Nunatak Back Country Blanket
Owner Review by Richard Lyon
November 7, 2010

Male, 64 years old
Height: 6' 4" (1.91 m)
Weight: 205 lb (93 kg)
Email address: montana DOT angler AT gmail DOT com
Home: Dallas, Texas USA

I've been backpacking for almost half a century, and regularly in the Rockies since 1986.  I do a weeklong trip every summer, and often take three-day trips.  I'm usually camping in alpine terrain, at altitudes 5000 to 13000 ft (1500 - 4000 m).  I prefer base camp backpacking, a long hike in with day trips from camp, but I do my share of forced marches too.  Though always looking for ways to reduce weight, I'm not yet a lightweight hiker and I usually choose to carry a bit more to enjoy camp conveniences I've come to expect.

Two pieces of personal information color this review.  I am cold-prone. I sleep cold even at home and regularly pack a sleeping bag rated 10 –15 degrees F (6–8 degrees C) below the minimum expected temperature.  Also I'm mildly claustrophobic and have always preferred semi-rectangular bags to mummies.

Product Information

The Back Country Blanket (or BCB, to use Nunatak’s abbreviation) is a trapezoidal down quilt that can be used as a blanket or cinched up to form a semi-rectangular sleeping bag.

Manufacturer: Nunatak Gear LLC (www.nunatakusa.com).  
Year of manufacture: 2005
Year of purchase: 2006
MSRP: Size Long, $479 US. Down overfill, $10 US per ounce (28 g) when I purchased it, now $15 US.
Materials: 800+-fill goose down insulation.  Nylon taffeta on one side, spinnaker cloth rip-stop nylon fabric on the other.  Nunatak no longer offers this latter fabric.  When placing an order the customer chooses fabrics from Nunatak’s then-available inventory. 
Color: Navy blue exterior, black interior. Fabric inventory dictates color choice.
Rating: 20 F (-7 C) as a sleeping bag (without overfill).

Note: Nunatak makes all its down products to order, with the customer selecting fabric, fill, and other made-to-measure details.  Though each product does have measurements, features, and prices listed on the manufacturer’s website, these are guidelines rather than fixed figures.  Nunatak encourages customization; this is a company that strives to furnish just what the customer needs.  Customization explains the substantial discrepancies in the listed and measured columns below. Listed dimensions are for size Long, 0.8 oz rip-stop fabric, the closest in weight to the spinnaker cloth on my Blanket. Measured dimensions are for size Long + 6 inches [15 cm], 0.95 oz spinnaker rip-stop fabric, and 6 oz [170 g] down overfill.

Weight, listed 24 oz/680 g, measured 31 oz/879 g
Length, listed 76 in/193 cm, measured 82 in/208 cm
Baffle height, listed 2.5 in/64 mm, measured 2.75 in/70 mm
 
AS A BLANKET.  The listed widths are Nunatak's listing for girth as a sleeping bag.
 
Width at shoulder, listed 61 in/155 cm , measured 59 in/150 cm
Width at hip, listed 53 in/135 cm, measured 51 in/130 cm
Width at foot, listed 46 in/117 cm, measured 42 in/107 cm
 
AS A BAG.  Measured across the Blanket when closed as a sleeping bag. No listed widths.
 
Width at shoulder,  28.5 in/72 cm
Width at hip, 24.5 in/62 cm
Width at foot, 20 in/51 cm 



Because of my preference for base camp backpacking, because I've always bought equipment designed to last,  and perhaps also because I'm a contrarian who tends to resist trends, I've remained a mid-weight backpacker even after learning that today there is available highly functional gear that's much lighter than what I have been using.  The last time I approached a birthday with a zero in it, I decided that less weight just might make me a happier camper.  This jolt of common sense coincided with my first purchase (a sweater) from Nunatak.  I liked that sweater so much for ski touring that when the Blanket was posted on Nunatak's "Clearance" page I made an impulse purchase, with the intention of combining the two as my backcountry sleep system.  (The Clearance page includes "seconds, overstock and demos" that are offered "at considerable discounts." The BCB that I purchased was either a prototype or a shell that someone else had ordered but later cancelled.) As I had done with the sweater, I spoke first with Tom Halpin, Nunatak's founder, about the accuracy of the temperature rating and at his suggestion purchased an additional six ounces (170 g) of down fill to accommodate my cold sleeping.  This addition brings the total fill in my Blanket to 18 ounces (510 g).

