s our top pick for a backpacking quilt.
Looking for the perfect 2 person backpacking quilt? The Enlightened Equipment Accomplice is a great choice! This double sleeping bag checks all the boxes.
The 15 ounce! Cascade Designs Vesper Quilt debuted last month at the 2018 Outdoor Retailer show. When paired with the new ½ pound Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Mattress you get a +32 ºF sleep system that weighs a scant 1.5 pounds! That’s less than the individual weight of most sleeping bags or sleeping pads. In summary, with the Therm-a-Rest Vesper Quilt and Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Mattress you get it all — warmth, comfort AND incredibly low weight. As Therm-a-Rest says, “Comfort that weighs ounces not pounds” and “Better Sleep Guaranteed.” I am looking forward to field testing the Vesper Quilt to see if it meets these claims.
And New 16 oz +32 ºF Therm-a-Rest Hyperion Sleeping Bag!
In addition, Therm-a-Rest introduced two exciting ultralight sleeping bags: the Hyperion 32 Sleeping Bag rated a +32 ºF and just 16 oz in size regular!, and the Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 20 Sleeping Bag rated a +20 ºF and 1 lb 4 oz in size regular (more on this below). These two bags will be strong and exciting competitors to longtime ultralight sleeping bag favorites like the Western Mountaineering SummerLite, or the Marmot Phase 20/30 or Hydrogen and Atom Sleeping Bags.
Finally, an Ultralight Backpacking Quilt For the Masses? The Therm-a-Rest Vesper Quilt
Snug, warm and comfortable: You can see how the Therm-a-Rest Vesper Quilt snugs up around my neck and the side baffles (the obvious bulge on my right) around my sides to keep warm air in. Yes, I am a huge fan of quilts for backpacking. They are cheaper, lighter, and have a higher warmth-to-weight ratio than traditional sleeping bags.
What makes the Therm-a-Rest Vesper Quilt different is that its made by a major manufacturer and will likely be available on-the-shelf at major retailers like REI. Prior to this, for at least 10 years High Quality Ultralight Quilts have been available from a number of cottage manufacturers. These quilts were made to order and took about 4-8 weeks to deliver — an impediment to some prospective buyers. And even if you were OK with the delivery time, some backpackers were still uncomfortable ordering from cottage manufactures. Thus, the on-the-shelf available Therm-a-Rest Vesper Quilts may well open the gates to a new group backpackers to discover the joys and benefits of quilts.
| More reading: Learn about the many advantages of backpacking quilts and top picks like a $159 +20 ºF down quilt! in the 2018 Buyers Guide to Lightweight Backpacking Quilts. |
A 1.5 pound +32 sleeping system! The combined weight of the new Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Mattress and the with the new 15 ounce Vesper Quilt weighs less than most sleeping bag’s or pad’s individual weights.
What Stands out about the Therm-a-Rest Vesper Quilt (and Hyperion Bags)
What follows also applies for the most part to the new Hyperion Sleeping Bags
- An ultralight backpacking quilt (or sleeping bag) that will be available on-the-shelf from major retailers like REI.
- The highest quality 900 fill power Nikwax water resistant down. (Most high end bags and quilts are usually 800 or possibly 850 fill power at best.) And it’s Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified.
- Therm-a-rest’s ThermaCapture* lining that prevents radiant heat escaping thus increasing warmth. This is also used in the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Sleeping Pads.
- Side baffles (like wings) on the quilt that better seal around the edges in the critical torso area.
Note: Recently, there have been a few more semi-main-stream quilts available (altho none yet at REI). Most notably, the Western Mountaineering Nanolite +38 ºF Quilt, the Western Mountaineering Astralite +26 ºF Quilt and Feathered Friends line of Flicker Quilts.
Again, for the best of cottage manufacturer’s offerings including a +20 down quilt for only $159 see my 2018 Buyers Guide to Lightweight Backpacking Quilts.
Therm-a-Rest Vesper Quilt Specifications
Therm-a-Rest Vesper 32 Quilt – Regular: 15 oz, +32 ºF, $350 – Long: 1 lb 1 oz, $350
Therm-a-Rest Vesper 20 Quilt – Regular: 1 lb 3 oz, +20 ºF, $380 – Long: 1 lb 5 oz, $400
- Highest quality 900 fill power Nikwax water resistant down. Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified.
- ThermaCapture lining that prevents radiant heat escaping thus increasing warmth
- Side baffles and a sewn/insulated foot box to increase warmth
- Very light 10 Denier Nylon DWR shell fabric
- SynergyLink connectors integrate the quilt with your mattress (that is they keep it in place over your pad and reduce drafts).
- Regular: L x W x Foot, 75 x 58 x 18 inches
- Long: L x W x Foot, 79 x 61 x 19 inches
Therm-a-Rest Hyperion Sleeping Bags Specifications
Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 32 Sleeping Bag – Small: 15oz, $349.95; Regular: 1lb, $369.95; Long: 1lb 2oz, $389.95
Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 20 Sleeping Bag – Small: 1lb 3oz, $399.95; Regular: 1lb 4oz, $419.95; Long: 1lb 6 oz, $439.95
- Highest quality 900 fill power Nikwax water resistant down. Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified.
- ThermaCapture lining that prevents radiant heat escaping thus increasing warmth
- Very light 10 Denier Nylon DWR shell fabric
- Hyperion size regular fits 170cm – 183cm length (5ft 6in to 6ft) , Girth is 145cm (57in) at the shoulder, 126cm (50in) at the hip and 109cm (43in) at the foot.
*THERMACAPTURE™ (from Therm-a-Rest site)
ThermaCapture Radiant Heat Technology is a proprietary reflective coating that we apply to a range of surfaces. By reflecting radiant heat back to your body that is otherwise lost, this extremely lightweight coating turns that surface into a very efficient heat reflector, amplifying warmth without the excess weight or bulk of added, conventional insulating materials. According to Therm-a-Rest the “ThermaCapture lining treatment does not affect breathability. Breathability limited by the fabric.”
Disclaimer
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