The ZenBivy Ultralight Mattress 10 consists of a sheet and quilt that combine right into a bed-like system that’s draft-resistant, supremely snug, versatile, and non-restrictive, particularly for “rotisserie” sleepers who change positions incessantly within the evening.
For a backpacking sleep system, one has traditionally had to decide on between a quilt and a sleeping bag, every with its advantages and disadvantages. A sleeping bag is draft-free however heavy and has a hard and fast girth, so it’s both restrictive or has numerous dead-air area to heat up. A quilt is lighter weight and has variable girth (which means you possibly can comfortable it round you to heat up or drape it loosely to chill off). However this flexibility makes it liable to drafts. In distinction, ZenBivy combines the advantages of quilts and sleeping baggage whereas minimizing their drawbacks. The answer is exceptional.
Specs
- Product examined: Ultralight Mattress Ultralight Quilt + Ultralight Sheet) on the 10F temperature ranking, with an everyday width (20” huge) Ultralight Sheet.
- Producer’s Weight Complete: 2 kilos, 0.7 oz. (Ultralight Sheet: 6.7 oz + Ultralight Quilt: 1 pound, 10 oz.)
- Examined Weight Complete: 2 kilos, 1.3 oz. (Ultralight Sheet: 6.6 oz + Ultralight Quilt: 1 pound, 10.7 oz.)
- Producer’s Dimensions, UL Quilt: (the producer offers the size for reduce material, with the observe that “crammed, lofted quilts might be a number of inches smaller in each size and width.”): 72” x 54”
- Examined Dimensions, UL Quilt: Roughly 68” x 52” semi-rectangular form, coming collectively into a hard and fast foot finish panel
- Examined Dimensions, UL Sheet: Half-length (39” lengthy), usable for brief, common, or lengthy mattresses as much as 20 inches huge.
- Material (each quilt and sheet): 10D Pertex Quantum 280x250T, fluorocarbon-free DWR
- Insulation: 900 fill-power ExpeDRY fluorocarbon-free water resistant 90/10 goose down
Sheet and Quilt Integration
How does it work? The ZenBivy sleep system includes two items:
- a fitted, hooded half-sheet with flaps and plastic hooks on either side
- and a quilt with loops that clip to the hooks on the half-sheet
The loops are set about 25 cm in from both sides, so the flaps overlap the sides of the quilt and block drafts. In contrast to pad attachment straps that pin the perimeters of a quilt tightly to the pad, negating the advantage of variable girth, these flaps, when hooked up to the quilt, go away the sides of the quilt free. This lets you comfortable them round your self for heat whereas additionally allowing the quilt to maneuver and develop with out letting in drafts.
You’ll be able to clip the entire loops and hooks collectively to batten down the hatches, however my favourite means to make use of the system is to go away two or three of the hooks on one aspect unclipped (the aspect I’m going through when mendacity on my aspect) and wrap that aspect of the quilt tight round myself whereas leaving the opposite aspect clipped to stop drafts on my again. Leaving one aspect largely unclipped additionally makes it simple to exit in the midst of the evening–as simple as pushing apart your comforter at residence.
Outsized Hood
Utilizing the outsized hood is far much less claustrophobic than carrying a separate balaclava-style down hood with a quilt system. You’ll be able to toss and switch with out getting smothered by a mummy-style sleeping bag-attached hood. You place the pillow contained in the hood and slip the hood excessive of your head. The reduce of it permits you to transfer backward and forward with out restriction and helps make sure that your breath all the time exits the bag.
As of 2024, all ZenBivy Sheets, together with the Ultralight Mattress, have “Headboard Clips” contained in the hood, permitting you to clip 2024-and-beyond fashions of ZenBivy pillows in place so that they don’t transfer round. My ZenBivy pillow is from the older system and doesn’t have the attachment factors for clips, however I discover the hood alone does simply effective for preserving the pillow from transferring round an excessive amount of.
Quick Footbox
The 10F Ultralight Quilt has a “Quick Footbox,” which is a hybrid of a hard and fast (completely closed) footbox and a convertible one. Their absolutely convertible footbox could be opened flat and closed in a few totally different configurations, which created some client confusion, particularly since one needed to dig into the ZenBivy movies to know how you can configure them.
