A boy and his quilt

When I started my thru-hike of the PCT back in 2018, I used a quilt for 11 days until I changed it back to a mummy bag. I simply could not stand the draft every fracking time I moved around during the night.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results”.

In just two days, I’m heading out on my first hike of 2019 (which you can read about here), and—against all odds—I’m bringing a quilt. Again. I know, I know! At this point, it might seem like I’m just a glutton for punishment, but hear me out. I wanted to go as ultralight as possible for this trip, and my sleep system was one of the few places left where I could shave off some serious weight without resorting to, say, cutting my toothbrush in half (been there, done that).

This time, I’m rolling the dice with the Western Mountaineering AstraLite quilt. I used one of their sleeping bags on my PCT thru-hike, so I know they make quality stuff—but let’s just say I’m cautiously optimistic rather than blindly trusting.

At 17.5 ounces (496 g), this thing is basically the ghost of a sleeping bag—airy, minimal, and hopefully warm enough to prevent midnight regrets..
With 850+ fill power goose down, a 7D shell fabric that feels like it could float away in a light breeze, and a temperature rating around 26°F (-3°C), it’s as close to weightlessness as you can get while still technically having insulation. It also comes with a clever strap system to secure it to a sleeping pad—because waking up burrito’d in a twisted mess of fabric at 2 AM is never fun.

Am I 100% confident this quilt will work better for me this time? Not exactly. But I’m going in with my eyes wide open (until I pass out from exhaustion, that is). At least I know what I’m getting myself into—no illusions, just pure optimism and a questionable tolerance for cold nights.

I’ll be hiking the Swedish Coast to Coast (Kustleden) with Thomas, who is using this as a shakedown hike before his 2020 Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) attempt. He’s testing out his gear, figuring out what works, and making sure he won’t hate his setup somewhere in the middle of the Mojave. Meanwhile, I’ll be over here, trying not to turn into a popsicle in my ultra-light, ultra-risky sleep system. Should be fun!

I plan on making videos for this trip of cause, but I will upload them when I get back from the hike so I really can enjoy the trip, but I will put up pictures on my Instagram, so you won’t miss out completely 😉