Katabatic Gear - Flex 15°F Quilt

I have that bag, a katabatic flex 15 and a WM caribou bag. I didn’t find the petrel to be too constricting. One of the things that keeps you warm is not having too much empty space. My feet often get cold so I actually shove most of my clothing down around my feet. I sleep like a rotisserie chicken and I’m quite comfortable in it. However it would probably be almost too hot above 30 degrees. I carried it when o hiked segment 8 of the CT and Marvine Loop in September and was comfortable.

Yes! 100% worth it. I love my Katabatic Flex 15 - I got wide and 850FP down. I’ve taken it in the snow down to the limit and been super cozy. If I could do it again, I’d probably get the 22. I was worried about the temp rating being inaccurate or generous, but I haven’t found that to be the case at all. The only time I’ve ever been cold is when I’ve under planned on my pad and gone with one with too little insulation / too low r rating.

I am also a cold side sleeper, and new to camping, first thing I found is that some manufacturer temp temp values are useless. I bought a Corus 20 for UK, and both me and my son were cold at 10 celsius temperatures. I then bought a Katabatic 22 and 15 and have never been cold, not even in Iceland in summer. One is 6.6” wide, the other is 6 regular, we’re both 6” tall, I’m a bit less constrained in the wider one, but the regular is wide enough, I could have gone regular 6” for both, but didn’t have any chance of trying them out. Couldn’t be happier with them.

I have the Kodiak 0F. And the 15F Katabatic quilt. They're not really in the same ball park IMO. I like them both, but the Kodiak bag is pure luxury...

I was freezing last year on the CDT in a 15 degree katabatic. My wife had the same bag and was so happy. About a month in we decided to swap pads one night, and I was so hot I dreamed I was on fire. She didn’t sleep at all because she was so cold. Pads make a huge difference. I had been using an ultralight pad that was like r3 and she was using a NeoAir XTherm NXT with an r 7.3. I ended up just keeping her pad and letting her use the cold one, and I slept great the rest of the hike even in 20 degree weather!

Katabatic Flex FTW! I've slept comfortable from 50f down to 7f with the same quilt

Yup. Quilts were a miracle for my sleep when I discovered them. I'm 6'2" / 220 lbs. and turn all night, every night. Probably settle on a "figure four" type position for an hour or two at a time. Just get a long/wide Enlightened Equipment or Katabatic. And quilts are particularly good for above-freezing temps.

I think 20-30° is the right range for PnW Cascade backpacking in shoulder season. And for me, also summer as I am a cold sleeper. And June is still shoulder season in the PnW. I’ve ran into a lot of snow drifts in June. Hammock Gear makes great quilts that are pretty reasonable. I also have a Katabatic, though that’s a bit more money (though not a ton).

At $500 you have a world of options. Western Mountaineering is by far the most expensive bag I have seen. Whether it is worth it, I don’t know. I’m a hammocker and don’t use bags. I have a Katabatic and it is great. I also have a Hammock Gear UL and it is also great. I have a Superior Gear, guess what, also great. If I had to pick one… Probably the HG because it is very light. But perhaps not great for durability for ground dwellers. I think it is like 8D or something stupid low. After that, the Katabatic. Edit - my bad. Just looked. 7D And main difference in warmth with Katabatic is you get the differential cut (top layer is bigger than inner layer). This helps it not pull tight and compress the down. For a hammocker this is not a big deal. For mouth breathing ground dwellers this is probably more important :)

I have a Katabatic and a Hammock Gear Burrow UL (which does not appear of their site anymore). Both are great. The main complaint that I understand about EE is they are generous with their rated temp. Not that they are bad quilts. But any quilt with less than 20D fabric is going to be a bit fragile. So don’t wear it like a poncho and go off to pee and let it get hung up in brush.

Can’t go wrong with Katabatic. I have six of their quilts in my gear closet (to outfit my family of four) and I’m 100% satisfied with them.

I’d try adding a liner first and even if that didnt work I’d opt for anything else that is more in the 1.5-2lb range. I am not familiar with the bag you are considering but it is obviously heavy but I’d imagine it’s bulky too. I carry a Katabatic I think it’s great.