Feathered Friends Flicker 20 UL Quilt Bag

Feathered Friends Flicker 20 UL Quilt Bag

Temperature Rating: 20º F

Stated Dimensions: 62”x 48”x 39”

Available lengths: Regular: 6’0”, Long: 6’6”

Fill Power: 900+

Fill Weight: 14.7 oz / 417 g

Stated Total Weight:

• Regular: 1 lb, 10 oz / 743 g

• Long: 1 lb, 11 oz / 782 g

MSRP: $389

Nights Tested: ~175

Test locations: Olympic Peninsula, WA; Wind River Range & Tetons, WY; the back of my truck.

Intro

All Feathered Friends products are made in Seattle, Washington, and the Feathered Friends Flicker 20 UL Quilt Bag is positioned as a versatile down quilt / sleeping bag that packs down small and is suitable for both extended overnight trips and car camping.

The Flicker style quilt bag is also available in 30- and 40-degree versions for the ultralight thru-hiker/climber.

I already own a warm North Face zero-degree bag and an ultralight Marmot 30-degree bag, so the Feathered Friends Flicker 20 is my in-between bag, and the bag I use at least 90% of the time.

Features

Hybrid Mummy / Quilt Design

The Flicker 20 sets itself apart from most traditional sleeping bags with its versatile design. You can use it fully open as a quilt, or zip it up and cinch the drawcord at the feet to create a roomy, mummy-style bag.

The quilt-style works very well for car camping on warm nights in a vehicle and thus it has been my primary bag for seven months of living in my old Toyota.

In a pinch, the quilt style can also be used as a single insulator for two people wanting to save weight and pack space. I only experimented with this once, on a packrafting trip on the Olympic Peninsula. My partner and I used a Black Diamond Firstlight tent that fit the quilt perfectly. Though the nighttime temperatures only dipped into the 50’s, we were definitely a bit chilly (possibly also due to poor R-value sleeping pads), so I would only suggest this technique to very good friends who are willing to snuggle up and share body heat for a good ol’ fashioned shiver bivy.

Hood (Or Lack Thereof)

Another notable difference from traditional sleeping bags is that the Flicker has no hood. I personally hate hoods on sleeping bags, since I tend to toss and turn during the night and they inevitably end up covering my face. So the Flicker’s lack of hood was a big selling point for me. I usually just wear a warm hoodie and hat to bed on cold nights, and have an easier time keeping those on my head than a sleeping bag hood anyway. This is especially true on warmer nights when I sleep with the bag unzipped.

Packability

The lack of a hood also makes the Flicker 20 that much lighter to carry into the backcountry. Its packed size takes up about two liters of space.

Webbing Loops for a Hammock Underquilt

I don’t personally use a hammock, but those that do may appreciate these loops to secure the sleeping bag and stay a little warmer on cold nights.

Zipper

The draft tube is replaced by a cross-over zipper design for less weight and bulk. Some early reviews of this bag stated that it was difficult to zip because the fabric would get caught in the zipper teeth, but newer versions of this bag (including mine) have a stiffer backing sewn in which seems to have eliminated this problem.

NEXT: Construction, Value, Etc.