anything more compressible then WM summerlite?

Check out the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 bag. It compresses freakishly small, barely larger than a Nalgene bottle.

Huzefa,
The summerlite is a stellar bag and probably one of the most compressible, if not the most, 32 degree bags. I would think if you wanted something to compress to half that size, you will have to reduce the amount of bag you bring. Perhaps a quilt or blanket would be something to look into.
My summer bag is the 'Arc AT', and at 9.75 oz, it literally disappears in my pack. If you are going the "UM" way, this bag is definitely in that league.

http://www.nunatakusa.com/Sleeping_Bag_Arc_AT.htm

I pair mine with one of the Montbell Down Inner Jackets.
Hope that helps.
Steve

Steven,

The ARC A.T. is rated at 40 degrees. With a down inner jacket, would you say it matches a Summerlite's comfort [who's rating is 32]?

Thanks

Yer I agree,

a sleeping quilt or top bag is prob the way forward for getting compression if you don’t mind not having a hood.

Down quilts/top bags will compress smaller than synthetic to.

Im only aware of the Rab Quantum Top Bag that’s at a reasonable price here in the UK.

For quilts there is a few makes, nunatakusa as suggested by Steven prob one of the better makes, there is also http://www.jacksrbetter.com which I don’t use myself but something iv looked at.

Hi Frank,
Sorry if it came across that way, but no, I would say the Arc AT is not as warm as the summerlite. I don't have a summerlite (I had a Hydrogen which I think is comparable), but my good buddy does and just looking at them you can see quite a difference. I have comfortably had my Arc AT paired with a MB Down Inner Parka (with the hood) to 6C (42.8F) with a base layer on a GG torso pad with no problems. I am planning to take this system w/ a beefier pad much lower (25-30ish) as soon as I get a chance. Is it a good idea? We'll find out. Too cold here right now. -19C (-2F) when I got in my car to come to work.
I recomended the Arc AT as an alternative on the higher end of Huzefa's scale while the Summerlite is on the lower. I'm not sure if it is possible to get much smaller then the summerlite at that temp – it is pretty tight in there!
Steve
Steve

I have the Summerlite and it will pack down pretty small, probably the size of a nalgene bottle or less if you need it to, but I am not sure why you would. I actually bought a larger stuff sack to put it in.

Over compressing down can damage it, and I would cringe to think that my high dollar sleeping bag was being damaged. There may be something that will pack down smaller such as a quilt, but I doubt that you would find a down bag of the same temperature rating that will go any smaller.

.

thanks for all replies. After Steven & Dan suggested quilts I did some reading. Nunataks are nice but too expensive. I also looked into JacksRBetter but what really got me is golite ultra 20. At 19 oz it looks perfect for my use. Anyone knows how small will it pack?

Huzefa,
That quilt looks fantastic. It is however rated to pretty low at 20F(-7C) which is quite a difference from your original range – and I believe it is actually heavier then the WM Summerlite. Comparing it to Nunatuks quilts, a 20 oz quilt packs to 7"x12".
Maybe someone could correct me if I am wrong, but when dealing with the UL fabrics and 800+ fill down, I think you can bet that the different manufacturers bags will pack around the same size per temp rating (no drastic difference).
Did you look at some of the other options on Nunatuk. Assuming you still want the 30F-40F range at half the size of the Summerlite, the Arc Edge is also an option and only slightly more expensive then the Golite Ultra 20.
Let us know what you end up going for.
Steve

Huzafa,

From some of the other posts that you've listed, I know that you want minimum volume, and want all your gear to fit into a Golite Ion. The 7"*12" pack size that Steve stated sounds about right. By my calculations the Ultra will take up 462 ci. But since it won't fit perfectly into the ion, I'm guessing that the quilt will take up over 1/3 of the ion's volume. This doesn't pose much of a problem if you aren't taking cooking equipment or a lot of extra clothes, however if you are, there isn't a whole lot of room left for other necessities . You maybe better off with a lighter weight quilt.

