Cumulus Quilt 350

Toray are a long established quality Japanese fabric mill. Used currently and in past by plenty of outdoor gear makers. Alpkit, Montane, Crane sports (Aldi!), Cumulus and Tundra come to mind immediately.

Our old Pipedreams were Toray fabrics throughout.

The old Montane Atomics were Toray fabric before they switched to the Pertex.

Membrane series by RBTR is a relative new kid on the block . RBTR spec their fabrics, but they are mainly made in Asia by similar mills to Toray.

BTW. Although well priced, l wouldn't say Alpkit were budget quality bags. Their selling model meant they could sell direct cheaper than other brands retail cost.
I have the Kiuiu Peleton Fleece in Toray fabric, excellent stuff.
 

island

Summit Camper
Hi, I was looking at a Quilt 450 (for the Pyrenees in September) but long/wide (15cm longer/10cm wider). I am 188cm tall (6'2").
Cumulus gave me this info:

Quilt 450
Standard : 710g total // 450g fill // max user height 185cm
Long/Wide : 810g total // 520g fill // max user height 200cm

I thought about it and I'm a pretty warm sleeper and will have a hooded puffy for the occasional chilly nights.
So... I thought, if the Quilt 350 is sized up to long/wide it might be something like this:

Quilt 350
Standard : 600g total // 350g fill // max user height 185cm
Long/Wide : 700g total // 450g fill // max user height 200cm (<- guessing all these as Cumulus have not answered).

I kind of want to keep weight down but still be warm. I *think* 450g of fill in the Q350 L/W would be enough.... any advice?
I think I would be cooking with 520g of fill in the Q450 L/W.

Nunatak have a handy chart on their site and a similar 20F L/W quilt has 463g of fill.
 

Daniel

Thru Hiker
Hi, I was looking at a Quilt 450 (for the Pyrenees in September) but long/wide (15cm longer/10cm wider). I am 188cm tall (6'2").
Cumulus gave me this info:

Quilt 450
Standard : 710g total // 450g fill // max user height 185cm
Long/Wide : 810g total // 520g fill // max user height 200cm

I thought about it and I'm a pretty warm sleeper and will have a hooded puffy for the occasional chilly nights.
So... I thought, if the Quilt 350 is sized up to long/wide it might be something like this:

Quilt 350
Standard : 600g total // 350g fill // max user height 185cm
Long/Wide : 700g total // 450g fill // max user height 200cm (<- guessing all these as Cumulus have not answered).

I kind of want to keep weight down but still be warm. I *think* 450g of fill in the Q350 L/W would be enough.... any advice?
I think I would be cooking with 520g of fill in the Q450 L/W.

Nunatak have a handy chart on their site and a similar 20F L/W quilt has 463g of fill.
the quilt 350 is true to temp rating
 
I may be misunderstanding what you are asking, but the fill weight 'effect' (rating) doesn't change as you increase the size. They just need more fill as the shell is bigger. Is that what you are wondering?
The heavier quilt '350 L-W' would do the same job as the 'Regular 350'- so the Quilt 350 Long/Wide : 700g total // 450g fill // max user height 200cm should be good for (as Zentrekker and Daniel attest) the limit as a male for -4 or female 2 degrees.
520 grams LW in the 450 will just give you the same rating as the 'regular 450'.
FWIW Nunatak seem to set the benchmark for accurate down quantities.
The question is will be -4 or so (should you be male) be what you want for that climate?
Age also factors in too. Older people often sleep colder, as do females. Cheers
 

island

Summit Camper
Thanks Lamont-Cranston, partly me being a bit dumb but also thrown a bit by the Nunatak fill for a similarly rated bag (520g vs 463g for same L/W).
 
Thanks Lamont-Cranston, partly me being a bit dumb but also thrown a bit by the Nunatak fill for a similarly rated bag (520g vs 463g for same L/W).
No worries. I go a bag under a couple of degrees. Look at the stunning weight and ratio of fill to down in some of some of those Cumulus bags!
 

ZenTrekker

Section Hiker
I may be misunderstanding what you are asking, but the fill weight 'effect' (rating) doesn't change as you increase the size. They just need more fill as the shell is bigger. Is that what you are wondering?
The heavier quilt '350 L-W' would do the same job as the 'Regular 350'- so the Quilt 350 Long/Wide : 700g total // 450g fill // max user height 200cm should be good for (as Zentrekker and Daniel attest) the limit as a male for -4 or female 2 degrees.
520 grams LW in the 450 will just give you the same rating as the 'regular 450'.
FWIW Nunatak seem to set the benchmark for accurate down quantities.
The question is will be -4 or so (should you be male) be what you want for that climate?
Age also factors in too. Older people often sleep colder, as do females. Cheers
I have an excellent little book titled: The Secrets Of Warmth by Hal Weiss. In it he states a very simple formula "Thickness=Warmth". If you have the same amount of down fill in a larger bag, it will be less thick and not so warm.
 
