Advice on 3 season vs 1 season bag/quilt

Hi Gary,
If I was going to own just 1 bag, I'd rather have it be one that can do more, rather than do less. A 40 degree quilt in the mid-west tends to be more of a specialist's tool than an all-around go-to sleep system. Even in May, we'll have snow and nights in the 30s. Considering that you are already doing some early and late season trips I think that what you are looking at may not be sufficient.

As an example, I use my 32 F western mountaineering summerlite right now for about 90% of my trips. In summer, I can sleep on it or throw it over me like a quilt, and I have the security in the shoulder seasons of knowing I can batten it down tight. It weighs the same as the quilt you are looking at (albeit more expensive).

I would think about a down quilt/bag as a lifetime investment. If you are just going to buy 1, get the one that suits the majority of the situations you will find yourself in.

Good luck with your decision.

I would go with a 30F bag. The difference between 30F and 40F is pretty minimal for a down bag/quilt and the 30F lets you push into 3 season much more comfortably by adding clothing. Also I tend to make the mental distinction that above freezing is most common in 3 season and below freezing you're getting into winter mode, but in your neck of the woods that may not be true.

As for which quilt to get, I would look at the Revelation X from Enlightened Equipment.

http://www.enlightenedequipment.com/revelationx.html

It's about the same price, lighter and warmer. Sure the material uses cosmetic seconds, but there's an entire thread in Gear Deals about the EE quilts with nothing but a ton of happy customers.

Plus you get far more customization (wide or skinny cut based on build, length, generous down/price overfill options) which will be hard at this price point from any other manufacturer.

[Addendum] I should probably add how I pick sleep gear. The way I see it, I first determine a weight range I'm comfortable carrying. Here in the desert I basically say 0 lbs for mid-summer (sleep in clothes and aiming for SUL), ~1 lb for shoulder seasons (a thin quilt), ~2lbs for winter (20F WM bag). If going into much colder temps I can combine the quilt and the winter bag and still have a 3 lb sleep system for 0F or so (before clothing benefits). These are my desired weight ranges for my conditions. So once I have found a weight that works, I then just find the warmest solution at that weight point. This way I don't have to spend a lot of extra money on the best solution for a rare trip. If I moved or started spending time in more frigid environments, only then would I start to invest in a more specific and refined solution.

So in your situation you seem to be ok with a quilt at just over 1 lb for most of your trips. So I would then find the absolutely warmest solution you can find for that weight. Given your preferred budget the Revelation X or MYOG becomes a likely solution and actually allows you to go colder than you expected. Meaning maybe you come up with a ~10 oz solution, like a just using a jacket, down the road for 1 season use if you want to push even lighter (and combined those two sleep solutions may let you get to 20F or colder).

I think a bag rated at 40º or above is a specialist's tool, and as another poster mentioned, will mean some cold nights (or missed trips) with a weather swing.

A 30º bag weighs marginally more than the 40, and can be stretched down to 20-25 degrees.

A 20º bag starts to weigh a lot more than that 40º but it will come in handy.

I recommend something at about 30º. If you get a 40, you'll inevitably want something around 20 shortly.

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm gonna suck it up and wait till I can afford something that is more flexible. I'm looking at either the Montbell UL Spiral Down Hugger #3 or Western Mountaineering SummerLite.

I decided to go with a side zipper bag over a quilt because I stopped using my old bivy because I hated squirming in from the top and trying to reposition everything while inside the bag. Using a quilt will give me a similar problem and I'd rather avoid that. The ease of zippers is worth the added weight.

Anyway, thanks again for the input. It was super helpful. You all saved me from an impulse buy that I wouldn't have been happy with. I've already got a closet full of that type of stuff.