I will confirm the packed dimensions of the Ultra since I am literally expecting mine to be delivered within the next couple of hours.

Well I just received my ultra 20. Here is the low down on the specs. Weight 19.75 oz with stuff sack. Stuffed size is about 10.5 * 5.5. But could actually be stuffed smaller if you needed it to be. It seems to loft up pretty well, I would say around the 3.5" mark. It also seems to be constructed very well, definitely a good looking piece of equipment! Now just to test it out. I think I will be able to get out this weekend. I should really be able to test the temperature rating well since I think overnight lows should be around twenty. I have to say that just by looking at this thing the temp rating seems pretty optimistic.

I will get back next week with a performance report.

Nameskar Huzefa,
The WM Highlite compresses to a smaller volume than the WM Summerlite. Exactly how much I haven't measured, but it does. It weighs 16 oz. in regular size and will take you down to 35 degrees Farenheit reliably. With some creative selection of clothing you should be able to take it down to the mid 20's. I survived a night at 19 degrees with all my clothes on, a little cool, but nothing that kept me from sleeping most of the night. Worth considering. Be aware that comfort depends on the individual-body type, metabolism, etc, and specific conditions such as fatigue, adequate hydration and nutrition. Good luck, whatever you end up with.

Joshua 10.5 * 5.5 sounds too good. I am waiting to hear your report. The cost of golite ultra would be a long stretch considering what is left of my savings. If I chose to buy it then I will not be able to buy my backpack and sleeping pad which I think is more important right now. There is guy named Aaron here who has generously offered to make a quilt for me. I still have time to think about it as I wont really need a quilt till July when I plan to bike to Khardung La- the highest road pass in world, although that claim is hotly debated.

Thanks all of you for your very helpful suggestions. I am trying to integrate SUL/UM style in my adventures and this thread made me consider a quilt as an alternative to the traditional sleeping bag.

Edit: I came across Ray jardine's website. Making my own quilt sounds exciting. I will probably end up making my own quilt!

Huzefa,

as far as mats go, you should be able to find closed cell foam mats pretty cheap. In Aus you can sometimes get them for only about US$2.50.

Making a quilt should be pretty straight forward, especially if you use a synthetic fill like Climashield Combat…there is another forum thread going on at the moment where they are talking about this.

If you are carrying minimal other gear, in terms of shelter, etc, then having a sythetic quilt makes alot more sense than down, as you don't have to worry about it getting wet so much.

I'm sure you will enjoy Khardung La, even if it isn't quite the highest. I've seen some magnificent pictures of that and other passes taken by cycle tourers.

Have fun!

Adam

Edit: I am seriously considering giving this a go myself…

It looks like you are going for a bigger pack than the Ion???

If so the lack of compressibility from a synthetic quilt may not be a problem.

If you are going to be in conditions with damp nights of a lot of rain the synthetic is a much better way to go.

Anybody out there with a 5 ounce weight quilt know what it compresses down to?

Huzefa,

Check out my review under reader reviews on the Golite Ultra 20!

Just in case anybody wondering what happened with this thread, I just finished making Huzefa his quilt.

2.5 oz Climashield with Momentium with a fit just for him.

I cut everything I could out of the quilt to get it down to the stuff size he wanted.
Weather he wanted it or not, (he's getting a bigger pack now, I guess) he got a quilt that weighs 10.1 ounces and fits in a 5" x 8" stuff sack.

It's actually a little smaller than the dimensions above so it will end up taking about 150 cubic inches of space up.

Huz,

Do NOT check out the Mt'n. Hardwear Phantom 32. I returned mine (unused) to REI after I saw how little loft it really had. I got a Western Mountaineering Megalite – I need the extra space – for another $100. and love it. It has REAL loft, a full length zipper so I can use it as a quilt on hot nights and no left side baffle so I can shift down from the top to the bottom.

Eric

Thanks everyone who commented to this thread. The quilt made by Aaron fits me like a glove. I love it! The attention to details is amazing. I have posted some pics of the quilt here
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/11935/index.html

Enjoy the pics.