I have an excellent little book titled: The Secrets Of Warmth by Hal Weiss. In it he states a very simple formula "Thickness=Warmth". If you have the same amount of down fill in a larger bag, it will be less thick and not so warm.
Isn't Island saying he will have 100 grams more down in the '350' model i.e 450 grams. Or did I misunderstand?
Don't Cumulus state that is the appropriate equivalent fill to the 'regular length' 350?
So the same quilt, same rating, but for a bigger user?
 

Bob-W

Trail Blazer
Without applying some formula or other you can only really compare fill weights if the down is the same fill power (using the same scale, either standard or US) and quality. So if both bags are the same size and have 800fp 95/5 quality down then that's fine. If one has 700fp and one 800fp then things become a little tricky.

There's two "standards" for fill power, US and EN, with the US figure being roughly 50 higher than the EN value for the same down sample so US 850fp = EN 800fp (roughly). This means that a bag/quilt with 450g of 800fp (US) won't be as warm as a bag/quilt with 450g of 800fp (EN) all other factors being equal.

The bag also needs the cells holding the down to be big enough for the down to fully loft but not too big that it can move around. If you look at the details on Cumulus' site for their quilts they give both weight of down and of the shell - the latter increases ever so slightly, by about 20g, as more down is added to allow for the increased loft.

If Cumulus have calculated that an extra 70g of down is required for the long/wide version to have the same rating then I'd be inclined to believe them.
 

island

Summit Camper
Yes, I just need to work out if I want to buy a Quilt 350 or 450 (in my size). GF is def getting a 450.
 

Enzo

Thru Hiker
I think there is a point,different for everyone when as you add more down for a lower rating you reach the point where a bag makes more sense. For me it's between 350 and 450g of 850eu. For me I'd go 350 and anything much bellow freezing I'd bring a decent warm jacket to boost the quilt. Less than -5 or 6 I think I'd use a bag/over bag.
 
Yes, I just need to work out if I want to buy a Quilt 350 or 450 (in my size). GF is def getting a 450.
What temp 'comfy' do you want?
How cold are the 'normal' lows (not the average!) you would expect in the Pyrenees at the time you are going-September?
Have you studied the meteorological historical temps-i.e lows.
This is what I would definitely be doing, for what it's worth.
 

Tartanferret

Thru Hiker
@Lamont-Cranston
@jack4allfriends

Had a play with it this morning and a another weighing. Sorry for being cryptic but it is indeed only 15g lighter than standard. (The weight of the supplied stuff sack)

I will try the silly straps out but I suspect they will be removed, giving the weight You and I were in the ballpark of expecting.

I really like the fabric, traps air like nothing else I own. Putting it in a stuff sack is like trying to push a balloon through a letterbox lol.

Airtastic? it truly is :thumbsup:

Living in this country, I can’t imagine buying a 150 quilt but if I did, i’d go with that fabric for sure.

* off to research an ultralight underquilt project now, another ker-ching spend that I don’t NEED
 

jack4allfriends

Summit Camper
I think there weight per webpage are without straps. I want to get Taiga 360 in Airtastic bc I don't like open footbox & they told me it's 40gr lighter than standard.
 
Last edited:

jack4allfriends

Summit Camper
For hammocking?
Nope. I stay on the ground, mostly.. It seems narrow on the pics but width is the same by specs (Taiga is 2cm wider).

I feel like Taiga is better choice from Cumulus offerings bc of close footbox, especially in higher weight/ more 3 season options. I'm side sleeper & vertical baffles should be better match. Just not sure about Taiga's differential cut, probably designed for hammock pressing on baffles from the outside. Don't know, should ask.
 

Muiriosa

Trekker
Hi folks, first poster here! I am a (very!) new backpacker from Ireland. I'm hoping to add gradually to my kit over the next year.

I don't want to spend crazy money in case I don't keep up the hiking but I also don't want to buy something I'll have to upgrade in 6 months time!

I've been looking at cumulus quilts and/or bags but I'm concerned about the down in my wet climate. Should I just splurge for a synthetic quilt? I'm currently using a snugpak travel pak 2!
 

ZenTrekker

Section Hiker
FWIW & only a personal view, I don't think its that difficult to keep a down quilt/bag dry, you just have to be careful. I also think its a fallacy that synthetic bags are warmer when wet, nothing is warmer when wet, in my experience.

One way a down bag can get wet is from sensible (& insensible) perspiration). If you have a bag that is over-specced and you overheat, your bag will get wet (from the inside). This is where a quilt scores because you can vent it more easily.
 

qy_

Trail Blazer
Nope. I stay on the ground, mostly.. It seems narrow on the pics but width is the same by specs (Taiga is 2cm wider).

I feel like Taiga is better choice from Cumulus offerings bc of close footbox, especially in higher weight/ more 3 season options. I'm side sleeper & vertical baffles should be better match. Just not sure about Taiga's differential cut, probably designed for hammock pressing on baffles from the outside. Don't know, should ask.

I think the Taiga might be less wide over the torso even though it has the same with at the top. Anyway, I have one and it´s perfect for hammock but to narrow for me as a side sleeper to use sleeping on the ground. For a back sleeper it might be just workable but I would want something wider even if I always slept on the back. Cumulus can add width to their quilts but you have to email them about it, there is no configurator on their web site. It is the width that is the problem, I don´t think you have to worry about the buffles.
 
Top