Arc UL 20

My wife is about your height and sleeps cold. The only place we were able to find that sells a quilt that's actually sized correctly for her (ie doesn't have 6" of dead space at the bottom) was Nunatak. X-short is up to 5'3" height. Exceptional quality and she can actually get the air space warm now. Spendy and possibly a long wait to buy new, but we found hers (an Arc 20) on ulgeartrade for 280 bucks. 18.8oz so nearly 6oz savings

Neve waratah is insane for its price! Cant speak for otimos but I’ve had a few quilts over the years from various highly reputable cottage brand quilt makers and I’d have to put the neve right up there for warmth/weight/comfort due to its price. Only thing that made the others stand out more were the customisation options

Nice I got the -2. Before that I had an el coyote and nunatek super expensive but some people swap their phones out each year, I like to swap out backpacking gear haha I think I’ll stick with the -2 for now. Interesting thought about the ZB - adaptors. I’ve yet to find myself wanting that sort of backpacking bed set up but does look super comfy! What pad you using for it?

Have you tried various ways of packing? Example Put a dry bag in/pack liner Stuff the sleeping bags into the bottom out of their carry bags Stuff everything else you require to stay dry on top (that you don’t need till you camp) I also fold my sleeping pad into a square and put them upright against the bakc panel of the bag Close off pack liner Tent Put things you may need on top in another waterproof like electronics, food, waterproofs, puffy jacket etc close off. Tent if free standing, remove tent poles from bag so the tent packs smaller and stick them in your side pocket etc same with pegs Utilise outside space for bits like waterproofs if the pack has the available pockets on the outside If doesn’t work - then for me, if it’s a regular thing I wouldn’t buy a smaller pack. Bigger packs tend to get filled up because you have that space and think “what if I need x, well I have the space so fuck it I’ll bring it” and end up weighing a tonne. If it’s not a regular thing, go for whatever is cheapest So the way I’ve grown my kit is to buy more packable items/lighter items and then over time I’ve got smaller packs.

Got ya. Nooo sorry I mean dependent on how regular you’re doing this. If it’s a regular thing I’d always focus on dropping the weight and size of things. So therefore I’d keep the pack and buy smaller/lighter gear. Makes hiking easier, easier on your back, knees etc less effort carrying as everything’s lighter, less cumbersome and can enjoy the hike more. If it’s just a one off or not very often then I’d go for the cheaper option which would be return the pack and buy the bigger pack that would fit everything in

Can't go wrong with katabatic or nunatuk. I'm 5'7" and have both of these in short, so you'll definitely be fine with a short. Katabatics run narrow (at least they did when I bought mine), so get a wide if you get one.

[Nunatak](https://nunatakusa.com/UltralightFastpackingGear%7CNunatak%7CCustomFastpackingGear-NunatakEquipment) Another quilt company. I've had one since 2009, and it has held up great. It's rotated to more of a backup/loaner over the last few years, but it's still in good condition.

nunatak if you can get it and jacksrbetter are fantastic quilt options. definitely opt for a shorter bag, you’ll be swimming in a 6’ bag or quilt, abuse your height for those precious weight savings! per the head covering, and you saying you won’t often be in cold climes, the quilt should be warm enough to keep your head warm. worst case is you bring a hat of some sort to help supplement. outdoor research make a down beanie.

How much are you willing to invest? In order to truly maximize warmth for the weight and volume, you're looking for 900+ fill power and a differential cut construction quilt. Gryphon Gear, Katabatic, and Nunatak are often recommended (and are higher quality/performance than the oft-recommended HG or EE quilts, which gained popularity more due to their quality for the price instead of absolute performance).

I am a side sleeper, run cold, and am 5’1” and 3/4 in height. I add the 3/4 to say I’m prob just an inch shorter than you. The following advice is short person specific: As a short person, u can get away with a lighter bag, hence go for the shortest bag or quilt possible while still being comfortable. Take advantage of these weight savings! Additionally, a bag or quilt that is too long will create dead space at ur feet that will take a lot more body heat to warm up, thus you will get cold at much warmer temps than the temp rating. Do not get a bag rated for someone up to 6’ tall. I’ve borrowed a man’s old bag for many trips in the sierra and it was way too cold even in 40* despite being a zero degree bag. I did a ton of research and highly recommend Nunatak. Their quilts go down to a size small enough for people up to 5’3”, and they (along with katabatic) are the best quality, warmest quilts for their rating and well loved in this subreddit. Folks get other quilt brands for financial reasons but since money is no factor, I’d go for nunatak. The only reason I don’t recommend Katabatic is because their smallest size is recommended for people up to 5’6”, so there is no reason to get a quilt with extra material that you don’t need when you can get one just as good that fits you better from nunatak. El coyote and Hammock Gear also make quilts for short people that are cheaper but again, Nunatak and Katabatic are the best brands out there. If you rly want a sleeping bag as opposed to a quilt, therm-a-rest parsec is a sleeping bag for folks up to 5’3”. Technically it’s rated for 5’5” or 5’6” or something but reviews say it runs small and would only recommend it for people 5’3” and shorter or maybe 5’4”. I agree with that. This is the bag I had before getting my quilt. It is something like 800 FP so also very good weight to warmth ratio, but not as good as a quilt. Keep in mind discrepancies in temp rating standards by gender. Temp rates for men’s sleeping bags and quilts is “limit rated” whereas women’s sleeping bags and quilts are “comfort rated.” The thermarest is a unisex bag so the 0* degree bag is limited rated at 0* and comfort rated at 18* or something. If it was a woman specific bag, it would be advertised as a 18* bag instead. Nunatak is comfort rated. Just make sure u understand which system they are using when picking how warm u want ur bag/quilt to be. As a woman, use the comfort rating.

If budget isn't an issue Western Mountaineering won't let you down. Maybe also look at the astralite? Definitely stick with a 5'6" bag. If you want to maintain the flexibility of a quilt/non-mummy bag, you can get a well-insulated hat or hood to keep your head warm. You could also consider something from Katabatic or Nunatak. Or a Neve -8, and save some money - I'm very happy with my -2. I would stay away from EE as they have a reputation for underrating their sleep systems. The owner also sure likes to wink at fascist political beliefs but that's neither here nor there.