Because it was on the Clearance page, I received the Blanket shortly after placing my order.  As each “standard” product is made up only after an order is received, and often includes some custom work, a lead time of several weeks is common.  I note this to alert a prospective customer, not to find fault with Nunatak.  I consider this a normal consequence of bespoke work.

Field Conditions

Over the past four years the Blanket has been my sleeping bag of choice on at least fifty backcountry nights, almost always only for myself.  Twice I’ve shared the Blanket, used as a quilt, with a friend.  Nighttime temperatures have ranged from 6 to 50 F (-14 to 10 C), with all use (except my home try-out, described below) inside a floored tent.  My normal backcountry sleepwear is merino wool long-sleeve shirt and long merino bottoms, supplemented with a down or heavier merino sweater when the temperature drops below freezing, and I usually wear wool socks.  I also always cover my head, using a hoody, lightweight wool or synthetic cap, or my Golightly Cashmere Watch Cap (reviewed on this site), depending on the expected temperature.

I don’t use one particular sleeping pad with the Blanket.  I tend to use a down pad in colder temperatures and a three-quarter length inflatable pad at other times.

Some representative examples of trips with the Blanket include:

Dallas, late February 2006.  Shortly after receiving the Blanket a "norther" (a winter cold spell that occasionally sweeps across the North Texas prairie) gave me an opportunity for home testing on my back deck.  Wearing a down sweater over my wool top, I slept on a chaise lounge on the back porch, with the Blanket fully cinched up, a full-length sleeping pad under the Blanket, and a tarp laid over me as an extra layer and protection against the occasional snow flurries.  I was comfortable in temperatures that got down to 25 F (-5 C).  In the morning I loosened the foot cord, stepped into my shoes and walked back into the house.  A promising start.

Texas Hill Country, April 2006 (backpacking debut).  Two of us used the BCB as a top quilt, inside a tent, on an overnighter when the temperature dropped to 45 F (8 C).  My friend wore a second merino top layer and a fleece cap, each of us had a full-length pad underneath, and we laid our windbreakers on top of the pads.  About half way through the night I gave up fighting my friend for half the Blanket and put on a merino sweater.

Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana, August 2006.  This was a weeklong base camp backpack, during which my sleepwear included a down sweater over a short-sleeve merino shirt that I was testing and merino bottoms, sleeping inside a tent.  Temperatures dropped to 35-40 F (2–5 C) at night.  Again no problem with the cold.  Because I wore the down sweater I had the side of the bag about half open.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming and Idaho, October 2007.  An eight-day, seven-night backpack along the Bechler River.  On the first night the mercury dropped to 6 F (-14 C), but then nighttime temperatures reverted to a more normal 20-25 F (-7 to -5 C).  That chilly first night was the only time I’ve pulled the hood on my down sweater over my head when sleeping; on the other nights I relied on my watch cap.  No  shivering except when I needed to go outside to answer nature’s call.  On all nights I cinched the Velcro to about ten inches (25 cm) below the top of the bag.

Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana, August 2008.  Another weeklong base camp backpack, with warmer temperatures, below 40 F (4 C) only once.  I didn’t need a sweater, and slept comfortably warm every night.

Rock Creek, near Missoula, Montana, July 2010.  This was a car-camping night, when a friend and I used the Blanket as a top quilt.  Each of us had a pad and rain shell underneath.  The coldest temperature was about 50 F (10 C), so neither of us minded when the other tugged the Blanket to one side.

I mention a couple of non-backpacking uses under my likes and dislikes below.

Evaluation

The BCB’s overfill, extra-long length, and ability to vary its configuration to suit the present conditions make it the most versatile bag I’ve ever owned.  It has kept me warm below its rated temperature yet works just as well in the summertime. If I could keep only one sleeping bag, this would be it.

