Quilts Are Better Than Sleeping Bags

露营被（Quilt）比睡袋更好用

I used to say that all my best days started with waking up in a sleeping bag. Waking up in a sleeping bag usually means you’re out there somewhere, doing something interesting. In the past couple of years, though, I’ve found myself waking up out there to wonderful days spent doing interesting things, but without a sleeping bag in sight. Instead, I’m sleeping in what thru-hikers and ultralight redditors call a quilt.

我曾经说过，我所有美好的日子都是从睡袋中醒来开始的。在睡袋中醒来通常意味着你身处户外，正在做一些有趣的事情。然而，在过去几年里，我发现自己在户外醒来，度过了许多精彩的时光，但身边却再也没有睡袋的身影。取而代之的是，我开始使用长途徒步者和轻量化爱好者们所说的“露营被”（quilt）。

This is not a quilt like the one your grandmother gave you. Backpacking quilts are made of nylon and filled with down like a traditional sleeping bag. The difference is that they lay over you like, well, a quilt, rather than wrapping all the way around you like a sleeping bag. The benefit is twofold: A quilt is lighter, meaning less weight to carry in your pack, and, as an added bonus, I sleep better than I ever have in the backcountry.

这可不是你祖母给你的那种被子。背包露营被由尼龙制成，并像传统睡袋一样填充了羽绒。不同之处在于，它们像被子一样盖在身上，而不是像睡袋那样把你整个包裹起来。这样做有两个好处：首先，露营被更轻，意味着你的背包负重更小；其次，额外的好处是，我在野外睡得比以往任何时候都好。

Mummified

木乃伊式束缚

Let’s face it, there’s a reason backpackers have nicknamed sleeping bags “mummy bags.” They’re constricting at the best of times, suffocating at the worst. I don’t know about you, but for me, there’s nothing about a mummy that I want to emulate, not even when I’m sleeping. I was, therefore, as well primed as anyone to jump on the quilt bandwagon when it really began to take off a few years ago. And yet, I didn’t. Perhaps it was something like Stockholm Syndrome; I’d finally accepted the mummy thing and was, honestly, a little nervous to give up my sleeping bag for a quilt. But then I did, and I’m never coming back. Or mostly never coming back.

面对现实吧，背包客们把睡袋戏称为“木乃伊袋”是有原因的。它们在最好的情况下也让人感到束缚，最糟糕的时候甚至让人窒息。我不知道你怎么想，但对我来说，我一点也不想模仿木乃伊，即使是在睡觉时也不想。因此，几年前当露营被开始流行时，我本该是第一批尝试的人，但我却没有。也许这就像斯德哥尔摩综合征；我已经习惯了“木乃伊式”的睡眠，老实说，放弃睡袋改用露营被让我感到有些不安。但最终我还是尝试了，从此再也回不去了。或者说，基本回不去了。

But first, what’s the difference between a sleeping bag and a quilt? As briefly noted above, the quilt goes on top of you, rather than all around you like a sleeping bag. Consider the burrito vs. the taco. In this case, the sleeping bag/quilt is the tortilla and you are the filling. Would you rather be wrapped up like a burrito? Sleeping bag. Prefer the obviously superior experience of the taco, with its warm, soft tortilla lying on top of you? You’re (potentially) a quilt person.

首先，睡袋和露营被有什么区别？如上所述，露营被是盖在身上的，而不是像睡袋那样把你包裹起来。想象一下墨西哥卷饼（Burrito）和塔可（Taco）的区别。在这种情况下，睡袋或露营被就是饼皮，而你就是馅料。你更喜欢像卷饼一样被包裹起来吗？那就选睡袋。更喜欢塔可那种温暖、柔软的饼皮盖在身上的绝佳体验吗？那你（很有可能）就是露营被的拥趸。

The science here is that when you lie down in your traditional sleeping bag, the weight of your body forces most of the down fill off to the sides. The down left under you is so compacted you’re not getting any real insulation from it anyway—so why carry that extra nylon and down around? Enter the quilt. Quilts get rid of the bottom layer of useless nylon and down, and lay over you like the quilt on your bed at home. Quilts typically weigh less than sleeping bags and pack down smaller, making them very popular with backpackers trying to reduce weight and save space.

其中的科学原理是：当你躺在传统的睡袋里时，你的体重会将大部分羽绒填充物压向两侧。留在你身下的羽绒被压得太紧，根本无法提供有效的隔热效果——既然如此，为什么还要背着那些多余的尼龙和羽绒呢？这就是露营被的用武之地。露营被去掉了底部那层无用的尼龙和羽绒，像家里的被子一样盖在身上。露营被通常比睡袋更轻，收纳体积更小，因此深受那些试图减轻负重、节省空间的背包客欢迎。

While I think the weight savings make quilts a great choice for anyone looking to carry a lighter load, how much you love a quilt over a sleeping bag will depend somewhat on how you sleep. If you’re a taco person, and the thought of having a sleeping bag wrapped up like burrito gives you the sweats just thinking it, the quilt is your happy, happy future. Or, if you like to curl up in a ball, move around a lot at night, are a side sleeper, or want to share covers with your tent mate, then again, the quilt is for you.

