Katabatic Alsek 22 Quilt (250+ Nights)

Notice: Katabatic’s Vacation Sale is working till December 2. All quilts are 15% off, whereas Jackets and Bivys are 20% off. 

I picked up the Katabatic Alsek 22°F quilt in 2018. Over the past six and a half years, I’ve used it in all kinds of environments and have commonly taken it past its listed consolation ranking with out challenge (see Area Expertise beneath).

The Alsek is the third Katabatic quilt I’ve owned. The primary two – Palisade 30°F and Sawatch 15°F – accompanied me on the 12 Lengthy Walks journey of 2011/12 and are nonetheless going sturdy after 14 years and a cumulative 900+ nights of use. Suffice it to say, they’ve lengthy since earned a spot among the many most dependable objects in my backpacking equipment.

As to the whys and wherefores, they go one thing like this………….

Product Particulars

Description & Value (November, 2024):

• I’ve the 6’6″ Elite common width mannequin (Notice: For reference, I’m a 6’1″ medium-build facet sleeper that suggestions the scales at round 80 kg/176 lbs. I don’t have a tendency to maneuver round rather a lot in my sleep).

• For a comparability of the Elite Vs Flex 22°F mannequin, see the FAQs beneath.

Materials:

• Fill energy – 900 FP with Expedry Goosedown
• Shell – Pertex Quantum Ripstop .85 oz/yd.

Sustainability: All supplies utilized by Katabatic are bluesign authorised and Accountable Down Customary (RDS) licensed.

Whole Weight: 23.6 oz (0.67 kg)

Fill Weight: 15.2 oz (0.43 kg)

Area Expertise

Since 2018, I’ve used the Katabatic Alsek 22°F greater than 250 nights within the backcountry. Throughout most of those journeys, I slept on a Thermarest NeoAir XL Sleeping Mat and wore a buff or light-weight beanie together with gentle or medium-weight Merino Wool base layers (Notice: On the temperature scale, I’m an “common” sleeper—neither sizzling nor chilly).

Journeys with the Alsek have included the Scottish Highlands (2018), Lofoten Islands (2018), Dolomites (2019), fall journeys within the Austrian and Slovenian Alps (2019), prolonged treks by means of Denali Nationwide Park and Brooks Vary (2021), a number of winter journeys in Mexico’s Sierra Madre, and most not too long ago (Sept.2024), a 300-mile (483 km) hike by means of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, which included an extended model of the glacier-crossing Bailey Vary Traverse.

Click on right here for full gear lists from a number of the journeys talked about above.

Getting ready for dinner on the glacier-encircled Camp Pan, Olympic Nationwide Park (mid-September 2024).

Design

• Differential reduce – The interior lining is sewn smaller than the outer shell to permit the down optimum house to loft.

• Neck collar. The Elite mannequin has two buttons and a drawcord. Overstuffed. Toasty.

• Foot field: Additionally overstuffed. Trapezoidal form.

• No hood (although you possibly can order one individually): The shortage of a hood is usually cited as a motive for not utilizing quilts. Nevertheless, for my part, it’s no biggie. Why? Likelihood is I’m carrying a beanie more often than not anyway, and when added to the hoods I have already got on my jackets (i.e., windshirt, down and rain), that is usually greater than sufficient to maintain my noggin heat.

• Attachment system: Every Katabatic Quilt has two choices:

1. Cords: Twin cords could be wrapped round your sleeping pad and clipped at roughly shoulder and hip degree. These clips have two settings: a free mode, which is adjustable, and a good mode, which could be locked in for when temps get nippy (see YouTube clip beneath).

2. Webbing Straps: Three in complete. The highest two are detachable, and the underside one is fastened. The straps are skinny, unobtrusive, and simply adjustable; they lie immediately beneath the sleeper somewhat than wrapped across the pad.

The three webbing straps on the Alsek 22°F.

• What units the Katabatic attachment system aside?: When studying opinions of Katabatic quilts, you’ll usually hear of us converse glowingly about their attachment system. What makes it so good? In a phrase – versatility. The power to regulate the girth based on the dictates of the circumstances wherein you might be sleeping. The Katabatic attachment system addresses the three essential elements to search for in quilt design: 1. Minimizes/eliminates bracing drafts; 2. Retains lifeless air house to a minimal, and; 3. Permits for freedom of motion.

Click on right here for an outline of why I usually desire sleeping quilts to baggage.

