Recently I’ve sold all my sleeping bags besides one that I’ve kept for the time being and now that the primary backpacking season is starting up again I had to get something else or otherwise I’d just have to sleep on the ground wrapped in a survival blanket…
I’ve been interested in quilts before but I’ve never taken the step from the conventional sleeping bags over to one of those. Even now before I ordered I wasn’t sure if I was to get one or not. The ones I ended up choosing between was the Cumulus Quilt 250 and Western Mountaineering Highlite sleeping bag. Both of them are about the same weight and has basically the same comfort temperature rating.
I ended up choosing the Cumulus Quilt 250 as the price tag was more interesting and I like the idea of having a quilt rather than a sleeping bag as I normally sleep quite warm and I think it’s a nice feature to have the possibility to quickly get some cool air into the bag or just keep it open without having to fiddle with a zipper.
Before I say anything else I just want to give a shout out to Cumulus customer service which is just completely awesome! I had some trouble ordering and they sorted everything out very quickly and made sure the quilt arrived on time. It was a really good experience buying from them, highly recommended.
My first impressions of the quilt is that it’s lightweight, very well made, high quality stuff – no down leakage etc. It looks like a really good choice.The only thing I can complain about is the stuff sack, it’s a little small and I had a hard time compressing the quilt into it and closing it properly. It’s made out of the same material as the quilt, Pertex Quantum fabric so it’s really lightweight but not waterproof in any way. I’ll swap this for a stuff sack or a dry bag from Zpacks. I haven’t really decided what to get. I need something that’s light and waterproof as I stack my tent on-top of the sleeping bag and from past experience you’ll sleep in a wet/damp sleeping bag if you do that if the stuff sack is not waterproof…
On Cumulus shop they claim that the bag weighs 480g and by the looks of it they’re correct, everything is in order 🙂
It also comes with some extra bungee cords and a storage bag.
I can’t wait to go out and test this bag! I’m very excited!
Lighter Packs 
I hope you enjoy the quilt! I sleep on my front, so it was a revelation when I started to use them. But when it’s too cold I revert back to bags… which for me in Norge is too often!
Yeah I hope so too. What I’ve heard/read a quilt should work just fine in the colder months but I guess it just comes down to personal preference just as with anything else.
So. How does it work? And where do you plan to use it?
I haven’t tested it yet but I will be out next weekend. I’ll be using it all over but mainly in the Nordic region, 3 season use. I’ll probably do a write up after next weekend.
Okay. Am looking forward to read. im considering buying one myself, but im not sure it is warm enough though. I also walk in the northern region. Jotunheimen, hardangervidda, sarek etc. In the summer That is. With long underwear. What would be your guess?
I meant sleeping in long underwear.
I guess that’s how I’ll use it too sometimes.
I’m gonna try without the long johns at first as I sleep quite warm but I’ll probably have them as backup for some trips when the weather and the temperature dictates it. I always sleep in thicker socks to keep my feet warm and dry and that too adds extra warmth.
Just wanted to share that it worked perfectly during our trip. It was warm and cozy and I had no problem at all sleeping in it. It’s a tight fit when you use the cords to wrap it around your sleeping pad but not claustrophobic. As I only have used it once I can’t really do a proper review of it yet but this far I totally recommend it to others. Great value for your money.
Hello André. How to you out the quilt to your sleeping pad? Do you just put all the cords around the pad or do you have another system?
I just wrapped mine around it it but was unsure if I did it correctly.
Hi Peter! I removed one set of cords and did another wrapping rather how it was from the manufacturer. I’ll see if I have a picture of it.
Hi, I wonder if you have a picture of how you used the cord? I’m not to pleased with the way the cords are supposed to strap around the sleeping pad, so any tips on other methods is welcome.
I’m gonna take a picture and post it here in a few days.
This is how I ended up with the cords. I’ve tried a few different ways but this is what worked best for me at the end. Just slide that sleeping pad right into it and be done.
Nice review!
I purchased the same quilt approx. 2 years ago–about 6 months after I purchased the Panyam 450 from the same company.
Both pieces are great. I noticed some minor stitching snafus on my Panyam 450 but the company offered to tidy them up if I returned the bag to them. As well, they offered me a small discount on my next purchase which was the Quilt 250.
The down is of truly excellent quality and both pieces puff up like there’s something magical happening. When I compared the material and design specs of the company’s products with the products of more widely distributed/larger brand names, I found that Cumulus has extremely competitive price points. The trade off is that you’re buying from a relatively unknown manufacturer without wide spread brand recognition. Also, quality control for smaller manufacturers is seldom as solid as with larger manufacturers as quality control protocols are often too expensive to implement for manufacturers with tighter margins. However this can be offset if the cottage manufacturer is prepared to offer excellent customer service when the occasional defect product is shipped out. Such was my experience upon purchasing the Panyam 450: a minor , yet ‘sloppy enough’ flaw in the stitching of a baffle (an incompletely stitched baffle that left a 0,7 cm open hole in the baffle) passed throu their quality control and ended up in my possession. I brought the glitch to the attention of Cumulus with an email and they replied within a few days, offering me the aforementioned fix and discount on a future purchase (and compensation for my postage charges if I fronted for them first). The Quilt 250 that I subsequently ordered arrived without a flaw.
