No lack of the "hood component" with a quilt and down balaclava.
In both cases, there are some other good options, but my automatic recommendation for simple ordering and getting it right the first time is a Katabatic quilt and Goosefeet hood(also available already-made from GarageGrownGear).
You're talking mid to low 20s, so Katabatic Palisade 30 for a warm sleeper, Alsek 22 for average sleepers, Sawatch 15 for cold sleepers. Regular width for back sleepers, Wide for bigger folks, or active sleepers who toss and turn a lot. You'll have a high quality, well-designed, true-to-rating quilt with excellent pad attachment system, differential cut, draft collar, and overstuffed footbox, and a hood that can be anywhere from fully open to just a small hole for your nose and mouth to breathe through(moves with you, and is cozy as any sleeping bag). These are going to be solid choices for practically anyone that remove the guess-work from transitioning to a quilt.
Echoing comments that I have not found the enlightened equipment quilt ratings to be accurate. I used to carry a 0° EE, now I carry a 15° katabatic and I'm much more comfortable, even down to temps near or below freezing.
Add a warmer pad, and make sure your neck is covered by a buff or your jacket is zipped up to your chin with the hood up and you should be good to go.
If you're a woman it's always worth having your thyroid checked too, especially if you are abnormally cold in other situations as well.
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.
but that 40\* nunatak quilt has almost as much loft as most mid-tier 30\* bags. Nunatak, Katabatic, and Gryphon Gear are known for having much more conservative ratings on their bags.
Someone ditching their 30 EE or Zpacks quilt for a 40 degree nunatak quilt is really not losing much sleep insulation. You throw a puffy into that equation and now they are carrying MORE down than they did before.
all of this sidesteps the biggest hole in OPs logic though: The reason people ditch the puffy and just get a more conservative sleep system is it is objectively lighter. If you don't need the puffy jacket except while in your quilt, it is more efficient to just put that down in the quilt.
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Spacious for side sleepers; bulky, temp rating optimistic.
Owen_McM
