The quilt takes care of insulation on the top while the pad takes care of insulation on the bottom.
Top quilt vs sleeping bag.
But both have their place.
Essentially the main difference between a sleeping bag and quilt is that a quilt is like the ultralight sibling of the sleeping bag.
Bikepackers are increasingly choosing quilts over traditional mummy bags largely because they re lighter simpler and less bulky.
Many ultralight sleeping bags use a zipper to cinch all the way closed while others like the feathered friends tanager drop the zipper for a simple slip on tube.
Quilts are generally between 20 and 30 lighter than their sleeping bag equivalents.
They wrap fully around and enclose your body whereas quilts generally cover only your top and sides more on this below.
Quilt vs sleeping bag.
Whether you re bike packing thru hiking or simply prefer lightweight trekking eliminating extra weight can almost always be helpful.
The main benefit of a quilt is that it weighs less than an equivalent fully enclosed sleeping bag.
Keep in mind that there are some outliers the marmot micron sleeping bag for example is 159 and the katabatic palisade quilt is a whopping 410.
Katabatic alsek 22 zpacks solo down.
This is a huge plus for anyone who prefers to keep their pack lightweight.
The quilt has a foot box just like a mummy bag and is thrown over you like a blanket.
It can oftentimes attach to your sleeping pad so that you can tuck yourself in when it s colder out.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of a quilt vs sleeping bag is the weight.
Quilts are almost always lighter than sleeping bags.
Designed to be lightweight highly compressible and incredibly simple quilts are great for the ultralight hikers among us who need the lightest and most compact pieces of gear.
But a well designed quilt can also be more versatile.
In fact the average sleeping bag on our list of top picks is 366 whereas the average quilt is 318.
It s your sleeping pad that keeps your under body warm.
Sleeping bags differ from sleeping quilts in one significant way.
Finally quilts don t use a zipper which is a surprisingly heavy component of a sleeping bag.