I’ll add one closing note pertaining to a nifty benefit of owning a quilt, as so much else has already been writen by others on the use of quilts over sleeping bags. I know longer use sleeping bag above 0 C. Below freezing, my sleeping bag (Panyam 450) comes into play and covers me to approx. -5 C – -10C. Below that–and here it comes–I ‘wear’ my Quilt 250 inside my Panyam 450 and suddenly I have a sleeping system with 700 g of down, with a large chunk of it stacked above my body (sleeping bag’s differential fill plus the quilt fill that’s always on top). As a side note: I always sleep on NeoAir’s Xtherm which boosts the lower temperature range of quilts in particulat. Suddenly I have two bags/quilts that in various deployments cover me from summer sleeping to deep chills (ca -15 C – -20 C).
The Quilt 250 fits inside the Panyam 450 without causing any compression of either piece’s loft, thus avoiding any degradation of insulating potential.
OK, perhaps another advantage of quilts: children. Having lightweight gear is especially advantageous for kid’s with their radically lower capacity to hump gear. Often though, kid’s get the crappiest (heavy & bulky) solutions to hike with. At the relatively low price points that Cumulus offers, most people prepared to shell out cash for a cheap-o bulky and heavy bag for their children can pick up a highly packable and ‘carry-able’ top notch quilt at a negligible premium above standard fare kid’s bags.
So yeah, go with Cumulus if it comes down to a wavering “Can I really trust a small Polish manufacturer?”. They’ve been solid enough for me and I only buy the best, though I do aggressively try to purchase the best at the most competitive price point (patience helps!). Often I end up with household brands (Black Diamond, MSR, Hilleberg, Primus, NeoAir, Exped, Sea to Summit, Arc’teryx et al), but Cumulus is now a trusted provider among the cottage industry manufacturers I’ve built a trusting relationship with.
PS I should add that I’ve used my Quilt 250 for about 80 nights, 60 of them while summer hiking/climbing in Slovenia, summer hike ‘n sailing around the coast of Croatia, and spring and autumn hiking in the U.S., Canada, and Scandinavia. And then I’ve spent a few winter nights in sub -15 C temps where I used both pieces together as described in my previous comment. Both the Panyam 450 and Quilt 250 remain in superb condition.
PPS
The stuff sacks that Cumulus provides are simply too small to be truly function. Sure, it’s definitely impressive viewing just how small a volume a Cumulus bag/quilt can be packed down to, but it’s a time consuming pain in the proverbial butt to do so–even once a day, imho. My recommendation would be for Cumulus to go the Hilleberg route: Hilleberg provides generous stuff sacks to packing can be done without effort…and fast. Final compression then occurs when you put the package in your backpack and jam in other gear around it. I use my Panyam 450 stuff sack for my Quilt 250, and a Hilleberg tent stuff sack for my Panyam. But sure, the wonderfully puffy Cumulus quilts and bags do make for a cool party trick (with nerdy friends) when you show them just how small you can pack them. Way cool–but not always so practical in the field.
Thanks for the comment(s) and the good add-on to the post. You filled out the gaps that I left, thanks.
Hi. I am choosing between the 350 or the 450 quilt. I’m going to use it in northern sweden spring/summer/autumn and I expect temperatures close to zero degrees. What’s your take on that? Is the 450 overkill for this?
Hi Jonas! Yes I’d say it would be overkill for that purpose if you pack something to sleep in if it drops down to around zero degrees centigrade.
I’d go with the 250 even! So my answer was towards that product. 350 should be warm enough on its own.
How have your quilts been when it comes to leaking down through the fabric. I can only compare to my Panyam 600 and it feels like this leaks more. Perhaps it’s just because it’s new.. If you compare to other Cumulus products does your quilt leak more?
I have no experience with other products from Cumulus so I can’t say. However compared to previously and currently owned down sleeping bags I’d say that they’re about the same (Marmot).
Hi, I am new to quilts but like to test. What would you say about highest temperatures? If you compare Cumulus quilts, which have a closed foot, with for example Enlightened Equipment “Revelation” that opens up to a blanket, there should be a max temperature probably lower than for a full opening. Some of you are using the 250 – what is your opinion?
I don’t really have any other experience with different quilts. I just own and have owned the 250. It works good from 20+ degrees Celsius down to around zero. When it hits colder spots it also comes down to what sleeping pad you’ve got and how good you can handle the cold. I find myself bringing out my down hoodie jacket when it comes close to zero degrees Celsius.
Pingback: Long term review Cumulus Quilt 250 | Lighter Packs