Quilt vs Sleeping Bag: A Guide to Finding the Best Backcountry Sleep System

The sleeping bag is most people’s go-to option for sleeping outside, and for good reason. The simple design, with an enclosed end for your feet and (usually) a mummy-style hood you can pull over the top of your head, harnesses body heat to cocoon you in warmth. In the early 2000s, however, many thru hikers began to eschew the humble sleeping bag for backpacking quilts, which were constructed of similar materials—often goose down—but not designed to wrap around your entire body. Lightweight and highly packable quilts have grown in popularity considerably in recent years, especially among adventurers looking for ways to reduce their pack weight.

For those without quilt experience, the relative merits of sleeping bags and quilts might not seem clear. How could less material mean more cozy? The following guide is meant to help you understand the differences and why the choice between the two isn’t quite as clear cut as it may seem. Spoiler: what might be best for your next adventure comes down to a lot of factors, including that most fickle matter of personal preference.

How Backpacking Quilts Became Popular

The introduction of the sleeping bag in the late 19th century made camping with a wool blanket, then common practice, nearly obsolete. A sleeping bag was lighter, less bulky, potentially even warmer.

The first backpacking quilts arrived with a similar upper hand, offering many advantages over sleeping bags with few drawbacks, at least according to ultralight backpacking pioneer Ray Jardine. In his book “Beyond Backpacking” (2000), Jardine talks about how sleeping with his conventional sleeping bag unzipped made him realize he might be just as comfortable sleeping with less fabric. He could save some weight by sleeping directly on the foam pad he was using to insulate him from the ground and use something more like a blanket to shelter him from above.

Starting in 1992, Ray and his partner Jenny spent several thru-hikes designing a quilt that included a pocket at the bottom that envelopes the feet, extra material around the perimeters to seal you off from wind, and an integrated top panel that contours around one’s neck and shoulders. These same clever design elements are key to the mainstream adoption of backpacking quilts today.

Soon after their book was published thru-hikers navigating the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail took to the quilt in place of traditional sleeping bags. A cottage industry of manufacturers including Nunatak Gear and Jacks R Better unveiled some of the first commercially available quilts in the early 2000s, which included elements of Jardine’s designs including the enclosed foot pocket.

Today, most major outdoor brands sell both sleeping bags and quilts, often made from the same materials. But there are plenty of rising ultralight hiking brands that only concern themselves with quilts, such as Enlightened Equipment.

The basic design of these quilts hasn’t changed much from Jardine’s original blueprint, but some newer features do stand out. Quilts from Outdoor Vitals, for example, are built from a fabric containing gold nanoparticles that help prevent condensation from forming. They also have easy snap buckles along the side that let you close yourself inside them, like you would a sleeping bag.

Keep reading to dig into the pros and cons of quilts vs sleeping bags.

Benefits to Using a Quilt vs Sleeping Bag

The obvious main benefit to using a quilt vs sleeping bag is weight savings from reduced material—that down or synthetic insulation smushed between your backside and sleeping pad isn't doing much to trap heat anyway. But there are other benefits, too, including:

More Airflow: Hot sleepers will appreciate the ability to easily lift a quilt and flush out stale air. It takes a bit of practice to figure out how to do this while half-asleep without leaving your sides exposed to airflow in the middle of the night, but there’s no motivation quite like waking up with chattering teeth.

More Movement: Sleeping bags can feel constrictive for side sleepers and those who toss and turn. A quilt, designed without material that would sit underneath the body, allows you to more freely squirm and settle throughout the night.

How to Choose Between a Quilt or Sleeping Bag

To decide whether your next trip would be better suited for a sleeping bag or backpacking quilt, consider the following key indicators.

Conditions: A sleeping quilt can go (and has gone) pretty much anywhere, but you’ll likely be more comfortable in a sleeping bag if it’s particularly cold and/or humid. In warmer and drier temperatures, however, the breathability offered by a quilt really shines.

Your Sleeping Pad: If you have a sleeping pad with an R-value of 6 and above, a full sleeping bag is probably not necessary to keep the ground side of your body warm, especially if your pad is built from a material that doesn't feel itchy or plastic-y. If you don’t think you’d be comfortable sleeping directly on your sleeping pad, though, a snug sleeping bag might be better.

Sleep Style: Side sleepers and those who move around a lot will be better suited for a quilt, especially if your sleeping bag has a mummy-style design with a hood that could cause claustrophobia and night time disorientation when you’re facing the wrong side of the opening. Similarly, back and stomach sleepers might prefer the swaddling comfort of a sleeping bag.

Size and weight: Sleeping quilts tend to be constructed of less material than sleeping bags, which usually means they are lighter and can be packed down into a smaller size. If you are looking to save grams and ounces, or trying to stuff your gear into a relatively tiny pack, a quilt is likely the better option.

When and Where to Trust a Sleeping Bag Over a Quilt

There are still plenty of reasons or circumstances where people might reasonably prefer a sleeping bag over a quilt. Mainly, in cold, alpine environments. And:

Extreme Cold: Jardine often talked about taking his quilt on an Arctic kayak expedition, but he certainly would have been warmer if he had brought a sleeping bag. There’s no shame in needing every ounce of insulation and seal possible to ensure a good night’s sleep when you’re winter camping or high altitude mountaineering.

Humid Conditions: A sleeping bag seals you off from cold outside air, doubly appreciated when that air is bone-chillingly wet. But even if it’s just warm and humid, it’s usually easier to sleep when you’re sealed off from moist air.

Ground Sleepers: Many people do not camp with sleeping pads, preferring to lay directly on the firm surface of the ground. In that case, a sleeping bag is necessary as a layer of insulation underneath your body.

If Using a Low R-Value Pad: Similarly, if you travel with an ultralight sleeping pad that has a low R-value (a measure of its insulating abilities), you might need a sleeping bag to aid the pad in insulating you from the cold ground.

Final Thoughts aka My Personal Compromise: Have Both

As someone who tests gear for a living, I have access to many different types of sleeping bags and backpacking quilts. The backpacking quilt is certainly trendier, but I still occasionally find myself on adventures where a more classic sleeping bag would perform better.

A few years ago, I traveled to Canada’s Mount Logan to work as the sound mixer for the National Geographic film “For Winter” (2024). During the trip, we regularly experienced nights where the temperature dropped below -40º C. Quilt purists will say a backpacking quilt could be plenty warm enough for these conditions. But I was totally happy to have the extra bulk of my sleeping bag for its ability to zip completely closed and seal in as much of my body heat as possible.

On the other hand, I tend to prefer a quilt when space is limited and I’m carrying everything. For example, if I’m going camping with my young kids at a site that’s not very close to a parking lot, using quilts makes it a bit easier to bring our sleeping gear and all the extra stuff my kids need to be comfortable outdoors in one trip. Plus, when we’re sharing a sleeping pad, the quilt lets us sleep next to each other without squishing us together.

Ultimately, even if it wasn’t my literal job to test new equipment, I would ideally own both a sleeping bag and quilt. Each has their own merits that make them great for certain, but not all situations. Having access to both allows me to say yes to more kinds of adventures. At the end of the day, isn’t that the point?