Feathered Friends Flicker YF Quilt Sleeping Bag

Feathered Friends Flicker YF Quilt Sleeping Bag

By Cory McLaughlin

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Just the Facts:

We created the Flicker to achieve maximum comfort and versatility without compromising on weight. Unzipped, it functions as a large quilt on warmer nights and is wide enough to cover two adults in a pinch. The footbox can be cinched tight and partially zipped for greater efficiency on cooler nights. At the bottom end of the temperature rating, the Flicker functions as a full center-zip mummy sleeping bag. With 950+ fill power down and ultralight Pertex® Endurance® fabric, the Flicker series is ideally suited for those chilly summer nights in the alpine or on a thru-hike.

Available in 20 Degree, 30 Degree, and 40 Degree options.

Additional Info

My Story:

I love the Pacific Northwest. I am well traveled through the great US of A and while much of this country is beautiful I simply love the PNW best. I especially love companies that call the PNW home as I feel happy to support them and in a slightly biased way I think they make some of the best gear in the world. My desire to support PNW business is what lead me to Feathered Friends, well to be honest, Feathered Friends’ amazing reputation was also a factor.

The quilt world is something that is relatively new to me. I have a pretty healthy resume of testing out your typical down sleeping bag and while I will be the first to sing the praises of a good down sleeping bag there are times that a quilt is just a better option. The real unicorn would be a quilt/sleeping bag combo. If only something like that existed, oh wait, it does! Feathered Friends hits the nail on the head with their Flicker series quilt/sleeping bags.

After speaking with FF representative I was persuaded into the slightly more cost efficient YF version of the Flicker. For my intended use the YF fabric was said to be a bit more robust and in some opinions a bit more comfortable fabric. The wright different was negligible at 27.1 oz. for the YF as compared to the 25.2 oz. of the UL. For $55 dollar difference I think the 1.9 oz. difference is worth the savings especially if you factor in the reported comfort and durability.

When the Flicker showed up on my door I was instantly excited to try it out. I delighted by how light the box was and I hurried to pull it out. The Flicker appeared to be of extremely high quality and came with a large storage sack and stuff sack. By all accounts the out of the box appearance was impressive. My daughters fought over who would be the first to use it as their weekend movie night blanket.

My first outing with the Flicker came in the wilds of the Idaho backcountry. I was on an 11 day hunting trip and my sleeping situation was planned to range from the comforts of a wall tent to the unknowns of sleeping in a spike camp miles from anything. The Flicker was going to be worked in as needed and/or as weather permitted. I knew from past years that the weather could be anything from arctic to downright warm and the versatility to a quilt was a welcomed thought. Night one was in the comfort of a wall tent and thank goodness for that. The weather was horribly cold and even with a stove the tent was frigid.

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The Flicker YF comes in a variety of warmth ratings and I had selected the 20 degree version. I can tell you that 25 degrees will push you to the absolute edge of misery if you use the flicker in the same way I did. I placed the flicker on a cot with an insulated Big Agnes Q-Core inflatable mattress underneath it. I slept with long underwear bottoms, socks and a t shirt and I was pretty miserable on my first night. Knowing that insulation is key to staying warm I adapted my sleeping situation and added some wool blankets on top of the sleeping pad and the rest of my nights were pleasant due to better tending of the fire and the added insulation. I believe that if I had not been on the cot I might have had less issue with the cold as the elevation allowed for more draft under the pad and may have caused the issue. Either way I would not want to be in this bag in anything under 25 degrees.

The fit of the bag is wonderful in regards to length. I am 5’ 9’’ and I found it to be a great fit. I do feel a bit cramped in the shoulders but only when the quilt is zipped up into a sleeping bag configuration. I might have chosen the wide version had I been able to test them side by side. Either way it is a comfortable bag. True to what I was told the YF fabric is pleasant and comfortable and I can’t see anything that could be improved upon in that area. I love the foot box as it can be loose or drawn tight depending on needs and this versatility adds to the Flickers overall comfort.

My last testing ground was during a weekend tipi adventure in the mountains near my home. I had some testing to do of several other products so it was a great opportunity to get the flicker back into the field.

After 3 more nights in temperatures ranging from 28 to nearly 40 degrees I found the Flicker YF to be a solid companion for my outdoor adventuring needs. The Feathered Friends Flicker YF is built of quality material and with craftsmanship that rivals any of today’s top brands. I can’t wait to have more adventures with the FF Flicker and would happily recommend it to any that ask.    

Find it Here:

https://featheredfriends.com/collections/flicker-series/products/feathered-friends-flicker-yf-down-quilt-sleeping-bag

What can be done better?

Nothing that I can see. It is as advertised and seems to work wonders! I cant fault the temperature rating as that is a very subjective topic.