The Ultralight Quilt’s Quick Footbox can’t be opened fully flat however has a sewn-in panel on the finish and open sides. The edges could be closed up for heat across the decrease legs with a single clip or opened up for extra width. On a typical quilt, the footbox is sewn up the perimeters to the person’s shins or knees.
Temperature Score
ZenBivy names its quilts by their Decrease Restrict Score. The Decrease Restrict is the bottom temperature at which the typical heat sleeper will really feel snug. The Consolation Score is the temperature at which the typical chilly sleeper, like me, will really feel snug, usually 10 levels increased than the Decrease Restrict. So, in case you are a chilly sleeper, add 10 levels Fahrenheit to the named temperature (i.e., the Ultralight Quilt 10F can be heat to 20F). Be aware that these rankings are contingent on you utilizing an appropriately rated mattress.
Progressive Neck Cinch
Most backpacking quilts have a drawstring cinch and snap on the neck to maintain out drafts. Nonetheless, this characteristic is finest for non-moving again sleepers. If you happen to sleep in your aspect, it may really feel restrictive and let in drafts as you progress. The ZenBivy quilt solves this with an revolutionary neck cinch they name the “Kylie-Curve.” It’s a drawstring that cinches solely within the heart of the quilt to curve the highest round your neck and shoulders whereas leaving the sides of the quilt free to tuck round you or into the Quick Sheet’s hood for heat.
Mixing and Matching Items and Further Equipment
The quilt and sheets have standardized placement of hooks and loops, which means that any ZenBivy quilt can be utilized with any ZenBivy sheet, whatever the 12 months made, width, or measurement. I respect that Zen Bivy is preserving the attachment factors commonplace and never altering them from 12 months to 12 months or from one measurement to the opposite, to power customers to purchase a complete new system in the event that they get one new piece. The one objects you need to coordinate are the sheet and mattress sizes: you should utilize any mattress, together with closed-cell foam, that matches your sheet’s dimensions, together with tapered ones.
Pairing a third Social gathering Quilt with a ZenBivy Sheet
SectionHiker lately obtained an electronic mail concerning our final ZenBivy assessment, asking if it was attainable to pair a non-ZenBivy quilt with a ZenBivy sheet. Michael Glavin, the founding father of ZenBivy, shares that one might reduce patches of Tenacious Tape with a slit within the center with a loop of wire pushed via and stick them on the quilt to match the position of the hooks on the Sheet. There are two keys right here for correct integration: utilizing 1.8mm-2.0mm wire that can snap securely into the hooks, and putting the loops away from the sting of the quilt (Glavin recommends at the very least 25 cm away from the sides) in order that the sheet and the quilt create a draft-free seal.
Suggestion
If you happen to discover sleeping baggage too heavy and claustrophobic, quilts too drafty, and pad straps too fussy, the ZenBivy Ultralight Mattress is likely to be your Goldilocks sleep system. As a particularly gentle and delicate sleeper who spent years resigned to getting dangerous sleep within the backcountry, the ZenBivy system offers the perfect sleep I’ve ever gotten on the bottom. The load discount as a result of supplies and building of the Ultralight Mattress makes the system much more compelling for weight-conscious backpackers. Extremely really useful!
Execs
- Supreme consolation: no restrictiveness or drafts for an lively sleeper
- Decreased weight from earlier variations
- Shade-coordinated clips and loops make setup quick
- Modularity/potential to share items throughout totally different programs (mattresses and sheets are the one items that should be the identical measurement)
Cons (Room for Enchancment)
- Make it simpler to check the specs of various combos of things on the web site
Disclosure: Zenbivy donated a UL mattress system for assessment.
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Concerning the Writer
Greg Pehrson is an ultralight backpacker who was bitten onerous by the MYOG (make-your-own-gear) bug. He repairs, tinkers, and builds gear, usually in search of to upcycle throwaway objects or repurpose issues from outdoors the backpacking world.
