Western Mountaineering - MonoLite

If you are brand new, get something cheap and on sale. Fair chance that you either will give up backpacking after a few trips or realize that you want to invest more in high-end gear.  You eventually need a quiver if tents, sleeping bags, and packs as no single one is great for all conditions.  For summer, I mainly use: flycreek 2p tent, Western Mountaineering 20 or 40F sleeping bags, and a daypack with side straps that cost about $60 and weighs roughly half a pound. 

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

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.

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.

Western mountaineering… cry once, but once

WM bags are expensive and absolutely worth it. I'll never buy anything else!

Numeri 1 - Western mountaineering - Feathered friends Li tocchi con mano e capisci subito di che pasta son fatti. Subito dopo metterei Katabatic, pieno di accessori e features utili. Poi ce ne sono tanti altri sotto molto buoni. In EU trovi piu facilmente Cumulus, fatti veramente bene. E poi ci alcuni piu piccoli che fanno roba custom made molto buoni. Ma c'è un abisso tra tutti questi e i classici commerciali e costano giusto qualche euro in piu o a volte in meno. 100-150€ per una roba che ti deve tenere caldo, essere leggero, compatto e deve durarti anni e anni, mi sembra un investimento molto piccolo. Ci prendi giusto qualche taroccata decathlon o ferrino. Io mi farei regalare lo zaino, il sacco a pelo è molto personale. Se poi dormi a pancia in giù o laterale devi prendere un quilt, col sacco non dormi.

I own two sleeping bags: one from Western Mountaineering (superb quality, but very expensive) and one from Cumulus (high quality at a fairly reasonable price). After a lot of comparison, I personally think both brands provide reliable comfort temperature ratings and are absolutely worth the money. Just remember: if you're physically worn out, the lower limit of the comfort range might not be enough-so it's smart to give yourself a little warmth buffer.

Good suggestion! I love my western mountaineering. But Radiant 20 is legit for under $200.

I have an ancient Western mountaineering bag and a several years old hammock gear bag. Both are excellent, it is likely that with how cheap hammock gear stuff is I won’t buy anything other than these two brands in the future.