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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Quilts and Blankets > MontBell - Down Sleeping Wrap 2 Long > Test Report by David Wilkes

Test series by David Wilkes

MontBell
DOWN SLEEPING WRAP #2 LONG

Initial Report - June 1 2020
Field Report - August 13 2020
Long Term Report - October 19 2020

Tester Information

Name: David Wilkes
E-Mail: amatbrewer@yahoo.com
Age: 52
Location: Yakima Washington USA
Gender: M
Height: 5'11" (1.80 m)
Weight: 210 lb (90.7 kg)

Biography:

I started backpacking in 1995 when I moved to Washington State. Since then, I have backpacked in all seasons and conditions the Northwest has to offer.  I prefer trips on rugged trails with plenty of elevation gain. While I continuously strive to lighten my load, comfort and safety are most important to me. I have finally managed to get my basic cold weather pack weight, not including consumables, to under 30 lb (14 kg).

Product Information

Manufacturer:

mont-bell Co.,Ltd. 

Year of Manufacture:

2020

Manufacturer’s Website:

https://www.montbell.us/

MSRP:

$399.00 USD

Weight:

Listed 1lb 9.4 oz. (719 g)
Measured 1lb 8.8 oz. (702 g)

Fill weight:

15.2 oz. (430 g)

Insulation:

800 Fill Power EX Down

Fabric:

10-denier Ballistic Airlight nylon
POLKATEX® DWR treatment

Compressed size:

Listed ∅5.9 x 11.7 in. (∅15 x 30 cm), 5.1 L
Measured ~6 x  11in  (~15 x  28 cm) 

Dimensions:

Size listed: approx. 53.1 x 84.3 in / 135 x 214 cm
Measured: 50 x 78 in (127 x 198 cm)

Max User Height: 6 ft 6 in / 198 cm

Country of origin:

VIETNAM

Product Image
Product Image

Product Description:

The MontBell DOWN SLEEPING WRAP #2  (hear after referred to as the quilt or wrap) is a lightweight down quilt with features allowing it to also function similar to a sleeping bag. It has plastic snaps and a drawstring for creating a sleeping bag type foot-box, elastic straps to secure the middle of the quilt under a sleeping pad and a snap & drawstring at the head end to reduce drafts. It is intended for temperatures around 25F (-4C) to 35F (2C).

Initial Report

June 1 2019

Quilt, sttuff sack, and stoarage bagUpon receiving the wrap I was surprised with how big it was. It is quite large when uncompressed. My next observation is that the shell material "10-denier Ballistic Airlight nylon" is lightweight but feels surprisingly durable. I have other lightweight down items and one common factor is that the shells are very delicate, but that is not seem to be the case with this quilt. And while I did find a single feather on the ground after unpacking, I could see no 'leaking' of stuffing through the material or at any of the seams. The filling of the quilt is rather thick, giving the impression that it will be very warm. I quickly noticed the snaps are plastic. I like this detail as plastic snaps are much lighter than metal ones, and while they may not hold as securely as metal, that only means if pulled on the snap should hopefully separate before putting enough stress on the material to cause tearing. The two elastic straps each have a small sewn in storage slot, which is another very nice detail that adds no weight. The quilt came with a large (I believe to be cotton) storage sack that is of nicer weave than some of the pillow cases I own (another nice detail) and a "tapered" stuff sack. I assume the "tapered" refers to the two draw strings that allow the quilt to be stuffed down to two different sizes. Not sure why this would be necessary, but I do appreciate the additional option it affords. If I had to "nitpick" on any missed opportunity, it would be the seemingly unnecessarily large and thick tags on the quilt as well as the stuff sack. I would think for an item that is targeted at people who put a high priority on minimizing weight/volume, this is a surprising detail to miss. Printing this directly on the material would be preferable. Since we are not allowed to alter the items unnecessarily during testing, I will leave the tags. But if I had purchased this, I would certainly have cut them off immediately.