A memorable bivouac with the Alsek on prime of Hermannsdalstinden Peak through the Lengthy Crossing of the Lofoten Islands (2018)(Notice: The digital camera angle is a bit deceiving; the rock was truly fairly flat).

Temperature Rankings

• Katabatic quilts have a long-established fame for conservative temperature scores.

• Throughout my time with the Alsek 22°F, I’ve been comfy at temperatures six to seven levels colder than its listed ranking whereas carrying a light-weight or medium-weight Merino wool base layer and a beanie or Buff.

• Notice 1: Sleeping bag scores are subjective. Totally different folks sleep hotter or colder at totally different temperatures. As I discussed above, through the years, I’ve discovered myself to be a median sleeper. For folk who’re cool/chilly sleepers, the Alsek’s temperature ranking is probably going shut to identify on.

• Notice 2: When utilizing a tarp somewhat than an enclosed shelter, I’ll usually mix the quilt with a light-weight bivy (e.g., MLD Superlight or Katabatic Bristlecone), which provides an additional 5 to seven levels of heat.

Mid-October in a winterraum within the Austrian Alps. Given the backups available, there was little likelihood I’d be chilly on this specific night.

Camped out throughout a 15-day hike within the Brooks Vary, August/September 2021, the place temps dropped right down to a low of -7°C/19°F (Shelter is the Tarptent Aeon Li).

Sturdiness / Lengthy-term Loft

• There hasn’t been any noticeable lower in loft or heat through the six years and 250-plus nights I’ve been utilizing the Alsek.

• I usually wash my quilts no less than every year with down wash (e.g., Nikwax or Rivivex).

• Once I’m not utilizing the quilt, I hold it saved in a big cotton bag (offered by Katabatic). For extra care directions, see the Product Care web page on the Katabatic Gear web site.

In late August/September 2023, I took the Alsek 22F° on an prolonged journey by means of Iceland. The journey included a loop hike across the Hornstrandir Peninsula and a north-to-south traverse of the island (the Tent pictured is the Tarptent StratoSpire 2). By the top of the journey, night temperatures had been commonly within the low 20sF (-6°C).

Worth for Cash

Katabatic Gear makes use of high-end supplies and their workmanship is first-class. Whereas their quilts aren’t low-cost, their aggressive value level and glorious sturdiness make them good worth for cash. Working example, the Alsek hasn’t missed a beat in over six years and my Sawatch and Palisade are nonetheless going sturdy after 13+ years.

Professional Tip: As a rule of thumb, with regards to down merchandise – whether or not it’s quilts, baggage, jackets, pants, booties, or vests – you get what you pay for.

The Katabatic Sawatch 15 through the years. Counter-clockwise from prime: 1. Mixed with the Katabatic Bristlecone Bivy in late Feb.2012 on the Colorado Plateau (Southwestern Horseshoe/1,782 mi); 2. Cowboy camped at 4,692 m (15,394 ft) on the slopes of Volcan Tunupa (Altiplano traverse, 2017), and; 3. Oqaatsut Path, Greenland’s west coast, September 2022.

Comparable Quilts & Baggage

Though I’ve used Katabatic Quilts on most of my backcountry journeys since 2011 (the exception being journeys in sizzling/humid climates once I’ll usually take the artificial Mountain Laurel Designs Spirit Quilt 38), there are a handful of different producers that make high-end quilts or sleeping baggage which can be in the identical class (or no less than the identical ballpark) as Katabatic Gear. Right here’s a fast rundown of some sleeping quilts and baggage which can be similar to the Alsek 22. For a extra complete breakdown, see Sleeping Baggage for Through-hikers:

Quilts 

Baggage 

Mike “The Gambler” Towne and his trusty Western Mountaineering Ultralite 20 (mixed with an MLD Superlite Bivy) in a cave on the Colorado Plateau in late February 2012 (Notice: On this specific evening, temps dropped right down to single digits Fahrenheit (round -13°C)).

FAQs & Quilt-Associated Musings

• Elite Vs Flex: Which One Ought to I Purchase?:  Katabatics’ Elite and the Flex strains supply the identical vary of sizes and fill choices, use the identical shell supplies, and are identically priced. Concerning variations, the largest is that the previous has a sewn-in foot field, whereas the latter can both be opened up like a blanket or closed shut when the temperatures warrant (by means of a zipper, drawstring, and strengthened snap/draft blocker). Different design variations are smaller and fewer vital – for instance, the Elite mannequin weighs round an oz much less and has two buttons on the neck collar somewhat than one, which minimizes motion of the collar should you are inclined to toss and switch. So which mannequin must you get? It comes down to private desire. If you wish to maximize versatility, go along with the aptly-titled Flex. In order for you the snugness of a Mummy-style sleeping bag with the adjustability and weight financial savings of a quilt, go for the Elite. 

