Katabatic Alsek 22 Quilt (250+ Nights)

Word: Katabatic’s Vacation Sale is operating 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. During the last 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 problem (see Area Expertise under).

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 gadgets in my backpacking package.

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

Cloaked within the Alsek earlier than starting the ultimate day of Scotland’s Cape Wrath Path.

Product Particulars

Description & Value (November, 2024):

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

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

Materials:

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

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

Complete 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 (Word: 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 Denali Nationwide Park and Brooks Vary (2021), a number of winter journeys in Mexico’s Sierra Madre, and most lately (Sept.2024), a 300-mile (483 km) hike by Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, which integrated 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.

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

Design

• Differential minimize – The internal 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 may order one individually): The shortage of a hood is usually cited as a purpose for not utilizing quilts. Nonetheless, in my view, it’s no biggie. Why? Chances are high 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 might be wrapped round your sleeping pad and clipped at roughly shoulder and hip degree. These clips have two settings: a unfastened mode, which is adjustable, and a decent mode, which might be locked in for when temps get nippy (see YouTube clip under).

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 critiques of Katabatic quilts, you’ll typically hear of us communicate glowingly about their attachment system. What makes it so good? In a phrase – versatility. The flexibility to regulate the girth in response to the dictates of the situations during which you’re sleeping. The Katabatic attachment system addresses the three foremost components 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 summary of why I usually want sleeping quilts to baggage.

A memorable bivouac with the Alsek on high of Hermannsdalstinden Peak in the course of the Lengthy Crossing of the Lofoten Islands (2018)(Word: The digicam angle is a bit deceiving; the rock was really fairly flat).

Temperature Rankings

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

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

• Word 1: Sleeping bag scores are subjective. Completely different individuals sleep hotter or colder at completely different temperatures. As I discussed above, over time, 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.

• Word 2: When utilizing a tarp somewhat than an enclosed shelter, I’ll typically 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 readily 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 all the way 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 in the course of the six years and 250-plus nights I’ve been utilizing the Alsek.

• I usually wash my quilts a minimum of every year with down wash (e.g., Nikwax or Rivivex).

• After I’m not utilizing the quilt, I preserve it saved in a big cotton bag (supplied 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 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 tip of the journey, night temperatures have 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 are usually not low-cost, their aggressive value level and wonderful sturdiness make them good worth for cash. Living proof, 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, in relation 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 over time. Counter-clockwise from high: 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 & Luggage

Though I’ve used Katabatic Quilts on most of my backcountry journeys since 2011 (the exception being journeys in sizzling/humid climates after 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 a minimum of the identical ballpark) as Katabatic Gear. Right here’s a fast rundown of some sleeping quilts and baggage which can be corresponding to the Alsek 22. For a extra complete breakdown, see Sleeping Luggage for Via-hikers:

Quilts 

Luggage 

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 (Word: On this specific night time, temps dropped all the way 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 provide the identical vary of sizes and fill choices, use the identical shell supplies, and are identically priced. Relating to 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 the use 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 in the event 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 together with the aptly-titled Flex. If you’d like 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. In the event you’re an even bigger particular person and/or toss and switch in your sleep, the vast fashions are possible your only option. In the event you’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 a daily. 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 possible follow 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 (Word: 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 all the way down to stuffing, workmanship, and high quality of supplies. “However I’m confused; some commenters on Gear Boards are adamant that Vertical is finest, whereas others preserve that Horizontal is the best way to go.” Ultralight gearheads generally tend to overanalyze. Some even have a penchant for drawing definitive conclusions relating to their most popular manufacturers. The fact is that in relation to quilts and different backpacking gear, typically there isn’t a “better of the very best.” Chances are high, in the event you decide up a Katabatic Quilt with horizontal baffles, you’ll be joyful together with your buy for a very long time. The identical holds true in the event you purchase a Nunatak Quilt, which sports activities vertical baffles. “Why?” As a result of each corporations use top quality supplies, have wonderful 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 – in the event you shell out massive bucks for a Western Mountaineering or Feathered Buddies mannequin, odds are (in the event you deal with it) you’ll have a dependable piece of package for a few years to return. 

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

• The Insulation Package deal Deal: Getting a superb night time’s sleep could make or break your backpacking journey. So as to take action, it’s necessary to have your sleep system dialed in earlier than you hit the path.  Whereas an appropriately rated sleeping quilt (or bag) is important for mitigating convective warmth loss, it’s equally necessary to have a sleeping mat with an R-value (resistance to warmth move) ample to deal with conductive warmth loss from the bottom. Each gadgets work collectively in an effort to preserve you heat. Certainly, as many a hiker has found over time, you may have the warmest, puffiest quilt/bag in the marketplace, however in the event you don’t have the suitable insulation beneath you, chances are high you’ll be colder than a mother-in-law’s kiss.

Cowboy tenting at over 14,000 ft in the course of the Altiplano Traverse. On this specific night time, temps dipped all the way 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 complete gear checklist).

Advice:

If I had to decide on only one quilt, it will be the Alsek 22°F or the Flex 22°F. Why? As a result of it’s the “Goldilocks” of the Katabatic steady – not too heat, not too chilly, good for porridge-gobbling trespassers and versatility-seeking hikers. It hits the temperature candy spot for multi-month thru-hikes and/or journeys during which hikers are commonly oscillating between completely different elevations and environments. In the event you haven’t gone too far down the mountain climbing gear rabbit gap (i.e., you personal a number of quilts and baggage) and easily need one quilt/bag that meets quite a lot of your backcountry wants, the Alsek represents a superb selection.

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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 beneath no obligation to write down a evaluation, and the opinions expressed are my very own. 

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