Quilts??

"what options do i have and who all makes quilts."

Take a look at Nunatak, Jacks R Better, Golite and Mountain Laurel Designs. Then take a look at Thru-hiker.com and run the numbers for making your own quilt (Walmart has some pretty decent sewing machines in the $50-80 range if you don't already have one). A lot of quilt users have made their own to save a few bucks.

The subject of quilts has been discussed in great detail on this forum, well beyond the point of beginners' inquiries. A forum search would be very productive on this topic.

Hi, you may (golite 20) find a bunch of cottage guys doing quilts. it hasnt hit the mainstream yet. maybe, you will soon see TNF and Marmot offering (golite 20) their versions…

im sure some might say "you seem to have (golite 20) something that works" but hey, an unzipped bag is no more a real quilt than a ceiling fan is a propeller.

Happy searching, sure is fun, aint it?
did i mention the GoLite 20?

I sent my GoLite back a couple of weeks ago. Seem to be really really thin on top, and overfilled on the sides. Maybe I wasn't smart enough to figure it out.

Joe, What you describe sounds like the baffles were underfilled and the down had migrated from the center to the edges just from normal use. This is natural for any bag when it's draping over your body (even one of my Western Mountaineering bags has this problem), though usually with a mummy bag you don't notice it so much because the bag isn't draping across your body in the same exact position the whole night (i.e. you roll around with the bag).

What you can do whenever a bag or quilt's loft is adversely affected by migrating down like that is grab the edges and shake the entire quilt vigorously so as to shake the down more towards the centers of the baffles. This will cause most of the down to migrate to the center, over your body where it's needed most. Now if the baffles are underfilled, that would not be preferable in the first place, but it is possible to cope with underfilled baffles in the manner I just described.

As a side note, I have a Golite Ultra 20 and it has this same problem. I always shake the edges of the quilt to get the down into the center of the baffles before going to bed and it tends to stay like that all night so I have no plans to change from using the Ultra 20 as my main bag, but IMO it's not a preferable quality to have in one's quilt.

Joe, Art. Man, that sucks. I can see that issue with my DIY quilts but only over a full night's use. Is this happening to more people? And, I was assuming the Ultra had differntial baffles, which should have reduced down shifting due to compression. Are you guys primarily side sleepers?

Come to think of it, my old Hudson River may have had the same issue. I overstuffed it with 2oz down and then everything was peachy.

Golite told me there were baffles between the top and sides, and I believed them. Sounds like they were confused, you never know about customer service sometimes. Maybe I should give it another chance. And quit hijacking the thread.

I just bought a Golite Ultra 20 and I love it. After using this, I will probably never go back to a bag. I'm sure the Nunatak and JRB quilts are awesome too, but you just can't beat the Golite for the money (especially if you can find a "like new" used one…)

I figured it might help the OP reach a decision if he heard a few criticisms and praises about one of the more popular quilts.

I have the golite quilt as well and at first I thought it might be underfilled. after testing it I changed my mind because it kept me comfortable down to the mid teens (with an insulating jacket, fleece cap, etc.). I dont mind giving it a shake before bed considering relatively low cost of the quilt.

I run warm and wouldn't use the Ultra 20 below 35 or so. I was barely comfortable in the high 20s with an insulated jacket and Cocoon Pro 90 balaclava. Maybe they have quality control issues with it.

nm

Take a look at the Jacks Are Better products. I use the No Sniveller, heavier than my WM Highlite at about 21 oz ( it was the long version, I then changed my mind cut 1.5 baffles off and stuffed the down as an overfill in the chest area) but much more versatile. It can be almost a mummy bag for me ( I am rather thin) or fully open and in between. It also has the advantage of beign able to use it as a serape if you get cold at camp (very warm in that mode)
I have just noticed the new look at JRB (when did that happen ?)
Note that now (with some clothing) I can use it down to around 32f . there are several loops for hammock use, some are useful to adapt the design to a similar strap system as the one used by Nunatak .During my "cut and stuff" mod I discovered that JRB use as good down as I ever seen.
I ordered the long version so that I could put it over my head, I still can do it now with the shortened version (5'7")
$20 off at the moment. (no, I am not related)
You can also get the lighter (17 oz) stealth, but for the extra few ounces (an $50) I opted for the buffled and warmer NS.
BTW I have played with the Nunatak Arc Alpinist, very nice…. but I like the JRB
Franco

did golite quit making the quilt? i found it at several retailers but not at their site. i wouldn't be worried about giving it a fluff before bed, i already fluff up my mummy bag before bed. i do really like the strap to hook under the pad, that's the only problem i've had with using my regular bag as a "quilt", keeping it somewhat still while i move.

the basic setups and conditions that i would be using the quilt for is from the upper 20's to warm weather. either in a bivy under a small tarp or in my tarptent for 2 that i use for when my girlfriend comes hiking with me. i'm a midget at 5'6" and fairly fit at 170lbs.

Golite is out of quilts until February.

Jared, if you are interested, I used a Hudson River (no sniveller minus head hole) easily down to high 20's. With a tshirt and hiking pants. The Jacks told me to expect a >30° "rating" but of course YMMV. If you are fit (muscular) @ 170 on 5'6" I think you will appreciate the extra width of a JrB quilt. (they're around 48" wide)

Golite Ultra 20's can still be had at Basegear.com, Backcountry.com, and others.

The 2009 Ultra's are supposed to be here around the end of March, according to the rep. "…real soon now…"

is there any planned changes for the '09 golite quilts?

i'll look more into the jacksrbetter quilts also. they are a bit more, and upon a further look, i guess they can sew the foot box together. which i'd prefer if i went that route, since i won't be using a hammock.

Jared
That is what I planned to do during my modification by also shaping it narrower at the foot end. After I had cut the baffle off and sawed up the remaining half (draught collar style) the sawing machine jammed up and I could not be bothered trying to figure out what happened ( it exceed my attention span)
Now I am happy with what I have . Nice to be able to open it up in warm weather and one you cinch the bottom (incidentally originally the same as the top ) it is pretty much a foot box anyway. The draw cord at the "draught collar" end is nice to have for those cold nights. Another reason I like it like that is because I can have the "foot box" a bit wider if and when I use it as an over bag.
Franco

I agree with Chris on the performance of the "20". I sent mine back. Maybe the 2009 version will have better quality control with loft and replace the cheap plastic strap loops.
It is shaped really nice though and has great coverage but seems to be more of a 35* quilt.

I've used my golite ultra 20 to a low of 20 degrees exactly. I slept fine. I was using a 3/8" thinlight pad trimmed to 38" (3.45 oz). I slept inside a MLD superlight bivy (6.3 oz) under an Integral Designs silnylon tarp (6.8 oz). For clothes I did sleep in my Montbell UL Down Inner (6.8 oz) and wore a light fleece cap. For much of the night I was exposed to significant wind gusts as a I slept at 5500 in eastern mountains. I didnt even use the straps so the quilt weighed only 18.65 oz.

I was really impressed with this quilt. I can't imagine a lighter item taking me to these temps.

Jamie

Thanks for all the info so far. I'm leaning towards the golite, it's cheaper and appears to fit the niche that i am looking at. Presently my 20F bag is usually too warm for the conditions I run into unless i open the bag up as if it were a quilt. so even if it was realistically a 32F rating. It won't bother me, usually if I'm hitting 20F on a 3 season trip… It's going to be a freak northwest storm, and as long as i can layer and survive the night I will be happy. hopefully next season I will start getting some winter camping gear and hopefully find some friends that will actually go hiking in the winter and do some backcountry splitboarding, but for now it's hard enough to find anyone to go hike with in the "main" season.