Yet another quilts conundrum

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redefined_cycles
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Yet another quilts conundrum

Post by redefined_cycles »

I have a PHD Minim300 custom (bought off Fitz couple years ago) weighing in at 585g. I've always loved it with a little hate cos its very snug... which I'm sure is a good thing in the minimalist dept. Good to around the +2 mark or lower if I wore extra down jacket.

Now I'm thinking the Cumulus 350 would be a good replacement as it could increase the rating of my MH Hyperlamina as well as being good lightweight on its own for the rest of the seasons. Although I'm npt entirely sure how you'd get the quilt to sit over you inside a bivy and over the MH bag :roll:

Obviously I'd have to save up a little extra for the quilt and I know this has probably done before, so thanks for putting your expertise in it again :-bd

Another place where the quilt would shine is that I'd not need to lay atop the bag when at the masjid for example as you could just vent with the quilt a bit easier...

Is it a good replacement or am I gonna live to miss the PHD (it was a tough chore convincing/waiting for Ian to sell it off in the first place :grin: )...
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whitestone
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Re: Yet another quilts conundrum

Post by whitestone »

It's what I do with a PHD Minim 200 and Cumulus 150. During summer I'll use the quilt and my wife uses the bag. Come the cooler months she uses her Cumulus 350 quilt and I use the Minim inside the 150. We've bivvied at -6C with this setup. I've the older style of Cumulus quilt which aren't as wide as the newer version so you have to take a bit of care not to have the quilt lift at the sides.

The fly in the ointment is that to get mat, quilt, bag and me inside a bivy bag means something at least as broad as the Hunka XL. The Borah Gear bags manage it and supposedly the Alpkit Kloke is as big as the Hunka XL but I've not tried that.
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middleagedmadness
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Re: Yet another quilts conundrum

Post by middleagedmadness »

Shaf a 350 would probably see you through 11 months of the year my 250 has seen me through 11 months with a down mat in winter ,the only time I've used my winter bag was at the winter event in Jan and then I was too warm and wished I'd had my quilt ,but then again last winter was quite reasonable
redefined_cycles
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Re: Yet another quilts conundrum

Post by redefined_cycles »

Bob... 200+150 makes 350 :-bd which MAM has kindly also confirmed works well with a down mat for the winterier months.

Since this year is gonna be the coldest winter ever, makes sense to also invest in a down mat :grin:

Suggest a downmat thats not heavy n horrible. The possibilities really seem to be opening up, especially since Cumulus gives a 10 year warranty (not like some italian TRP brake tripe which, 4 months later ProBike-BS-Kit.co.uk has said is normal wear n tear for the little screwy grommet to be worn from the inside! :cry: ) :-bd
ScotRoutes
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Re: Yet another quilts conundrum

Post by ScotRoutes »

My Cumulus 250 is about perfect for 6 months. Can be a bit warm in Summer and isn't quite enough in Winter. But that's "my" Winter, which is likely colder than yours.

Mat-wise I've never needed more than the Synmat HL7. I've only considered supplementing it when looking at a couple of Winter Summit bivvies (that didn't happen) as I'd likely be pitching on snow.
middleagedmadness
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Re: Yet another quilts conundrum

Post by middleagedmadness »

I was gonna say the caveat is not 11 months in Scotland :wink:
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: Yet another quilts conundrum

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

Suggest a downmat thats not heavy n horrible.
There's not a vast choice. Like Colin, I find an Exped Synmat UL7 fine (even on stone bothy floors in winter) but if you'd prefer down, maybe look at the Exped Downmat lite. Outdoor GB are likely to be cheaper than most https://www.outdoorgb.com/p/Exped_Downm ... hCEALw_wcB
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middleagedmadness
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Re: Yet another quilts conundrum

Post by middleagedmadness »

That's what I paid for mine a couple of years ago,it packs to about twice the thickness of a synmat ul7 Nd is double the weight if that matters in winter but only got cold once with it on my first night out with Scott and Mike and them Shropshire hills had dropped down to around -6/7 that February
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whitestone
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Re: Yet another quilts conundrum

Post by whitestone »

Mat wise I've an Exped Synmat Winterlite and my wife has a Synmat Hyperlite. We've used them in the arctic at minus silly degrees (probably -12C or so) with no ill effects. I've not used any of the Exped Downmats so can't comment on them.

On our first visit to the Arctic quite a few were only using CCF mats. The logic is that they are quicker to deploy and the snow can hide broken saplings that can puncture inflatable mats. Also since you are on snow then that provides some insulation so you don't need a mat with a high R-value.

That latter point sort of leads me to think that mats with high R-values are more use where you are on frozen or solid ground.

Oh yeah, 200 + 150 is not necessarily 350 :???: It's the total loft that's important and that depends on both the fill power and down/feather ratio of each item.
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