The ZenBivy Ultralight Mattress 10 consists of a sheet and quilt that combine right into a bed-like system that’s draft-resistant, supremely comfy, versatile, and non-restrictive, particularly for “rotisserie” sleepers who change positions incessantly within the night time.
For a backpacking sleep system, one has traditionally had to decide on between a quilt and a sleeping bag, every with its advantages and downsides. A sleeping bag is draft-free however heavy and has a set girth, so it’s both restrictive or has numerous dead-air area to heat up. A quilt is lighter weight and has variable girth (that means you may comfortable it round you to heat up or drape it loosely to chill off). However this flexibility makes it susceptible 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 score, 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 minimize cloth, with the notice that “crammed, lofted quilts will probably 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 set foot finish panel
- Examined Dimensions, UL Sheet: Half-length (39” lengthy), usable for brief, common, or lengthy mattresses as much as 20 inches huge.
- Cloth (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 contains two items:
- a fitted, hooded half-sheet with flaps and plastic hooks on each side
- and a quilt with loops that clip to the hooks on the half-sheet
The loops are set about 25 cm in from either side, so the flaps overlap the perimeters of the quilt and block drafts. Not like pad attachment straps that pin the perimeters of a quilt tightly to the pad, negating the advantage of variable girth, these flaps, when connected to the quilt, go away the perimeters of the quilt free. This lets you comfortable them round your self for heat whereas additionally allowing the quilt to maneuver and increase 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 manner to make use of the system is to depart 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 forestall drafts on my again. Leaving one aspect largely unclipped additionally makes it straightforward to exit in the midst of the night time–as straightforward as pushing apart your comforter at residence.
Outsized Hood
Utilizing the outsized hood is far much less claustrophobic than sporting 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 minimize of it means that you can transfer backward and forward with out restriction and helps be 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 fantastic for protecting 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 set (completely closed) footbox and a convertible one. Their totally convertible footbox might be opened flat and closed in a few totally different configurations, which created some shopper confusion, particularly since one needed to dig into the ZenBivy movies to grasp learn how to 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 might 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 comfy. The Consolation Score is the temperature at which the typical chilly sleeper, like me, will really feel comfy, sometimes 10 levels greater 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 could be heat to 20F). Word that these rankings are contingent on you utilizing an appropriately rated mattress.
Modern Neck Cinch
Most backpacking quilts have a drawstring cinch and snap on the neck to maintain out drafts. Nevertheless, this characteristic is greatest for non-moving again sleepers. In the event you sleep in your aspect, it might really feel restrictive and let in drafts as you progress. The ZenBivy quilt solves this with an modern 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 perimeters of the quilt unfastened 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, that means that any ZenBivy quilt can be utilized with any ZenBivy sheet, whatever the yr made, width, or dimension. I admire that Zen Bivy is protecting the attachment factors normal and never altering them from yr to yr or from one dimension to the opposite, to pressure shoppers to purchase a complete new system in the event that they get one new piece. The one gadgets it’s a must to coordinate are the sheet and mattress sizes: you should use any mattress, together with closed-cell foam, that matches your sheet’s dimensions, together with tapered ones.
Pairing a third Get together Quilt with a ZenBivy Sheet
SectionHiker lately obtained an electronic mail relating to our final ZenBivy evaluate, asking if it was doable to pair a non-ZenBivy quilt with a ZenBivy sheet. Michael Glavin, the founding father of ZenBivy, shares that one might minimize patches of Tenacious Tape with a slit within the center with a loop of wire pushed by means of 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 inserting the loops away from the sting of the quilt (Glavin recommends a minimum of 25 cm away from the perimeters) in order that the sheet and the quilt create a draft-free seal.
Suggestion
In the event you 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 unhealthy sleep within the backcountry, the ZenBivy system offers the most effective sleep I’ve ever gotten on the bottom. The load discount because of the supplies and development of the Ultralight Mattress makes the system much more compelling for weight-conscious backpackers. Extremely really helpful!
Professionals
- Supreme consolation: no restrictiveness or drafts for an energetic sleeper
- Lowered weight from earlier variations
- Colour-coordinated clips and loops make setup quick
- Modularity/capability to share items throughout totally different programs (mattresses and sheets are the one items that need to be the identical dimension)
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 evaluate.
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In regards to the Creator
Greg Pehrson is an ultralight backpacker who was bitten arduous by the MYOG (make-your-own-gear) bug. He repairs, tinkers, and builds gear, usually in search of to upcycle throwaway gadgets or repurpose issues from outdoors the backpacking world.