South East Queensland quilt: +5 or +10 rating?

[wygya]

Hey!

I've got a -12 rated quilt that I bought for use in Tasmania and other cold winter areas in Australia. I will soon be working from SEQ fairly frequently and I'm considering a quilt for that area, for most of the year when I won't need to roll out the -12.

I'm wavering between +5 and +10 at the moment but wondering, folks with SEQ experience, would you opt for +5, +10, or another rating, for your 'other' quilt if you already had a -12 for the extreme winter spots?

Cheers

[ofuros]

Depends where you like to set up camp, wild windy summits, chilly gorges, rainy rainforests, misty valley's or sandy seashores....I'm thinking more along along the lines of at least 0°c for coverage on mountain peaks & the associated wind chill during our cool winter season.
You can always flick a arm or leg out to cool down during summer sauna or add some thermals & a beanie to survive the pummeling from an overnight cold front.

We get crunchy frosts down south around Stanthorpe & out west Carnarvon way, both have topography above the 1000m mark...see what the other SE Queenslanders quilt users use when they have their say.

[wygya]

Thanks ofuros. I was thinking I'd use my winter quilt in colder months and locations (like the ones you mention) around SEQ, leaving me with the option to have a lighter quilt to carry the rest of the year. I don't really have a preference for where I camp, wherever the walks are really (which is unhelpful in this discussion...).

I guess I'm wondering, with a cold quilt already in the kit, how high a rating would still be practical for the rest of the year in SEQ generally.

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

I camped in Lamington in spring with a +5 rated sleeping bag and froze. That's at 1000m above sea level though. I'd be inclined to get a zero rated quilt and just hang a leg out if too hot.

[Aardvark]

I guess I'm wondering, with a cold quilt already in the kit, how high a rating would still be practical for the rest of the year in SEQ generally.

I'd be recommending the +5 rating. To compliment the -12 unit.
I do however use a 150gm downbag as a doona for a good deal of the year in SEQ. That is essentially a liner bag for alpine uses and is likely only good down to 10 degrees. I don't feel the cold as many as some.

[Moondog55]

It's been a long while since I did anything in SE Queensland but my recollection is of very humid conditions, would you consider something LW synthetic such as the armys Tropical Blanket as an adjunct and going with a +10C?

[bobcrusader]

The S2S EB 1 is not a bad option, but EB II sounds like it might be better. I used my EB I in central oz in May down to 4C and was fine. Wore thermals and beanie and used a liner and a R3.2 mat, so probably at the limit of staying warm.

[CBee]

I use a -4 for winter, June, July and August. The rest of the year I only take with me the reactor liner as standalone.

[wygya]

Seems like the rating for a second quilt for warmer SEQ times / locations doesn't really matter (or that a quilt of any rating is overkill) with people using light covers outside winter. Might just need to bring the lower rated quilt out at the appropriate occasions and use a light cover of some type the rest of the year.

Still interested in any other thoughts though!

[Biggles]

I would go for the +5; the nights aren't necessarily as bone-chilling as the south-eastern states, unless you happen to run into a vagrant cold front reaching from down south way up to Brisvegas and beyond (uncommon, but has happened a few times this month, July). It's a bit like asking what rating sleeping bag to use on Bluff Knoll in WA: a lovely place much of the time, but it also gets snow, hail and the occasional blizzard.

[wygya]

Yeah I think I'm leaning toward a +5 now. At +10, considering comfort ratings, it's not keeping you that warm compared to a liner etc.

[Aardvark]

What's on top of your list of activities to undertake there?

[LachlanB]

So what sort of temperatures do people actually consider using sleeping bag liners alone at (and with what combination of other kit)? Similar to the OP, I've been considering the idea of buying a lightweight bag for summer Qld use, and using my normal bag (good to -5*C) in winter. But if I can repurposed an existing piece of kit (a S2S Reactor Extreme bag)...

[CBee]

Reactor extreme standalone at 15 at night works for me.

[Nerdtrails]

I normally use a 12+ and a silk liner for winter and just the liner in summer but I would highly recommend a warmer bag (0 or 5).
Last year I was out during the coldest night of the year and had to break out the emergency blanket with this setup and still did not have the best of nights.

[wygya]

What's on top of your list of activities to undertake there?

Not sure I have a helpful answer to this. Hiking and camping wherever takes my fancy Granite Belt, Barney, Lamington, beaches and Sunshine Coast.

I have a range of S2S liners (silk, coolmax, reactor extreme) and various Thermarests from Uberlite to XTherm so I think I'll play with combinations of those and take the -12 quilt when there's a chance of being uncomfortable in a liner.

I can always buy a +5 quilt or something later if I need to, may as well experiment with what I have first.

[Kurisu]

I just got a Sea-to-Summit EB 1 quilt (old model, 750 loft) on sale and spent two nights in it this past weekend near Beaudesert. Friday night was around 9-10 degrees, and I slept in it with my Macpac Uber down jacket on and was really comfy. Saturday night was colder, nearer to 6 degrees and windy, and I wore thermals as well as my Uber jacket, but was still quite warm. This was inside a small tent will a full nylon inner, though, so that probably helped.

I'd probably say the +5 degree quilt would be good for most of the year here, depending on what it's combined with. I'm pretty happy so far and see my big, heavy down sleeping bag is going to collect a lot (more) dust.

Hope this helps.

[Gadgetgeek]

Even during summer its worth having a bit of insulation ready, I've been out a few times where it dropped to 10 overnight after a 30+ day, but with high wind and humidity, it was very uncomfortable without decent insulation. I think +5 is a good rating as a general.
I've had windy nights on bribie island that got quite chilly, and inland around kennilworth that got chilly in summer. I'm also in a full-mesh tent to help deal with the humidity, so that is a consideration as well. I'm not a fan of waking up drenched.