Feathered Friends Flicker Ultralight Quilt Sleeping Bag Review

In my multitude of years backpacking and thru-hiking, one of my biggest gear qualms has been my sleep setup — particularly, the sleeping bag vs. quilt debate.

While I’ve always admired the weight savings of quilts, I found them to be too drafty and unreliable for my sleep style (see: side sleeper who never stops shifting throughout the night). Part of me has yearned to cozy up in the comfort of a traditional sleeping bag, but I’ve also despised their lack of versatility on warmer nights. 

So, when I discovered that Feathered Friends makes a hybrid sleeping bag and quilt for those in-betweeners who haven’t found much luck with either school of sleep insulation, I immediately entrusted 35 nights of sleep on the Colorado Trail to the Flicker Ultralight Quilt Down Sleeping Bag. 

On a trail known for its wild temperature swings, the Flicker turned out to be the bag of my dreams (literally — I slept like a baby in this cozy, versatile vestibule).

Feathered Friends Flicker Ultralight Quilt Sleeping Bag At a Glance

Sweet dreams, courtesy of the cozy Flicker I retired to each night on the Colorado Trail.

MSRP: $529
Weight: 25.2 oz (regular) / 26.2 oz (long)
Fill Power: 950+ Goose Down
Temperature Rating: 20°F / -6°C
Dimensions: 62″ shoulder / 48″ hip / 39″ footbox
Materials: Pertex Endurance UL shell, 15 denier ripstop nylon lining, 950+ goose down fill

Intended Use

Designed as a hybrid, this sleep system gives you the best of both worlds: the versatility of a quilt for warmer nights and the full enclosure of a mummy bag when temperatures dip. It’s aimed at thru-hikers, backpackers, and anyone needing a lightweight yet versatile sleep system capable of adapting to fluctuating conditions.

Circumstance of Review

I full-sent my gear test of the Flicker UL on a 500-mile thru-hike of the Colorado Trail this August and September, where I experienced temperatures all over the gradient. Starting in a dry heat wave and ending in frost-covered mornings, the Flicker was tested in temperatures from the low 60s in Denver to mid-20s in the alpine. I used the Flicker in both quilt and sleeping bag mode, facing everything from warm nights to cold, rain-soaked conditions. 

The lowest temperature I experienced was around 26°F while sleeping in base layers and a puffy jacket. 

Feathered Friends Flicker Ultralight Quilt Sleeping Bag Features

Hybrid Design

The Flicker’s standout feature is its versatile nature, allowing it to function both as a quilt and a sleeping bag. On warmer nights, you can unzip it fully and drape it over yourself as a down quilt. Or zip it up and cinch the footbox tight for more warmth and fewer drafts on cooler nights.

Though it doesn’t have a hood, I opted for a wool hat-and-hood combo. I also found there to be plenty of space length-wise to comfortably snuggle into bag mode, as well as enough material width-wise to wrap around myself in quilt mode. 

Cinchable Footbox 

Similarly to a quilt design, the Flicker features a bottom drawcord, allowing you to create a snug footbox for maximum warmth retention. Leaving no holes for drafts to seep through, this feature really brings the mummy bag illusion together for colder nights of camping. 

Customized Warmth with Continuous Baffles

Feathered Friends designed the bag’s down-filled chambers with continuous baffles, allowing you to shift or concentrate the down where you need it most. Whether you prefer more insulation to your torso or feet, this feature adds a nice personal touch.

Draft Collar

This quilt/sleeping bag also includes a draft collar with two easily accessible drawcords to trap heat. Although it lacks a hood, the draft collar does an excellent job of blocking out cold air, especially when nestling down into the bag’s extra material.

Complete with a draft collar, snaps, and drawstrings, the lack of a hood was unnoticeable due to the Flicker’s extra features.

Feathered Friends Flicker Ultralight Quilt Sleeping Bag Pros

The Renaissance Man of Sleeping Bags (or Quilts?)

The Flicker excels in adaptability. The Colorado Trail is known for insane temperature fluctuations from day to day and segment to segment. I needed a bag that was up to the test. What could vent well through hot August evenings in Denver’s high desert, then keep me cozy in frigid, frost-coated September nights in the San Juan alpine?

This hybrid model seamlessly transitioned between quilt and sleeping bag mode; simply unzip and lay the blanket flat, or zip and cinch the footbox and draft collar for a mummy bag feel. I used it as a full quilt in 60°F lows and was equally comfortable when temperatures dropped into the mid-20s in sleeping bag mode. 

