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  1. #11
    Senior Member
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    Apologies for making a misleading title, I guess I should have rewritten my question as: optimal TQs with respect to packing size and weight across price range. But you guys have some great advice and I learned a lot already reading through them.

    When I think about it some more, I actually want to optimize on pack size the most since I'm not worried about weight on a motorcycle. Budget also isn't the main consideration, I mistakenly used "cheapest" to mean best bang for buck for a given target weight and size compared to my Costco TQ (which I think given price probably can't be beat!)

    I gave away my HG Incubator 20F UQ since it was the most massive piece of equipment I had in my pack coming in at 8.5L. I replaced it with a Trail Winder UQ symmetric, although it's still pretty huge and will probably be looking to replace it soon as well. Ideally I can find a UQ around 4-5L (disclaimer: I haven't even begun down that path yet).

    @cougarmeat made a good point in asking under what conditions I camp: Mostly in the NE and temp ranges are 70F high to 45F low. I did sleep one night in my 40F UQ, Costco TQ + extra quilt when it hit 32F and it was pretty cold! The 32F was a one-off though and can be considered out of scope for this new target TQ.

    At least as far as TQ are concerned, the way I see it currently is:

    My Costco TQ packs to a mere 4L, weighs 15oz and cost me $20 + 3 hour of work. I have 4-5 extra Costco quilts so I can fairly easily make a new one for free + maybe some extra fill and maybe spend a bit more time on it. I usually bring one of these TQs along as an extra UQ or TQ layer (or to wrap around my camping chair.

    Otherwise, taking a specific example mentioned in this thread, HG's premium TQ 40F, 900 fill comes in at 14oz and packs to 4.5L priced at ~$259. I'm unsure if I'd get the sewn or zippered but maybe the latter since it's more versatile but adds a mere 1oz (although hopefully not too much pack space)? Comparing this to the Costco TQ, this option looks to pack marginally larger but not show-stopping. I think I'm strongly considering this as a top contender the more I research it. I'm actually quite piqued about the zipper option and using it when it's hot. I wouldn't be able to sew a zipper in the Costco TQ so this in fact may tip the scale towards just getting something professionally done. I think the seams in my Costco TQ are failing because I kick the sewn footbox in my sleep probably thinking to get some draft to cool me down...


    Quote Originally Posted by Kmazuro View Post
    I can say I really like my JRB Shenandoah 40.
    I does offer sewn through construction vs baffles but it definitely has kept me warm in the 40’s.
    It weighs 15 oz for the long and is priced competitively. It’s on sale now for $169.
    I think I missed the sale on this? This looks like a really good deal but they don't state how much this packs down to? Also it looks like kam snaps are the only option for footbox unless I misread?

    Quote Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr View Post
    Yeah, that word "cheapest" doesn't belong in any sentence about quilts. If you want "smallest, lightest" you have to pay more for lighter materials and fabrics. Your Costco quilt is probably 650 fill, but you can find 950 fill quilts that will cost a pretty penny.

    For example, the HG 40* Economy Burrow top quilt is $224.95, weighs 17.67 ounces, and uses 850 fill down. The HG 40* Premium top quilt is $259.95, weighs 14.82 ounces and uses 900 fill down. So lighter down costs money.

    Or you could go synthetic, which weighs more but is cheaper. An Arrowhead Equipment Owyhee Top quilt with Apex insulation rated to 45 degrees will cost around $179, and will weigh approximately 22 ounces.

    There are other reputable vendors that make quilts (Loco Libre, UGQ), but I don't think they sell economy or synthetic quilts. And then, there are the "Amazon" vendors - which I have never, and will never, buy from. For example, OneWind makes El Cheapo quilts, like their Hammock Topquilt Poncho at $59.90. Their website doesn't even list weights in ounces - a 40 or 50* F topquilt from OneWind will weigh somewhere between 1.9 lbs and 3.3 lbs. You might need a wagon to go hiking with that one!
    Thanks for your HG Premium suggestion. I really like HG products and this is likely my top contender now.

