Western Mountaineering - MegaLite

Western Mountaineering is the benchmark. Their bags really are great. In addition to WM, I also own a Gryphon Gear quilt and can say that their quality is top notch as well and they make both bags and quilts. For a few hundred less than a WM bag, you can get a Gryphon Gear Taurus bag. They are a small cottage shop so you get to deal directly with the owner and he'll make it custom to your liking if you want it a little more roomy. I think there are so many better choices than the EE quilts.

I’ve owned a WM Megalite and still currently own an Ultralite. I also currently own 40* and 20* GG Aries quilts. I think GG quality is great. Is it as good as WM? Maybe not. I think the WM bags are really well designed. If budget isn’t an issue, get the WM. If budget is tight, the GG bag will still be great and Gary is great to work with. I also think that a separate hood just makes more sense.

Interesting. Anecdotally I agree with the Megalite’s comfort rating of -1C and Nanolite’s (not on this sheet) 3C. Not too long ago, I didn’t go for a heavily discounted Apache, as it was advertised with its EN comfort rating of -5C which I deemed too close to the Megalite. Seeing WM’s rating of -10C seems reasonable (with 540gr of down vs. 340gr in the Megalite) and makes it much more compelling.

I get super cold. I now have 2 WM bags and always stay comfortable. WM apache MF 15 and WM Megalite 30.

I would check out the western mountaineering megalite, its suitable for a wide range of temperatures, and spacey enough not to get clammy indoors.

Our go to is Western Mountaineering bags. They have specific tailored bags for mountaineering.

Huge fan of Western Mountaineering Alpinlite which is a 20 degree bag. I've had WM bags for over a decade and wonderful bags from a small local USA company based out of CA. Their 30 degree bag is this one: [https://www.westernmountaineering.com/product/megalite/](https://www.westernmountaineering.com/product/megalite/) r/TheBackpackingList

There’s a lot of quilts that cost less that are better than EE. Sell some gift cards on one of the gift card exchanges, do some research, and get a better quilt. EE made good, affordable quilts years ago and are still riding the hype with a mediocre quilt at exorbitant prices. See r/ultralight If you’re really stuck on getting something with those REI gift cards. Sux it up and get a sleeping bag by Western Mountaineering. A 30F sleeping bag by WM is going to be warmer than a 20F quilt from EE. Some brands to check out: hammock gear, hang tight (cheap good ETSY), Katabatic, Nunatak, Feathered Friends, Loco Libre, Zpacks, warbonnet, gryphon gear, UGQ, cumulus, Neve Warath Have fun!

EE hasn’t fixed the issues at all. Not sure where you heard they did, but here are the top 5 complaints you’ll see in the community: 1. Drafts sneak in around shoulders, sides, and neck—EE’s pad straps often fail to seal fully for side sleepers or restless movers, creating cold spots. 2. Temperature ratings feel optimistic—a 20°F quilt frequently performs closer to 25–30°F comfort in real conditions due to drafts and shifting down. 3. Down migration and clumping—U-shaped baffles let down shift over time, leading to uneven loft and cold spots that require frequent fluffing. 4. Fragile fabrics—lightweight 7D/10D shells snag, tear, or leak feathers more easily with heavy use compared to premium competitors. 5. Poor moisture handling—down loses loft quickly if damp from condensation or sweat, with no strong hydrophobic treatment standard. I agree, WM is probably overkill for the AT once warm weather hits. But, so is an EE 20F revelation. However, if the only place you’re shopping is REI, and you’re doing a thru hike starting March to mid-April, a 30F WM is going to be better than a 20F EE on all the metrics above. If you’re able to shop somewhere else besides REI, for the same money, a Katabatic Flex 30 is going to outperform an EE 20F revelation in every key metric. All the brands I listed will outperform EE for the same or less money. When you buy EE, you’re paying a premium for the brand name without accompanying performance. The only time I would consider EE for a quilt is if I needed a synthetic quilt in the 40-50F range for summer fast packing. But, that’s not an AT thru hike thing. And the synthetic climashield apex insulation solves all the issues EE has with down. This is because apex is one continuous sheet of insulation that cannot migrate like down to create cold spots. That said, I would still be wary of their temp rating even for a synthetic quilt.

A couple of notes on Western 1) their temp ratings are the comfort ratings, not lower limit. 2) the Ultralite is narrower than the Alpinlite, but if you look at comps the Ultralite can generally be considered a standard width. 3) if Megalite is of interest the Sunmerite is the narrower (again standard by industry norms) version.

I liked my quilt when I was doing shorter trips. Once I started doing months at a time I grabbed a western mountaineering bag and I have no regrets. Helps me extend a bit more into shoulder season

Western Mountaineering mummy bag. I do a lot in shoulder season and these are very warm for the weight

Western Mountaineering, Feathered Friends or Marmot for bags. Enlightened Equipment, Hammock Gear or Katabatic for backpacking quilts. Not cheap but quality and comfortable.

There isn’t really an absolute best, but I like Katabatic for a quilt and western mountaineering or feathered friends for a bag. I prefer quilts down to around the low 20s, bags below that. Having a pocket in your quilt for a sleeping pad seems silly to me.