The Best Ultralight Backpacking Quilts (2026): Zenbivy, REI

Published 3 July 2026 · india

Less is less, don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. This is especially true when you’re carrying everything you need to live for a week on

Less is less, don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. This is especially true when you’re carrying everything you need to live for a week on your back, which brings us to the backpacking quilt: It’s a sleeping bag, but less. In many cases, a backpacking quilt is all you need, and I’ve come to like them better than sleeping bags for all but the coldest of trips. These quilts are not like the ones your grandmother gave you. Backpacking quilts are made of nylon and filled with down like a traditional sleeping bag, but they lie over you like a quilt, rather than wrapping you up the way a sleeping bag would. The benefit is twofold: A quilt is lighter, meaning less weight to carry in your pack, and in the right conditions, you just might sleep better too. WIRED Top Picks Why Is a Quilt Better Than a Sleeping Bag? AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron I have a whole article devoted to answering this question, but the short version is that it’s just as warm, and weighs less. The science behind the first assertion is basic physics. When you lie down in a sleeping bag, the weight of your body forces most of the down fill off to the sides. The down left under you is so little and so compacted (by your lying on it) that you’re not getting any real insulation from it. Why, the logic goes, carry around weight you’re not using? Quilts get rid of the bottom layer of a sleeping bag, and lie 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.

When Is a Sleeping Bag Better Than a Quilt? AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron When it’s really cold. The problem with quilts is drafts (they don’t wrap around you so they’re prone to letting in cold air) and their lack of hoods. Drafts aren’t a big deal in the summer when most of us backpack, which is why I like them more than sleeping bags most of the time. That said, when I head out skiing or snowshoeing in the depths of winter, I bring a subzero sleeping bag. After years of testing, I’ve found just about any quilt fine for summer use. For shoulder-season trips where temps may dip below freezing, I still use a quilt, but I use a Zenbivy, which keeps out drafts better than other quilts thanks to the additional sheet and side baffles. Any time I think temps will dip below 20°F, I bring a sleeping bag. If They’ve Less Material, Why Are Quilts More Expensive? AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron Quilts are sometimes—but not always—more expensive than a traditional lightweight sleeping bag. Why are we paying more for less? In most cases, the answer is down-fill power. Cheaper sleeping bags often use 650 down fill, whereas most quilts are in the 800 to 1,000 fill-power range, which makes them somewhat pricier. That said, there are some great lower-priced down quilts, like REI’s Magma Quilt (see below). The Best Quilt for Ultralight Summer Trips Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Enlightened Equipment Revelation Quilt (40°F) $370 Enlightened Equipment For summer trips, when I want to go as light as possible, Enlightened Equipment’s Revelation Quilt is my top pick.