Fit.  The BCB's ability to open along one side suits a side-sleeper like me, as I can extend my arms out that side.  The first time that I slept entirely inside the BCB with top and bottom cinched up I found it to be tight at the shoulders, even though it's listed as Nunatak's widest bag.  From reading Nunatak's explication of its design philosophy, however, I don't consider this a flaw; weight saving is always this fine company's top priority.  It's I who needs to get used to the sacrifices required to lighten my pack.  When used a sleeping bag the BCB is elsewhere quite roomy, with ample space for a water bottle or other gear that I might want to keep from freezing.  Particularly with the extra length, it allows tossing and turning inside the bag, which I do often and which most mummies greatly restrict.  This was my first bag that opens at the foot and I like this feature.  One night in Montana I made use of this to sleep with one foot exposed to help treat a blister.  At any time it's one more means of regulating ventilation.

As a two-person quilt the Blanket is satisfactory only if the users are close friends neither of whom is a blanket hog.  I could remove this limitation with a custom quilt with about twelve inches’ (30 cm) greater width. I’ve seriously considered this, and not only for top quilt use.  It could work in colder temperatures by mating with my current Blanket to make a couple’s bag.   Any down wars could be easily resolved by an immediate truce, each combatant retreating to her or his own cocoon.

Despite the extra six inches (15 cm) of length the Blanket, when stuffed into a compression sack, fits easily into the bottom of either my expedition or weekend pack.

Fabric.  I didn't choose the spinnaker cloth fabric, but I'm very pleased with it.  While a bit shinier than what I'm used to, this fabric has a pleasant, soft hand with none of the slipperiness I've encountered in many fabrics used in lightweight gear.  I always camp with a floored tent and am therefore less concerned with water resistance than if I used a tarp or bivy, and I appreciate the weight saving.  While it appears quite thin, the spinnaker fabric has so far proven to be scratch- and sharp object-proof.  But not completely downproof, as I occasionally notice an escaping feather.  The taffeta inside fabric has remained downproof.

Water.  The Blanket's only encounter with water was a coffee splash while my friend wore it as a wrap.  I immediately sponged the coffee out with water, and washed the spot after I returned home, and the fabric and down showed no ill effects.

Cold rating.  I was really (and pleasantly) surprised by the BCB's performance on my one below-freezing night, especially as I didn't use a tent, and if anything subsequent experience has made me even happier.  At colder temperatures the Blanket’s extra length helps me get inside up to my chin, and with a down sweater gives me two down layers over my torso, the area where I am most affected by cold.

Velcro seal.  This has also exceeded my expectations.  I've often criticized garment makers for using Velcro instead of a zipper, as unexpected movements can force open a Velcro seal at exactly the worst moment.  When I've used the BCB as a bag the Velcro has stayed together at the places I put it together, and it kept the wind out the only night I slept outdoors.  Velcro doesn't snag on the fabric, and of course it  weighs less than a zipper.

Care.  I've cleaned the Blanket several times, by hand in the bathtub, using a down-specific product.  It took a couple of days to dry completely, but when dry the loft looked as good as new.

What I Like

Versatility.  As discussed above I have been able to adapt the Blanket to every temperature I've encountered, down to 6 F (-14 C).  Its versatility extends beyond backpacking.  With its extra six inches (15 cm) my BCB is exactly the length of a standard queen bed, so it's a useful quilt in my guest bedroom, though in that service I must take care to keep one of my dogs from expropriating it as her day bed.

Weight Saving. When I bought it the BCB weighed just under a pound (454 g) less than the next heavier bag in my gear closet, and much more from colder-rated choices.

Design.  The Blanket lacks a specially designed foot box, draft collar, inside pocket, and similar features that are often available on bags designed for lightweight backpacking.  For me that's a big plus -- there's so much less that can go wrong.  Everything Nunatak has included serves a purpose and this product works.  Who needs anything more?

Quality.  It wouldn't be fair to Nunatak not to mention this.  Sewing, down quality, and everything else are top notch.

What I Don’t

If I do order that second BCB from Nunatak, I shall request at least an additional four inches (10 cm) at the shoulders, just for solo use.  My Blanket is a tad too snug for me when it's a cocoon.

Recent use of a Nunatak Arc series bag and a bag with a pad sleeve has spoiled me in one respect – both keep the sleeping pad beneath me.  I’ve tried sticking the pad inside a cinched-up foot area of the Blanket, but that’s too narrow to hold any of my pads.