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Katabatic Sawatch
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Aug 24, 2010 at 8:02 am #1639991
The widest point, of course.
Aug 24, 2010 at 8:07 am #1639992Agreed. I really like the width of the GoLite Ultra 20. It is wide enough for my wide shoulders while side sleeping. I've tried others (JRB, Warbonnet, etc) and they are simply too narrow for me. I was looking at the Sawatch based on Aaron's statement that the dimensions matched the Ultra 20. If this doesn't appear to be the case then I may hold off on getting one and just use my Marmot Helium unzipped in quilt mode which gives me plenty of room to side sleep although it's heavier than I'd like.
The Arc Alpinist certainly looks enticing, but I can't see shelling out almost $500 for a quilt.
Aug 24, 2010 at 8:55 am #1640005The 3 season Ultralight quilt from Golite in 'long' is 59".
Aug 24, 2010 at 9:00 am #1640009How low do you think you could take the 3 season? I have the Ultra 20 and can take it fairly comfortably down to 25* with clothing, which here in VA is 3 season. I'm looking for something that can get me through the winter (i.e. down to 10* or so). I was looking at the Sawatch to replace my Marmot Helium since the ratings seem to be conservative, but I'm worried now about the width.
Aug 24, 2010 at 9:08 am #1640010A quick comment on our shoulder width measurement. It is hard to measure our quilts in this area since the quilt is aggressively contoured at the top. For our shoulder width measurement we chose to measure along the upper baffle, since this baffle runs at shoulder height. With the quilt laid out flat this baffle angles up quite a bit on either side, making it hard to measure. But with the quilt around your body it goes straight across in the shoulder area. Measuring along this baffle is where the 54" shoulder width measurement comes from.
It sounds like our quilts will not necessarily work well for larger folks. Look for us to introduce Wide sizes in the future.
Aaron Martray
Katabatic GearAug 24, 2010 at 9:30 am #1640018As Aaron says, it's difficult to measure with the differential cut and countouring of the Sawatch.
Mine is roughly 54" on the outside, and 51" on the inside. The 55" inside of my Arc Specialist is better for me as a side sleeper. It has plenty of tuck left over, as i don't use the straps in the temps i use my Arc Specialist at.
However, i intend to use the cords on the Sawatch as i will be using it in much colder temps than the Arc Specialist. With the cords fastened, i can just get full coverage when side sleeping. This might not be enough to layer under though. Only time will tell when the temps start to drop.To be honest, i would prefer it to be wider, and would probably not have ordered it if i knew the inside measurement was only 51".
I'm 5'10", 42" chest, 34" waist, and around 175 pounds.
Aug 24, 2010 at 9:39 am #1640021Not knocking the quilt, its probably the one of the best I've seen in regards to workmanship. Also, when you consider the price, its a great value as well. To be fair, I have not used the cords yet, or have I slept in it. I've only got in the quilt at home, for comparison to the Arc Alpinist's width. I plan to keep the Sawatch and test it further, to see how it performs for me personally.
Aug 24, 2010 at 9:40 am #1640022Hi Marc – I have only had it down to 38C, but I was quite warm and only sleeping silk undies. I had to flip a leg out at one point. I never had the Ultra but from what I have heard, the loft is considerably greater in the new 3 season quilt.
Aug 24, 2010 at 11:32 am #1640057I think the only way for me to tell would be to purchase one and try it out. Since I'm a hammocker I may be able to get away with a slightly smaller quilt, but I know the current hammock quilts out there JRB, WB, etc. won't work for me as they are between 44-48" wide.
I really really want one of these, it's just a lot of money to shell out on a gamble. In the end, I'll probably at least give it a shot, especially if I can take the Sawatch down to 0-5*
Sep 1, 2010 at 5:25 pm #1642366I just received my Katabatic Palisade with 3 ounces of overfill and it is awesome! I like the chord system in theory, but only real world use will tell.
As to the width, I have had several Nunatak quilts (Arc Alpinists and Specialists), and the Katabatic quilt is definitely narrower than those quilts. I have also had a JRB No Sniveller and the Katabatic is wider than that. I consider myself to have large shoulders and I am a side sleeper. I think the Katabatic quilt will work especially with the chord lock system.
The quality of the Katabatic quilt is equal too if not better than the Nunatak quilts I have owned and equal to the Western Mountaineering bags. I think if you are looking for a new quilt then definitely check out the Katabatic Gear quilts!
