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That’s funny because I was going to add unless it’s for someone else lol. On that note, how often does your wife go? I have a Katabatic Palisade, it is THE nicest item of gear I own. Unless you believe your wife will be jealous of the Katabatic, it is up to you to decide if it’s worth the extra $200 or so depending on how often she goes. If it was my girlfriend I would let her use whatever she felt was warmer and I would take the other. Likely meaning I sleep in the HG haha
As others have said, the Katabatic is the choice. However the Katabatic is comfort rated, so an EE 20 is like a 30 deg Palisade. I am not familiar with PCT temps but you may be able to get away with a Palisade. I sleep warm to 20 on a CCF pad.
Katabatic uses a wind-resistant shell (one reason I switched a few years back when they resized their quilts) so the quilt will feel more substantial for a given amt of down fill. I get no drafts in my Katabatic Palisade though it’s tougher to compress into a smaller pack.
Quilts that are regularly brought up for backpacking are not your "use in the living room" type of quilts. That's a specific name for a sleeping bag that has no hood, and no back, that uses straps to attach to the sleeping pad. When used correctly, they can be used in much colder temperatures (0F rated quilts exist, and can work well when combined with a hooded down jacket). Quilts come in length up to 6'6", where this is the length of the quilt, not the person in it. For your height that is going to be quite useful, as that leaves plenty of additional room to cover yourself up if need (although functionally 6' quilt would be enough for you for warm weather use). They also come with openable toe boxes as a common feature, which is useful for warm nights. Look up something like Katabatic Palisade to get a sense of what the thing is, the company has nice product pictures. In general depending on where you a live a 20F or 30F quilt can be an all-around 3 season solution, where you leave it more open on warmer nights or close it up on colder nights.
The answer is something like: Palisade 30, fleece beanie, alpha 90 fleece, alpha 90 pants, goosefeet down booties, puffy jacket, goosefeet down hood, fleece mittens
With everyone else here, major quilt fan and have been using a Katabatic Palisade for about 6 years and would never go back. Only exception would be winter camping. They tend to sleep a tad little colder than mummy bags (but not much) so the temp rating of the quilt + the R value of your pad is more important to pay attention to.
I’ll echo someone else here in recommending a Katabatic quilt. I have a very similar sleep style to you and the Palisade 30 is my favorite piece of sleep system gear I own. With Katabatic’s differential cut, I’ve found I don’t need to use the strap / cord system to keep it snug enough around me (I also have an Enlightened Equipment quilt and the difference is noticeable). I had a Disco 15 briefly. Nice bag, but I’ve had the Palisade 30 in similar temperatures (just a touch below freezing) and been just as comfortable. Dragonfly is a great tent. Have the 1p version and love it. Agree with others about the Nemo pillow for side sleepers. I like the quality so I’m still stubbornly using it, but I need to make a change. Edit to add: I really like the QuickDraw filter. I bought a second one to use as a loaner and the flow rate was much worse than my first — filed a warranty claim and replacement was easy. Soak it overnight before using it.
> likely the Durston usual suspects Why? There are so many more options to consider, and those are relatively heavy. > I struggle with cold legs and feet if my sleeping system is inadequate Same. Alpha leggings, insulated booties are key. > Aiming for around a 10 lb baseweight (light, but not gram counting extreme ultralight) No need for then hyperbole here. "Gram counting extreme ultralight" is a 4 lb baseweight. There's nothing extreme about 10 lbs. you can get down to like 7-8 lbs while still being fairly conventional > Katabatic Palisade 30 That'll do > Thermarest XLite That'll do > Would likely also include a 1/8th inch closed cell foam as a base and sit pad You don't need to do that. Carry one sleeping pad. If you want foam, carry foam. There are many benefits to it. But don't carry foam *and* an inflatable > I’d be concerned that the Palisade might not be warm enough for shoulder season It will be fine. Supplement it with clothing as necessary. You can always increase quilt insulation with clothing, but you can't reduce it > The decision on Regular Width vs Wide is still a big question mark. Why? You said you're 5'9", 145 lbs and scrawny, youre aiming for 10 lbs or less, and you came to /r/ultralight for advice... given all that, there is no reason in the world that you need a wide pad Fwiw, I'm only slightly larger than you, and I slept happily at Rae Lakes this past August with an R 2 torso-length foam pad, and a 40F quilt. But obviously September is different.
I have a katabatic palisade quilt and it works perfectly for sleeping with one leg up, it's got elastic down the edges to keep them under you and block drafts. They make quilts down to comfort temps of -15c so imagine there should be something suitable. Expensive, but easily the best quality sleeping bag / quilt I've ever used
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