Moving from mummy bag to thermarest quilt. Corus HD or Vela HD?

[flanagaj]

Having spent 3 sleepless weeks cycling part of the divide last summer as a result of a one man tent and mummy sleeping, I vowed that I would get a better sleeping system for future trips.  The first thing I did was to sell the one man tent and accept the 200g weight gain of a 2 man tent.  This will help with condensation and bag/quilt touching the inner fly and getting wet.

The next thing to fix is to replace the mummy bag.  I toss and turn when I sleep and the bag just ends up twisted around so I think a quilt will be better.

I have a thermarest mat and I think the quilt looks fab.  More room to turn and no risk of getting all tangled up.

Just cannot decide whether the large width Vela HD is worth the extra 150g weight over the large Corus HD and is the Corus spacious enough?

If you have any experience of the Vela or Corus from a warmth and sizing perspective please do comment as I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks

[bakerjw]

Just curious what tent you were using.

[Smithhammer]

Just cannot decide whether the large width Vela HD is worth the extra 150g weight over the large Corus HD and is the Corus spacious enough?

I think only you would be able to decide if it is "spacious enough" for you. But if it were me, I would stick with the Corus for the lighter weight and less bulk when packing. You've already accepted an additional 200g of weight with the two-person tent, with the additional 150g of the Vela, you're looking at a decent amount of weight gain, but again - only you can decide if that extra weight pays for itself in additional comfort or not.

Personally, I went with a Sierra Designs Backcountry Quilt and love it.

[Bobonli]

I, too, am shopping for a quilt and cannot decide on size/ width. Here is a suggestion:

Take your exisiting bag, unzip it and measure the width and go from there OR
If the quilt you are interested in is an off the shelf model, buy both sleep in them in your living room and return the one that doesn't fit.  This way you'll know for yourself which one fits better.

[flanagaj]

Just curious what tent you were using.

This one http://www.outbacktrading.co.uk/product/force-ten-helium-1-tent/?gclid=CNW1_tfZ_8wCFdUW0wodWJ8GPw

[flanagaj]

But if it were me, I would stick with the Corus for the lighter weight and less bulk when packing.

I want to avoid a quilt that when you are turned on your side pulls tight like I found the mummy bag did.  I am sure the Corus HD will be more spacious than my mummy bag. 

[flanagaj]

I, too, am shopping for a quilt and cannot decide on size/ width. Here is a suggestion:

Take your exisiting bag, unzip it and measure the width and go from there OR
If the quilt you are interested in is an off the shelf model, buy both sleep in them in your living room and return the one that doesn't fit.  This way you'll know for yourself which one fits better.

  I don't think undoing the mummy bag will help with sizing?  Would you not just measure with the bag zipped up as half of the bag is underneath the body?

I think I will order the Corus HD first and see how that sizes up.  @Smithhammer did make a valid point that aside from the extra weight it's also the extra packing bulk.

[fxpose]

I converted my old mummy bag into a top quilt.    I got rid of the zippers, hood, and lots of other excess material.   That conversion cut the weight and volume of the bag by half.

[flanagaj]

I converted my old mummy bag into a top quilt.    I got rid of the zippers, hood, and lots of other excess material.   That conversion cut the weight and volume of the bag by half.

That is one option.  I have a very lightweight bag with no zippers that is designed to boost the warmth of a bag by 10c.  I think I'll cut that and turn that into an inner quilt which I can use to help boost the warmth of the Corus HD.  For me, the Corus integration with the Thermarest mat is a great idea and to have a quilt that stays put and does not end up stuffed up to the inner fly sheet collecting moisture is the main motivation for buying one.  In a small tent you don't have much room either side of the mat and there is nothing worse than finding your bag is wet because it was touching the side of the tent.

[Erik_A]

The Therm-a-Rest Vela Quilt is designed for 2 people right?  Does it come with the sleeping pad/ mattress, or do you add your own?
http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/quilts-and-blankets/camp-quilts/vela-hd-double-quilt/product

[flanagaj]

The Therm-a-Rest Vela Quilt is designed for 2 people right?  Does it come with the sleeping pad/ mattress, or do you add your own?
http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/quilts-and-blankets/camp-quilts/vela-hd-double-quilt/product

Not sure the Vela is a 2 person quilt.  It is though really designed to work with the thermarest mounts on the fitted mat sheet.  Thermarest have now released a pack of 8 sticky back pads which you could stick to your own mat so that you then have fixing points for the quilt.

[vikb]

Buy from a vendor with an easy return policy and/or inspect it in person. I bought a Thermarest quilt [previous version] and the down was so poorly distributed and sparse that it had cold spots that made it unusable except for the warmest summer nights. I returned it to REI after a few trips.

Great concept. Just poor execution in that particular quilt. 

[flanagaj]

I took my 1000 weight down 10c booster mummy bag and did the following.

1.  Cut it down the back all the way to the foot section. 
2.  Sewed a small triangle of lightweight fabric to the underside of the bag.  This will then be used to hook the quilt under the thermarest mat.



3.  Used gross grain to finish the edges.



4.  Added popper tabs to the edge of the quilt which then can be used to fasten quilt to the thermarest mat




No I also purchased a thermarest quilt, but I am half tempted to return it as I was not very impressed with the size of the baffles (too wide) and the down felt very thinly distributed.  I suspect it will not be a warm quilt.

My existing down bag is a 750 weight down bag and I am thinking of just adding some fasteners which go underneath the matress and hold the 2 sections taught against the mat.