虽然我认为露营被的轻量化优势使其成为追求轻装上阵者的绝佳选择，但你对露营被的喜爱程度在一定程度上取决于你的睡眠习惯。如果你是“塔可派”，一想到像卷饼一样被包裹在睡袋里就感到闷热，那么露营被就是你幸福的未来。或者，如果你喜欢蜷缩成一团、晚上翻身频繁、习惯侧睡，或者想和帐篷里的同伴共用被子，那么露营被同样适合你。

If you rarely move around at night, sleeping somewhat like a mummy, then you might not mind a traditional sleeping bag and wouldn’t share my enthusiasm for the quilt.

如果你晚上很少翻身，睡姿像木乃伊一样固定，那么你可能并不介意使用传统睡袋，也不会像我这样对露营被充满热情。

I sleep very warm, enjoy sprawling out, hate having my feet trapped (no matter how cold it is), and am generally not bothered by drafts. Do I bring a quilt on winter ski trips with temps below 0 degrees Fahrenheit? No, but the rest of the time, I have been using quilts exclusively for quite a few years now. So much so that I recommend trying it. I understand the hesitation; the sleeping bag is an institution. If you’re worried about it, go rent a quilt from REI and try it out car camping, with your trusty sleeping bag as a backup.

我睡觉时体温很高，喜欢四肢舒展，讨厌双脚被束缚（无论多冷），而且通常不怕冷风。我会在华氏零度以下的冬季滑雪旅行中带露营被吗？不会，但在其他时候，我已经连续好几年只用露营被了。我非常推荐大家尝试一下。我理解这种顾虑；睡袋毕竟是经典装备。如果你担心不习惯，可以去 REI 租一条露营被，在汽车露营时试用一下，同时带上你可靠的睡袋作为备用。

What You Need to Know About Using a Quilt

关于使用露营被你需要知道的事

Sleeping directly on a sleeping pad, with no sleeping bag beneath you, places greater emphasis on the pad’s insulation and texture. You might not get much insulation from a sleeping bag, but you do get a little, so overall, I would say quilts sleep a bit colder on the same sleeping pad.

直接睡在防潮垫上，身下没有睡袋，这对防潮垫的隔热性能和触感提出了更高的要求。虽然睡袋底部的隔热效果有限，但多少还是有一点，所以总的来说，在同一款防潮垫上，使用露营被会感觉稍微冷一些。

There’s also the pad’s texture to consider. Bare skin on something like the ultralighter pad of choice, the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT, is an unpleasant experience. Many people, myself included, get around this by sleeping in a base layer (or more if it’s cold), but this is something to bear in mind on warmer nights when even a base layer is unnecessary.

此外还要考虑防潮垫的触感。如果皮肤直接接触像 Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT 这种轻量化防潮垫，体验并不好。许多人（包括我）通过穿着排汗内衣（如果冷的话穿更多）来解决这个问题，但在温暖的夜晚，即使不需要穿内衣时，也需要考虑到这一点。

For summertime camping with a quilt, I use the luxurious Therm-a-Rest Neoloft, which has an R-value of 3. When paired with a quilt rated to about 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit, I find it plenty for temps down to about 40 degrees. I always have a puffer jacket as well, and could sleep in it if I need to, which would take me down to freezing without being too cold.

夏天露营时，我使用舒适的 Therm-a-Rest Neoloft 防潮垫，其 R 值（热阻值）为 3。搭配一条额定温度在华氏 20 到 30 度的露营被，我觉得在华氏 40 度左右的环境下完全够用。我通常还会带一件羽绒服，必要时可以穿着它睡觉，这样即使在冰点温度下也不会觉得太冷。

For shoulder-season trips in my neck of the woods (where freezing temps in May are not uncommon), I go with a more insulating sleeping pad. Lately I’ve really been loving Exped’s Ultra 6.5R, which has an R-value of 6.5 and, paired with a 20-degree quilt and sleeping in my puffer, I’ve been downright toasty to 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

对于我所在地区的换季旅行（5 月份出现冰点温度并不罕见），我会选择隔热性能更好的防潮垫。最近我非常喜欢 Exped 的 Ultra 6.5R，它的 R 值为 6.5。搭配 20 度的露营被并穿着羽绒服睡觉，在华氏 30 度时我依然感到非常暖和。

I have paired those two pads with many different quilts from both big names like Therm-a-Rest, Nemo, and REI to smaller quilt makers like Katabatic Gear, Enlightened Equipment, Feathered Friends, and Zenbivy, though the latter is a bit different. More on Zenbivy below. In all that testing, I’ve discovered a handful of things to look for in a quilt.

我曾将这两款防潮垫与许多不同的露营被搭配使用，既有 Therm-a-Rest、Nemo 和 REI 等大品牌，也有 Katabatic Gear、Enlightened Equipment、Feathered Friends 和 Zenbivy 等小众品牌（尽管 Zenbivy 有些不同，稍后会详细介绍）。在这些测试中，我总结出了一些挑选露营被的要点。

There are two basic styles of quilt: Those with a closed footbox that resembles a traditional sleeping bag, and my favorite, those that open up completely to lie flat (and usually offer some way to close up the footbox area with a draw string and fasteners). I prefer the latter, which is why my favorite quilts are the Enlightened Equipment Revelation 40-degree quilt and the REI Magma 30 Down Trail Quilt.

露营被主要有两种基本款式：一种是带有封闭式脚袋的，类似于传统睡袋；另一种是我最喜欢的，可以完全展开平铺（通常配有抽绳和扣件，可以将脚部区域收紧）。我更喜欢后者，这就是为什么我最喜欢的露营被是 Enlightened Equipment Revelation 40 度露营被和 REI Magma 30 羽绒露营被。