After inspecting the item, I laid out the quilt to get a feel for its size. The length seems more than adequate for me (I am 5' 11" / 1.8m tall) and seems more than wide enough despite the fact that I am not exactly what anyone would describe as "athletic", fat might be a better adjective. I then used the snaps and draw string to create the foot box and upon lying down, my dog (~80 lb / 36kg Lab/Pit mix) immediately climbed on top of me and the quilt. I feared her claws would shred the shell material but that was unfounded. When I was finally able to get her off of me and to lie beside me, the quilt was large enough to cover both of us. As she is a total wimp when it comes to cold, this is important.Logo and strap tucked away

Despite the quilt's large size it is quite easy to stuff into its stuff sack and reduces down to about the volume of a 1.5 L (50oz) water bottle.

I would mention here that I have never used a quilt sleep system before, but as I am what can be described as a "rotisserie sleeper", I tend to turn from side, to back to side, etc during the night, sleeping bags can be difficult for me. I also often use a hammock, which is not especially compatible with a sleeping bag. So I have long wanted to make the switch (at least for warmer weather) to a quilt.

Likes:
  • Large and thick but light
  • Does not appear to be fragile
  • Some nice details that add to functionality but not weight

Opertunities:
  • Eliminate the large thick tags
    footboxStrap

Field Report

August 13 2020
Use:
  • Backpacking 3 nights - Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Central Washington Cascades - nighttime lows ~40F (4.5C) - 28 mi/ 45 km - elevations between 4000-6000' / 1219-1829 m
  • Camping 3 nights Oregon Coast - inside a camper - nighttime lows ranged from about 40F- 50F (4.5C-10C)
  • Camping 3 nights Bend Oregon - inside a camper - nighttime lows ranged from about 40F- 50F (4.5C-10C)
This has been a trying time for gear testing. All of my plans have been either canceled or indefinitely postponed. Even trail work has been either canceled or severely restricted (as of now we can scout but no work involving tools is allowed and nothing that involves overnight stays). While some of the forests are open, all the public campgrounds, parks, and such are closed. Some private campgrounds are open but have lots of extra rules and restrictions (e.g. must be fully self-contained, no tents, and public facilities such as bathrooms are closed). My backpacking trip was something I could squeeze in, and kind of skirts the edges of what is allowed. And we had to travel out of the county in order to get in what little camping we have managed.

Spoiler alert: Based on my use of this quilt so far I doubt I will go back to using a sleeping bag except for trips where the temperatures are expected to be too cold for this quilt (e.g. winter).

While trying out the various configurations along with my sleeping pad (~3"/8cm thick insulated inflatable pad) I discovered the buckles on the elastic straps could easily come off...because one of them did. Luckily this was at home and I was able to locate it. The ends of the straps have no loop or other way to prevent the buckle from sliding off the ends of the elastic strap. Given the quality of this product and the otherwise high attention to detail, it is surprising they missed this. I contacted the manufacturer asking if this was by design or an issue with my item, and received a quick reply: "The straps are not sewn into a loop or hemmed in any way, so you may want to fold and sew a small piece of the strap at the end to keep the buckle from sliding off.  We will send your suggestion on to our team, thank you and have a great day!"
I sewed small loops into the end of each strap and I believe this will resolve the issue.

I verified that the quilt was large enough to completely cover me regardless of wether it is fully open or the foot box entirely closed. The elastic straps are long enough that I can easily wrap them around my sleeping pad and the quilt is not tight or constricting in any way.

My first night backpacking was after a few hours of hiking in the rain. I had protected the quilt and other key gear from getting wet but I was soaked (rain and sweat). I set up my tent in light rain so the interior was not entirely dry. The temperatures were expected to stay well above freezing so I closed the foot-box of the quilt (I tend to get very cold feet) but just draped the quilt over my sleeping pad without using the straps. I tend to be a very active ("rotisserie") sleeper and turn over often. During the night I had to adjust the quilt a few times when I turned over, but I found it be far less than I would normally fuss with a mummy sleeping bag.

