>>1075869I've used quilts and I can assure you that you do not save weight except in a limited, niche set of conditions.
>the quilt is slightly lighter than the bag you were using previously>except it's not a direct comparison because the quilt doesn't cover your head, so now you need to bring a hat or hooded coat when previously you might not have brought so much>except you could have just bought a quality down sleeping bag (WM or FF) and saved weight without giving up coverage>the quilt lofts higher than a given sleeping bag for a given total weight of bag, so it must be warmer, right?>except it lets in drafts whenever you move around at night, so it's actually colderThe only times I would consider using a quilt (and in fact I have) is during hot, humid summer trips where the overnight low is expected to stay in the 70s and 60s and you just need something to drape over part of your body for comfort. Even on these kinds of trips, sometimes a 30 degree down sleeping bag with full unzip functionality will be too warm. For such trips, I have a homemade synthetic quilt which will keep me warm down to maybe 55 degrees before I start to shiver. In certain parts of the country, at certain times of the year, that is enough.
I used to live in the Midwest where I used to use the quilt more. Then I moved to the Rocky Mountains and I see absolutely no value in these things anymore. If you are camping in the mountains, then it will get into the 40s, or below, every single night, even in the summer. A typical fall trip in the mountains will involve freezing temperatures overnight. If you think quilts are at all as weight efficient as a good mummy bag per unit warmth, then you simply don't know what you're talking about. They absolutely are not.
tl;dr, It's possible to make a quilt even lighter (and less insulating) than commercial sleeping bags, and sometimes they are just the right bag choice. Usually, though, they are not.
