Feathered Friends - Flicker Ultralight Quilt Sleeping Bag

I've always had a problem sleeping cold. For the past few years, I've been using the Feathered Friends Flicker 20 degree and an X-Therm. That combo works for me down to a little over freezing. Below freezing, I have to add a Nemo Switchback foam pad on top of the X-Therm, a Nunatak over-bag around the FF Flicker. I also have an EE Torid jacket and insulated pants to use as needed. The combination of the Flicker, X-Therm, Switchback, Nunatak over-bag, jacket and pants works, but it's a lot to carry. I recently purchased an El Coyote 10 degree quilt to see if the extra down could take the place of the over-bag, but it still wasn't warm enough just a few degrees below freezing. What would be the lightest and most compact way to stay warm in the winter? I have thought about selling the El Coyote quilt and getting a super warm bag like the Western Mountaineering Antelope instead, but the weight is identical to the Flicker and Nunatak over-bag combo (which is extremely warm, btw). Is there anything else I should consider?

I have a Zpacks brushtail possum beanie, which is really warm, plus the hood from the Torrid. My head is plenty warm. The over-bag is like a zipperless sleeping bag, so my entire quilt goes inside of it. That combo of the Flicker plus over-bag is the only thing that works for me, but it's heavy (40oz total). Yeah, I'm leaning towards a 0 degree or -10 degree bag. That might be my only option.

Yes, I've always been a cold sleeper. I've had the Feathered Friends Flicker for a long time. It's a great bag / quilt for most of the year, but hasn't worked for me below freezing. Last weekend, I went out with a new 10 degree El Coyote quilt and it was cold below freezing too, until I added the overbag.

That's a great deal.  I haven't used that one.  I really love the Feathered Friends Flickr quilt personally, but it costs a lot more.  I hope it's a great time camping in the national parks!!

I'm gonna dodge and parry the question. Personally I need a quilt, I'm a whiny little bitch and a mummy bag is too constricted for me, but it's pretty fine for normal people like you   So my advice instead is three things: In the North Cascades (PNW) most people think a 20 degree bag is just right for 3 season backpacking. I've camped sleeping in my base layers and even a down jacket in October.  If you're worried this bag won't be quite enough, you can get down booties and whatever to push it a little.  An air mattress has insulation, and it's messed in R Value.  You can also make up for a not quite warm enough bag with a warmer pad.  So, I don't know what's right for you, but I know you have angles to work with if you like this one but aren't quite sure.

I used a feathered friends 20f quilt and was amazed at how well it worked. I toss and turn a lot and was afraid I’d be woken from cold drafts. Not the case. Before this I had a mummy bag and never got a good nights sleep.

Agreed. Was responding more to the use of quilt vs bag. The quilt has the option of closing the “foot box” which I did use. I suspect I’d get a low temp rated quilt instead of a bag if winter camping

We’ve got two, a single from Feathered Friends and a double from Nunatak. Happy with both.

I have a feathered friends flicker 30 degree and lark 10 degree. Those cover all my bases. I do have a zen bivy 25 which is nice but heavier.

FF Flicker UL 20F owner here. They're all great. The inside is grey, so you can unzip it to "duvet style", point the grey to the sun, and have it dry faster. Get something hi-vis — blue, green, or orange, but not grey — since in an emergency, it's easier to spot non-natural colors from a helicopter 200ft in the sky than others. AMA you like; it was my quilt on trail, and 4 seasons later, it looks at good as on day 1. ————— — Pack a beanie. — Learn to use the TOP drawstrings to change how much warm air you keep inside vs. vent. — The warmest configuration (for me), was to "button up" with the zip "up". More down migrates to the side rather than the middle (which gets compressed under your back. It's just an fantastic bag. Zero issue recommending it. You'll figure out how to dial it in.

Super cold sleeper here too. (Colder than you - I have a 20 degree Flicker I almost never use because I can only take it down to around 40-45.) I LOVE my Versalite and would highly recommend it.

I'd been using a Marmot for 30 yrs, what they called a 10-20 30. Don't remember the price but it was the most expensive thing I bought for a very long time and glad I did. There were not as many choices back then and I don't think they are the same now. Point is it was annoying when it was warm. Couple of years ago I got a Feathered Friends Flicker 40. It's a hoodless sleeping bag that can also open all the way to a quilt. (no it doesn't attach to a pad) Had that down to mid 30's cowboy camping in the desert and was fine with a puffy on. I had wanted a 30 but out of stock. This year sold the 40 and got a 30 for a trip to Iceland in July. I'm very happy with it; works well across temps. Combined with the Marmot gets me down to 0. Since it is a bag when I want it's less fuss than a lot of the quilts out there. (love the draft collar and the foot closing completely). You can rent one and they will credit up to 2 nights rental cost toward a similar purchase. May help but likely incur some extra shipping costs unless you're in their area.

I'd been using a Marmot for 30 yrs, what they called a 10-20 30. Don't remember the price but it was the most expensive thing I bought for a very long time and glad I did. There were not as many choices back then and I don't think they are the same now. Point is it was annoying when it was warm. Couple of years ago I got a Feathered Friends Flicker 40. It's a hoodless sleeping bag that can also open all the way to a quilt. (no it doesn't attach to a pad) Had that down to mid 30's cowboy camping in the desert and was fine with a puffy on. I had wanted a 30 but out of stock. This year sold the 40 and got a 30 for a trip to Iceland in July. I'm very happy with it; works well across temps. Combined with the Marmot gets me down to 0. Since it is a bag when I want it's less fuss than a lot of the quilts out there. (love the draft collar and the foot closing completely). You can rent one and they will credit up to 2 nights rental cost toward a similar purchase. May help but likely incur some extra shipping costs unless you're in their area.

There are many full-zip quilts on the market. The Feathered Friends Flicker for example. The big advantage is temp range as you can use it as a blanket or a bag. But the big disadvantage is weight of that full zip -- and then you lose having a hood. So often quilts come with a short zip or just snaps at the foot, with a way to cinch up the bottom -- a nice compromise.

I wouldn't suggest getting a #3 on a full zip quilt, as those things are both really prone to snagging, as well as having a tendency of ripping off the track/getting damaged when encountering a little abuse. The Flickr for example uses a #5 which is... better. I guess it all adds up if you're optimizing. A Flickr 40F comfort is 541 grams with 238 grams of 950 fill. Not apples to oranges, but since it was mentioned, the Katabatic Flex 40 is 504 grams with 272 grams of 900 fill. So the Katabatic has more fill ( tho 900 v 950) and weighs a little less -- and is cheaper by *$150*. I guess is it worth it to you? Both are excellent sleep pieces, dunno if you'd go wrong with either.

I've had this exact bag in Orange since 2017, the color makes me smile and also is very visible when laid out on snow. I don't have a Durston but the orange has always popped in every pic I've taken of it FWIW. I went with 2 oz of overfill because I sleep cold, has done well down to about 25º for me. Lower than that I prefer true sleeping bags anyway, but I toss and turn a lot. [https://imgur.com/a/TapZOGv](https://imgur.com/a/TapZOGv)