Katabatic Gear - Flex 22 Ultralight Quilt

It's worth it. I bought a Flex 22 duck down and every humid night it stank like wet animal. Drove me nuts and I sold it and went with Nunatak goose down. I think goose down is worth every penny more just for the lack of smell benefits.

I have a Katabatic Flex 22. It is my favorite piece of gear. Their pad attachment system is the best that I have seen. I sleep way better than I did when I used a sleeping bag.

Are those zero F or zero C? A quilt will not significantly more cost efficient than those, but a down quilt will be significantly more space efficient than anything with synthetic insulation. If you’re looking to take a zero F setup colder, I would look into some pretty robust sleeping bags like Western Mountaineering or similar. I have a Katabatic Flex 22 that I layer a Mountain Laurel Designs Vision over and have taken it to 10F easily. I would definitely try your sleep system out somewhere that you can bail if you’re miserable.

Katabatic is definitely the answer- great attachment system for side sleepers and tossing and turning. I did a flex 22 and a 40 - I got the flex for times when the temps might vary greatly - and they have been great- work well as blankets when it's warm , still are warm and snug when colder. For me being over heated is as bad as chilled when trying to sleep

Yes. Katabatic Flex 22. Never looked back.

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.

If money is no object the I would recommend either a) for really cold temps, a full zip bag: Western Mountaineering Ponderosa MF b) for medium temps, a closed footbox quilt: Nunatak Arc UL c) for temps down to about freezing an open footbox quilt: Katabatic Flex.

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

I’m a big fan of Katabatic Gear quilts, and they make long (6’6”) and wide options. I much prefer a quilt to a traditional sleeping bag because it attaches to cords around my sleeping pad, so as I toss and turn, the bag stays put rather than getting twisted up around me.

Second this. Save until you can afford the Katabatic, they’re head and shoulders above the competition. I think it’s mostly due to the differential cut and pad attachment system. The only cold night I’ve had in my Alsek was because the down migrated and I didn’t notice. I’ve taken it into the low 20s a few times and it’s been downright toasty.

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.

Owner of 3 katabatic quilts over the years the fit and cut is perfect for me. I own STS spark 40, SD Backcountry, zpacks and have slept in EE and FF. A spreadsheet will not show the pad attachment or amazing draft color or amazing foot box or the natural way it hugs you. I would suggest you join a meetup of ultralight hikers I joined one before my first PCT when was 19 members and now over 2k if you want to try a piece of gear very easy to message and next meetup try out a new gear. Group permits for JMT and Half dome pop up a few times a month it's been the best.

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.