The Flicker in quilt mode. Featuring a full-length zipper, it’s an easy switch to transform it back into a sleeping bag.

True to Temperature

Seattle-based Feathered Friends is known for their reliable temperature ratings, so I was eager to put this one to the test, especially considering the higher levels of loftiness and room for drafts with a quilt/bag combo. Pushing the temperature ratings on this bag proved to be a relatively comfortable experience. I tested the 20°F bag and stayed warm in temperatures as low as the mid-20s with the help of base layers, a puffy jacket, and a wool hat.

The footbox cinched tightly enough to prevent any cold air from sneaking in and the draft collar effectively maintained my body heat inside the bag. On especially chilly or wet nights, I also found comfort in utilizing the bag’s extra material as a makeshift hood, as there was plenty of room to hunker down into the bag.

After spending nearly half of my thru-hike in sub-freezing temperatures, I can confirm that the Feathered Friends 950+ down performs as promised and the 20°F rating feels trustworthy.

Condensation-Proof

After a month of varied conditions on the Colorado Trail, the Flicker held up exceptionally well. Not only is the Pertex Endurance fabric durable, but I was impressed with its moisture resistance, keeping the down dry and lofty throughout wet nights.

I thru-hiked in a ridiculously rainy August. Despite repeated exposure to condensation from my soggy, single-wall tent that threateningly dripped over my bag all night, the down never soaked through. 

Lightweight … For a Sleeping Bag

At 25 ounces, this pro may depend on how you categorize the Flicker: sleeping bag or quilt. Seeing as how I used this hybrid model as a sleeping bag for a significant chunk of my thru-hike, I’d argue that the Flicker is impressively light for a sleeping bag (albeit heavy by quilt standards). 

For those looking for an ultralight sleeping bag or adaptable option that won’t compromise on warmth, this bag strikes the supreme balance. 

Feathered Friends Flicker Ultralight Quilt Sleeping Bag Cons

Zipper Heat Loss

One major downside to a full-length zipper is that it can lose considerable heat in colder conditions. While extra material over the zipper and a cinched draft collar help mitigate drafts, I did notice cold air seeping through the zipper on my coldest nights. 

Tucking the center zipper underneath my body when I slept (rather than as a top or side zipper) helped remedy this. My sleeping pad fortunately has a high R-value, which assisted in balancing out the influx of cold air from the zipper with the body heat retained from my pad. 

Not All Quilts Are Made Equal

For the purpose of this review, as I mentioned above, I largely consider the Flicker a sleeping bag with the benefits of being convertible into a quilt. That said, if you plan to use the Flicker primarily as a quilt, please note that there’s no pad attachment system to secure it to a sleeping pad. 

Due to the excess material required for it to convert into a sleeping bag, I found the quilt plenty wide for my body size, which rendered this a non-issue for me. When I needed more warmth, I simply switched to sleeping bag mode. 

Heavy For a Quilt

Again, depending on how you view the Flicker, its 25-ounce pack weight could be a pro or a con. For a quilt, it’s certainly on the heavier side. Since it functions primarily like a sleeping bag, however, I found the weight to be reasonable for its added features and warmth.

Overall Value

Though I primarily slept in the Flicker as a sleeping bag, I looked forward to shuffling around camp in my cozy down blanket!

My biggest concern before testing the Feathered Friends Flicker Ultralight Quilt Sleeping Bag was that its hybrid status would compromise its ability to do anything exceptionally well. A jack of all trades, master of none. I was happily mistaken in this assumption. 

The Flicker excels in adaptability, allowing users to utilize one sleeping bag that performs well in a wide range of conditions. Its reliable warmth and durability also make it a top contender for thru-hikers wanting only one bag to get them through a long-distance hike with variable conditions, such as the Colorado Trail or Pacific Crest Trail.

While I’d consider the Flicker to be primarily a sleeping bag with the added benefit of quilt mode, this bag could undoubtedly compete with some of the best ultralight sleeping bags on the market — boasting a feature that few have.

Shop the Feathered Friends Flicker UL Quilt Sleeping Bag

Comparable Products

Zpacks Classic Sleeping Bag

MSRP: Starting at $419
Weight: Starting at 16.6 oz

Enlightened Equipment Enigma Sleeping Quilt

MSRP: $430
Weight: 21.19 oz

Western Mountaineering UltraLite Sleeping Bag

MSRP: $600
Weight: 28 oz

The Feathered Friends Flicker was donated for purpose of review