How far to push a quilt?

[Poser]

I’m a pretty warm sleeper and have had my 20 degree quilt down below 0 before though I ended up sleeping in my puffy. I don’t mind sleeping in a jacket but a puffy is a little much.

Expected temps for the next week are looking to be as low as ~5 degrees the first night and likely 10-15 degrees most other nights.

I’m not taking the wood stove this season. I just end up messing with it too much. It would be fine if sharing a space with someone else to split the duty, but too much trouble for what is generally a dry area.

Options:

20 degree quilt + bivy (lightest option)

15 degree mummy bag

-15 degree mummy bag

Purists backpack hunt in extremely difficult terrain. Tarp tent shelter. How would you proceed?

 

[THBZN]

Hmm. Pretty tough conditions, no doubt about it! With nighttime temps as low as you mention, and with I am assuming some prospect of snow and wind, etc., I would opt for the -15 bag, deal with the bulk and weight penalty, but have more security in the form of warmth. Obviously a big part of the kit is a high R value pad, and keeping everything dry (as much as you can.)
Paired up with the usual hat/jacket/dry socks, etc. and you should be good. Maybe not super comfy, but safe and warm enough to actually sleep. I think that is the biggest part for me when running into pretty cold/gnarly conditions. It isn't the daytime hunting conditions that worry me, it is can I stay warm and dry and sleep OK.

My other concern would be trying to mitigate the condensation in the tarp tent shelter with that cold of conditions; I feel that kind of shelter requires more attention in that area. All else fails, get a massive bonfire going! Good luck out there.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I’d run your lightest option and supplement puffy gear as needed. I just got back from a hunt where temps dropped into the mid 20’s and used a Costco down throw/blanket that’s been made into a quilt that would probably rate around 50°. I made the mistake of packing that quilt instead of one of my warmer ones, but did fine also wearing my puffy pants and jacket along with a warm beanie. I also use a short pad and I had to stick my pack under my feet because they got a little cold, but other than that I did fine. I think that if you can keep your head and feet toasty, that really helps in keeping the rest of your body warm.


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[Low_Sky]

For what you’re describing, I’d bring the quilt and supplement with puffy layers and warm hat/socks/gloves. Keep the weight and size down, and the layering items are useful when you aren’t sleeping too.


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[elkduds]

Agree w posts above. What about carrying a cheap fleece throw blanket or light bag liner for that 1st coldest night?

 

[justinspicher]

I'm big on carrying less junk around than I need to. With that being said I agree with AKtroutbum and I will use layers to include my puffy jacket, pants and booties to sleep in my 30* quilt. I have a pad that I use for glassing that I will also lay on my cot to help insulate. A warm beverage before bed also goes a long way to keeping me warm at night.

 

[20DYNAMITE07]

I layered my 20* with a very lite synthetic blanket (Snugpak Jungle Blanket) recently, and was down right toasty.

You might want to check out this article from Enlightened Equipment about quilt layering...
https://support.enlightenedequipmen...0588-How-to-layer-quilts-for-sub-zero-camping