• Ought to I’m going for Huge or Common Width?: Katabatic’s wider fashions are a few ounces heavier and $17/18 dearer, however they supply an additional 4″ of width within the shoulder, hip, and foot field. For those who’re a much bigger individual and/or toss and switch in your sleep, the vast fashions are probably your best choice. For those who’re comparatively slim and/or don’t transfer round an excessive amount of in your sleep, you could wish to save a few ounces and some bucks and go for an everyday. In my very own case, I’ve the Elite fashions of the Alsek, Palisade 30, and Sawatch 15. I picked up the latter two earlier than the introduction of the Flex line in late 2015. If and when the time comes that I have to retire both of the unique fashions, I’ll probably stick to the Elite model of the 15°F quilt and go for the Flex mannequin of the 30°F model for elevated versatility in hotter temps (Notice: For an in depth breakdown of the Common Vs Huge query, see Katabatic’s FAQ web page).

• Horizontal Vs. Vertical Baffles: Which is Higher?: Neither. A quilt’s toastiness primarily comes right down to stuffing, workmanship, and high quality of supplies. “However I’m confused; some commenters on Gear Boards are adamant that Vertical is greatest, whereas others keep that Horizontal is the way in which to go.” Ultralight gearheads tend to overanalyze. Some even have a penchant for drawing definitive conclusions relating to their most well-liked manufacturers. The fact is that with regards to quilts and different backpacking gear, usually there isn’t a “better of the perfect.” Likelihood is, should you decide up a Katabatic Quilt with horizontal baffles, you’ll be pleased together with your buy for a very long time. The identical holds true should you purchase a Nunatak Quilt, which sports activities vertical baffles. “Why?” As a result of each firms use prime quality supplies, have glorious consideration to element, and correctly stuff their well-designed baffles (i.e., Understuffed and/or outsized baffles are those that are inclined to have vital migration points). The identical holds true for sleeping baggage – should you shell out massive bucks for a Western Mountaineering or Feathered Pals mannequin, odds are (should you maintain it) you’ll have a dependable piece of equipment for a few years to return. 

Paul “Mags” Magnanti, driving out a storm in his Feathered Pals Hummingbird 20 (photograph courtesy of pmags.com). As with the Gambler’s Western Mountaineering bag pictured above, Mags loved a great twenty years of standard use together with his Hummingbird earlier than passing it alongside to associates (and switching to a Katabatic Alsek).

• The Insulation Package deal Deal: Getting a great evening’s sleep could make or break your backpacking journey. So as to take action, it’s vital to have your sleep system dialed in earlier than you hit the path.  Whereas an appropriately rated sleeping quilt (or bag) is crucial for mitigating convective warmth loss, it’s equally vital to have a sleeping mat with an R-value (resistance to warmth movement) adequate to deal with conductive warmth loss from the bottom. Each objects work collectively with a view to hold you heat. Certainly, as many a hiker has found through the years, you possibly can have the warmest, puffiest quilt/bag in the marketplace, however should you don’t have the suitable insulation beneath you, likelihood is you’ll be colder than a mother-in-law’s kiss.

Cowboy tenting at over 14,000 ft through the Altiplano Traverse. On this specific evening, temps dipped right down to -15°C (5°F). My sleep system for the journey consisted of a Katabatic Sawatch 15 quilt, Bristlecone bivy, and the Therm-a-Relaxation XTherm sleeping mat (Click on right here for the total gear record).

Suggestion:

If I had to decide on only one quilt, it might be the Alsek 22°F or the Flex 22°F. Why? As a result of it’s the “Goldilocks” of the Katabatic secure – not too heat, not too chilly, excellent for porridge-gobbling trespassers and versatility-seeking hikers. It hits the temperature candy spot for multi-month thru-hikes and/or journeys wherein hikers are commonly oscillating between totally different elevations and environments. For those who haven’t gone too far down the mountaineering gear rabbit gap (i.e., you personal a number of quilts and baggage) and easily need one quilt/bag that meets numerous your backcountry wants, the Alsek represents a superb alternative.

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Disclosure I obtained the Alsek 22 (900 fp Expedry) freed from cost in trade for suggestions from the sphere. I used to be below no obligation to put in writing a assessment, and the opinions expressed are my very own. 

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