Golite Z30 Sizing?

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As long as Tim Marshall of Enlightened Equipment is making quilts I would pass on Golite entirely. Tim is active on BPL, makes his quilts in the USA in a small shop, has excellent pricing, quality and great customer service. Golite is doing fine selling cloths and heavy "UL" packs. Supporting businesses like Tim's enriches the BPL community as a whole by providing alternatives to main stream gear companies. To avoid a complete thread-drifting rant, I agree and always size up when it is an option. The extra ounce or two is well worth it.

Thanx for the responses guys…I would love to buy a new Enigma or Rev, but I'm new to quilts and don't know whether I want to "stomach" the extra $125-150 before I know if they work for me.

I wish I had tried an EE quilt when Tim was having the sale…I also wish Tim had a bargain basement with 2nds/returns/closeouts/etc…

TA
-Mark

I would do a search of the Gear Swap Forum, I believe Tim's quilts have a strong resale value here and a fast resale times. I have bought and sold a lot of gear here to "test" and have had a lot of luck recouping some of my investment for the next purchase. Likewise, you might be able to score one on the Gear Swap Forum yourself. I have had limited luck with a "WTB" posting as well. Testing out quality gear is sometimes a better move then starting cheap once you factor in resale value and time. I know price does matter, and I am real cheapskate, but reselling helps everyone at BPL. That is how I rationalize it, anyway.

The Rev and Z30 stack up well generally. A new Rev long/wide with 800fp comes in at $300 with 12.55oz of fill and a total weight of 20oz. The Z30 has 13.1oz of of 850fp and a total weight of 24oz with a price of $315. With Golite, you need to play the discount/availability game and catch one in stock either on sale or with a coupon. I did this once and tried out their older 40 degree quilt. I recall paying $149, which was hard to pass up. It was well made, but ultimately I needed something warmer so I sold it. If I had bought their older 20 degree quilt I might still have it. However, I sleep better at night in my Feathered Friends and Zpacks bags knowing they were made in the USA by small businesses.

Hey Ed…I hear you…I really do…but…

the Z30 is available for a much lower price right now..FWIW.

-Mark

Or you could get a Hammockgear burrow (www.hammockgear.com) in a wide 55" (comparable to the EE Rev 20 regular/regular). Made in OH USA and for comparison:

Rev 20-850 fill (reg/reg)
13.05 oz fill
20.75 oz total weight
$400

HG Burrow 20-850 fill (reg/wide)
13.2 oz fill
18.7 oz total weight
$265

You do the math…

I appreciate the HG quilts as well. The communication issue worries me a bit, though.

As far as price…I need a long/wide…and don't want a 20deg….so…a Burrow 40deg L/W with sewn footbox, and 3-4oz. overstuff runs $292-301.

I'd really like to find something on sale or used in the $200-225 range.

If I assume 3 weeks for a cottage quilt to get made, I've got about 1 month to find something or decide…

TA
-Mark

I would go for the long to allow some extra insulation.

The quality of the Golite is excellent and the WP strips at each end work as advertised. The Pertex has a slightly shiny look to it but has very good DWR. For the price it is hard to beat.

I had an EE quilt and it was excellent as well.

I've got a Z30 Long on the radar…working out logistics…possibly.

-Mark

Mark, if your price range is in between 200 and 225 why don't you pick up an EE Enigma? Their 750fp long/wide quilts in a 30 or a 40 degree depending on which you wanted are priced at 225 and 210, and 18.25 and 15oz.

I get that. You need to feel comfortable where you are buying it from. I have bought more than one quilt so I just order what I know I need, I do not need to email or hear from the owner, however the first time I purchased I did have questions and I had a great response, if I had not perhaps I would have looked elsewhere.

In my experience every cottage gear maker I have used has taken care of me and met or exceeded my expectations (with one exception), so I guess I have been lucky. I have waited more than what I thought was reasonable for a Warbonnet hammock…or two…or three, but I love the gear so now I plan ahead.

I personally buy as much from the "small guy" as I can, it has worked out great for me so far, and I have used dozens of folks. I also love golite and buy a lot of outerwear as well as gear, umbrella, poncho tarp, and my wife loves her Jam. I am looking at the adventure 40 short for my kids and getting my daughter (9) the Jam 50 in the small size for some trips this summer. Good Luck

I would hold out for a Z30 if you can. I purchased a dozen for my son's scout troop and am really impressed with the quality and high end materials. All but 2 were the reg length and the regulars came in at 20.3 – 20.7oz without stuff sacks or straps. They were purchased for $179.95 each and NO body could touch that value.

They have been using them this winter and have taken them down to low single digits (f) augmented with the insulation layers they brought, and atop Neoair Allseason pads we found for $99.00 each. It was a perfect combination of fund raising and timing and if I didn't already have several Katabatic quilts and exped ul mats, I would have purchased one of each for myself.

You might try contacting the retail stores to se if they have any stock or returns. I ended up taking two regular length quilts back to the Lehi store about a month ago and other locations may have some as well. It's a bit of a long shot but could be worth the effort.

As far as price goes for the Z30, what am I missing? It is $320 and out of stock almost all of the time. Seems to me to make the Z30 a "deal" it has to be on sale or there has to be a discount code/coupon AND it has to be in stock. Neither of these apply right now, or perhaps in the near future. Seems like all of stars need to align before this quilt becomes a "deal" and, if the past is any guide, you have to watch it like a hawk and pull the trigger right away when things do line up, or the dreaded "out of stock" message returns . . . When Golite changed its business model a couple of years ago to exclusively on-line, there were real deals to be had. Seems to be more like vapor deals these days.

The "deal" most people are talking about isn't there anymore, but there was a period of about 2-3 months where Golite was selling the Z30 for $180ish, if memory serves. At that price, it becomes a really serious bargain. At $300, I'd definitely pass, especially given the recent changes to EE's business model, which give the buyer a lot more flexibility to choose what they want.

FWIW, I picked up a Z30 and I've been really happy with it- it kept me warm down into the low 20s with reasonable layering, and has a solid balance of weight and price. At $300, I'd probably get something else, though, since that price point give it no advantages over a hearty chunk of the cottage makers.

John – at $180ish for a Z30 my loyalty to cottage manufacturers and country would likely buckle. The Golite quilts have been at great prices in the past and I would agree, at a really low price like that, given the features and fill, it would hard to pass up. Now if only I had bought Apple stock in the mid 1990's . . .

I love using cottage gear mostly due to quality and also for the made in the USA thing as a bonus. But let's be honest with ourselves, Golite employs more Americans than several "cottage" gear makers combined, and it's not like all the materials they use come from the USA, sort of like the auto industry.

I nearly fell on the floor when Bob Dylan was telling me to buy American…Chrysler…a car company owned by Fiat. My Japanese car is made 20 minutes from me in Marysville OH.

Matt…Besides the 750 vs. 850…by the time you go XL/W and add foot/head protection (+$20, + 1oz.) you're up to $265 (shipped) and 20.5 oz. Still a good price/weight…but not sure about giving up the 850 for 750, or the 1.5 oz. less fill (comparing 850 #'s).

Ed…I'm looking at the $180 price, not the $319 "out-of-stock" price.

-Mark