NOTE: during this trip I wore a thin base layer and warm socks to sleep in. This is my normal practice unless I am expecting very warm nighttime temperatures.

The other two nights I wrapped the lowest of the two elastic straps around my sleeping mat with the buckle positioned for its full length. This prevented the quilt from moving regardless of how much I did. I would note that this was a brutal trip and by the time I went to bed in the evening every part of my body hurt and I was unable to find any position that was comfortable, so I tossed and turned even more than normal. I would also mention that due to recent rains and lots of remaining snow, the humidity was higher than normal for this area/time of year. The first morning I found some moisture on the exterior of the quilt's foot box and had no opportunity to dry it that day so it was still damp when I set up camp that night. The following morning as far as I could tell the quilt was fully dry.

While camping I used the quilt as an alternative blanket. Between my wife and dog (82lb/37kg Lab Pit mix) I often lose the fight for the blanket. So I simply draped the quilt over me, which worked quite well, and I wish I had thought of it sooner.

I also have wrapped up in the quilt at home for watching TV in our chilly basement and for a couple of chilly nights when sitting out on the deck. This quilt is quite warm and comfortable even against bare skin.

I like that this quilt is very warm for its weight, versatile, and packs down very small. The straps seem to work well to hold the quilt in place without making it restrictive. Aside for the above issue with the straps I have found no problems. If there was anything that could make this better it would be an additional set of snaps allowing me to wear it like a cape around camp in place of my down puffy, thereby further reducing my gear weight/bulk.

Long Term Report

October 19 2020
HammockUse:
Backpacking – 1 night, Central Washington Cascades, Dear Lake, elevation 5219ft / 1591m, light rain/wind, nighttime low about 35F ( 2C)

Despite most of the local trails parks and forests being closed due to a combination of COVID-19, fires, and high fire risk, I wanted to try the quilt in my hammock before the end of the test series. I finally managed to get in one more night of backpacking at a local trail once they got the road open. (The fires in the area were only partially contained.) The weather was intermittent rain and light wind which was good for getting the fires under control but not exactly ideal for backpacking, and while it was comfortable during the day the night was colder than I had expected. As such I was not quite prepared but it did give me a good idea of how warm this quilt is.

For cool weather I have a homemade down under-quilt, which I augment with an insulated pad for cold weather, but as I was not expecting it to be this cold I only packed the under quilt and the Down Sleeping Wrap. The first couple of hours in the hammock were uncomfortable, I could feel the heat being sucked out of me through the under quilt with every breeze, however when the breeze stopped the I was able to warm up quickly, which I attribute to the warmth of the Sleeping Wrap. The wind tapered off and by early morning, while it was rather cold there was no wind so my bottom side was only moderately cold while the rest of my body was quite warm and I managed to finally get a few hours of fitful sleep.

Inside hammockI am quite happy with the way the quilt worked in the hammock. I was able to close off the foot box which held the quilt in place despite my constant repositioning to warm up the coldest part of my bottom. The length and width of the quilt allowed me to get full coverage and even wrap some of it under me, not that compressed down provides much insulation but I was willing to take any insulation I could get. Had I a better under quilt or my insulated pad, I have no doubt I would have been comfortable and warm in much lower temperatures.

At the conclusion of the test I examined the Sleeping Wrap and can find no indications of wear or potential failure points.

Considering future post-test use, now that we are getting some snow in the mountains, I look forward to trying the quilt out for some subfreezing conditions. And I have no doubt that besides maybe the coldest of conditions, I will be getting very little use out of my sleeping bags, as I am now a quilt convert.



This concludes my Report.
I would like to thank the folks at MontBell
and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test this product.

 



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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Quilts and Blankets > MontBell - Down Sleeping Wrap 2 Long > Test Report by David Wilkes



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