Sep 1, 2010 at 7:47 pm #1642407David – What are your shoulder measurements for comparison's sake?
Nov 8, 2010 at 3:02 pm #1662282I just spent my first couple of nights in the Katabatic Sawatch bag and Crestone hood. They also happen to be my first nights ever in a true quilt-style bag. I'm an "everything sleeper" (i.e., back, sides, stomach) and having finally grown fustrated with getting wrapped up in my mummy bag from tossing and turning through the nights, I started sleeping with my normal bag draped over me like a large, loose quilt. This worked great in warmer weather and planted the seed to finally try a proper quilt for colder temps.
So, this last weekend, I packed up my kit (including the new quilt and hood) and hit the trails in the Golden Trout Wilderness in the southern Sierras. Anticipated overnight temperatures were forecast to be in the high 20s the first night and low 20s the second night as a small storm was forecast to blow through. Actual conditions fit the forecast pretty closely; I measured 29* on Saturday morning and 21* on Sunday morning.
I coupled the Sawatch quilt and Crestone hood with a Neo Air pad and a 1/4" GG thinlight insulation pad underneath the neo air. The combo of pads provided plenty of insulation for me from the ground both nights. For sleeping clothes, I wore a thin set of silk long johns and a thin pair of liner socks. I slept inside a TT Rainshadow 2 with the girlfriend and our dog.
I found the initial set-up to be a little fiddly with having to get the cords tied around the pad in the correct places and then clipping the quilt onto the cords, but once it was set up, getting in or out of the bag and making mid-sleep adjustments to the girth were a breeze. Both nights, I pulled the bag in tighter and locked the clips in place at some point during the night to get a little more warmth and it worked great! No drafts! Pulling the bag in increased the warmth and I still never noticed the clips or cord underneath me. The snap closure on the back side of the collar was tough to work with in the middle of the night and it popped open a couple of times on me when shifting around, although I don't think I needed it closed to stay warm either night. In fact, leaving it open made it easier to hang an arm or two out of the bag when sleeping on my side or stomach.
The hood was too warm for me the first night and for most of the second night. I ended up adding the hood in the early morning hours on Sunday. It was easy to put on (I didn't even use the underarm cords) and stayed put well enough while moving around.
I can't tell you how pleased I am that the bag and pad would stay put while I moved around inside the bag. That alone was a huge improvement for me over my mummy bags.
The temp rating of the quilt (15*) seemed pretty accurate to me. I was very comfortable down to the low 20s and feel confident I could've gone colder without adding any extra clothes/gear, of course, I sleep fairly warm so YMMV.
Construction of the quilt and hood are top notch.
So far, so good. Now thinking about eventually adding the 30* quilt to the arsenal sometime in the near future.
Nov 18, 2010 at 1:09 pm #1665704Great review. I'm glad to hear these work so well. It looks like Katabatic makes a great product. If wide versions are introduced I will definitely be looking to add one to the arsenal.
Nov 18, 2010 at 1:46 pm #1665715Yeah I would like to see a bit wider (+5") versions also.
Also, why not use the 0.85oz/yd Pertex Quantum Ripstop in the inside of the quilt instead of the 1.0oz Pertex Quantum Taffeta? It seems like easy way to save an ounce unless I'm missing something.
Nov 18, 2010 at 2:02 pm #1665727I would assume that cost and availability are the primary factors.
Nov 18, 2010 at 3:57 pm #1665776Both the Ripstop and Taffeta versions are normally very similar in price and both are readily available. I suspect the heavier taffeta is used to give the quilt the same feel as a normal bag. Sleeping bags normally use taffeta inside rather than ripstop.
Nov 18, 2010 at 6:02 pm #1665828ALCON,
Comparing quilt width statements to a generalized width for JRBs at 48 inches is quite in accurate… Almost two years ago the JRB Sierra Series of quilts, 52 inches thru the entire body area and once passed the hips tapering to 42 inchs, was introduced specifically for the ground community…As far as top quilts are concerned the Sierra Series are by far the most common top quilt size…
For the fans of over stuff…almost all cottage manufacturers offer overstuff, including JRB…
Pan
Dec 26, 2010 at 7:18 pm #1677804I'd love to see some user photos of this quilt!
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