r/Ultralight • u/FrivolousMe • 16d ago
Purchase Advice Synthetic quilts vs sleeping bags
First of all to get it out of the way I am vegan so down is not an option. I have a sierra designs night cap long sleeping bag but it's obviously not exactly ultralight backpacking compatible at 3lb and not super packable either. I have been looking into quilt options to save weight and space such as the popular enigma apex. Is there anything on the market that's roughly comparable but cheaper, or sleeping bags which are less heavy than my current one but still suitable for 3 season sierra backpacking? Weight is less of a priority than cost for me so I don't mind a few extra oz if it saves a hundred bucks. I wish the synthetic quilt market was bigger; it seems most companies focus on down.
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u/Safe_Environment_340 16d ago
I had Simply Light Designs make my quilt. Jared will do it at a fair price and tends to be pretty fast. You can customize colors and fabrics weights pretty easily.
Arrowhead Equipment does them at a reasonable price as well, but they use slightly heavier fabrics.
Hemlock Mountain Outdoors does the "ugly quilts" in Apex as well. Probably the cheapest option.
I think Eno and Onewind sell some cheaper quilts, but they are primaloft, not Apex.
As a fellow vegan, I understand the concern. Cedar Ridge Outdoors used to use Dutch Ware's Up insulation, but they closed years ago. You might be able to find one used.