The great thing about the world of camping gear is that someone’s always thinking up ways to improve equipment. I think it’s because, when you’re backpacking for hours with nothing else to do, your mind tends to concentrate on ways you could make your life better (I do the same thing while riding long-distance). And just when you think a technology might be more-or-less settled, along comes an innovation that offers a new way of solving a problem.

In the case of Zenbivy, the problem they’re solving is: How to have a comfortable sleep in the backcountry? Towards that end, the company has introduced a new sleep system that’s not quite a sleeping bag and not quite a quilt, but with aspects of both to improve your overnight R&R.

Zenbivy’s two-part system consists of a fitted sheet which stretches over your sleep pad, and then a top blanket that attaches to that fitted sheet. Functionally, it appears to be similar to a Big Agnes bag, if you’ve got experience with those systems (I’ve owned one for years), but designed with a bit more flexibility in mind. Here’s how Zenbivy’s marketing describes its system:

Mummy bags are restrictive. They twist and tangle, grabbing you as you move. They’re unnatural, claustrophobic, and cause you to easily slide off the mattress. The Zenbivy Bed solves these issues. By attaching the convertible top quilt to the hinged “wings” of the fitted sheet, the Zenbivy Bed is instantly free to get wider where and when you need it to, allowing you to change sleeping positions with ease. No more constriction, no more twisting, and NO more sliding off your mattress.

From tent to hammock, hostel to van, the Zenbivy Bed’s separate top quilt adds incredible versatility and allows you to take comfort with you wherever you roam. The fitted sheet gives you the option to fully “tuck in” the quilt when temperatures dip. Its integrated hood insulates your head and doubles as a cubby to hold your pillow in place.

Combined, the quilt and sheet create a complete sleeping “bag” system that’s just as warm and light as a mummy bag but a WHOLE lot more comfortable.

So, it looks like you’ve got got a bit more room to move around, when compared to other sleeping bag designs. It also looks like it might be a good fit for hammock camping sans underquilt, although I haven’t actually tried that for myself yet.

See the system demo’d below:

FWIW, the issues they mention with mummy bags and quilts are what have turned me off both those systems over the years, and this looks like an interesting alternative. I can see some restrictions the system would have; it appears that Zenbivy sleep systems are locked into specific sizes and shapes for sleeping pads, for instance. But again, I don’t have first-hand experience with the system, so I can’t say for sure.

You know who can say for sure? The inmates in the Camping Toys sub-forum, where we’ve got a thread running on the Zenbivy system. If you’ve got more questions, take them there, or visit Zenbivy.com.