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Floridahanger View Post
    In the range of 40's to 50's, I would agree with you that for "smallest/cheapest" you really can't beat the CDT TQ. If going warmer than 50's, then go with synthetic to save money. I've taken my CDT down into the upper 30's but it's better with my Summer synthetic TQ I made for around $20. Stacked together I've been into the upper 20's with no hint of cold.
    Yeah I think you're absolutely right and my Costco TQ was my first and only TQ I used since getting into hammocking. I'm still torn on if the HG Premium at $269 + tax + shipping is really worth the extra cost - not that I'm cheap but more if I'd actually fee good about it. I also tend to keep changing my setups so there's always a chance any particular purchase isn't exactly a guaranteed 10+ year investment either.

    I sometimes wake up with the CDT half off me as I sleep so hot. I have like 4-5 extra Costco quilts I've been collecting and I'm always tempted to use it straight up but I do actually like the footbox to prevent it from sliding all over the place.

  3. #13
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    I just ordered an Enlightened Equipment Revelation 40 degree for my summer quilt. It doesn't meet the "cheap" criterion, but it is supposed to be less than 14 ounces and packs down super small.
    Iceman857

    "An optimist is a man who plants two acorns and buys a hammock" - Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (French Army General in WWII)

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by iceman857 View Post
    I just ordered an Enlightened Equipment Revelation 40 degree for my summer quilt. It doesn't meet the "cheap" criterion, but it is supposed to be less than 14 ounces and packs down super small.
    Thanks for pointing them out, I haven't come across them yet and they look to be very high quality. Just curious what configuration you made for it to come out to less than 14oz? I just tried to price one out with 950FP, 40F, wide, long and it's saying over 18oz and no indication of pack size.

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by uninjured View Post
    Thanks for pointing them out, I haven't come across them yet and they look to be very high quality. Just curious what configuration you made for it to come out to less than 14oz? I just tried to price one out with 950FP, 40F, wide, long and it's saying over 18oz and no indication of pack size.
    Make sure you click all the attributes that you want; I don't think it gives you the final weight until you click all the things. I didn't get wide/long (I got reg/reg) but doubt that would be a 4 oz difference. Did you get draft collars? I didn't; maybe that also plays into it?
    Iceman857

    "An optimist is a man who plants two acorns and buys a hammock" - Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (French Army General in WWII)

  6. #16
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by uninjured View Post
    Thanks for pointing them out, I haven't come across them yet and they look to be very high quality. Just curious what configuration you made for it to come out to less than 14oz? I just tried to price one out with 950FP, 40F, wide, long and it's saying over 18oz and no indication of pack size.
    You might want to check out fallkniven's comments about EE products in this thread (see post 30):

    https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...-Made-in-China!
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  7. #17
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by iceman857 View Post
    Make sure you click all the attributes that you want; I don't think it gives you the final weight until you click all the things. I didn't get wide/long (I got reg/reg) but doubt that would be a 4 oz difference. Did you get draft collars? I didn't; maybe that also plays into it?
    A 40deg Enigma custom size reg/reg, no draft collar, made with 950FP down and 7D shells all around is listed at 12.49oz. With a draft collar, 13.03oz. Their production controls are very tight and as a result those calculators are pretty good, off by about +/- .25oz in my experience.

    Edit: And it's $370, which blows the 'cheap' part out of the water. However, I have a 30deg rated, same spec minus draft collar (which I don't feel is necessary) and I love it every time I use it, luxuriating in the luxurious luxury of it.

    The USA vs China (and Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India... etc) made is a separate issue IMO. US labor makes EE's custom quilts but the shell material, down and probably even the thread are all offshore. Those manufacturing capabilities simply don't exist in the USA any more or are so expensive that the price of the final product would be astronomical.
    Last edited by cmoulder; 02-06-2023 at 09:26.
    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
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  8. #18
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    I wasn't aware when I made the purchase on an EE quilt that some of the stock Revelations are "started" in China. Still, doesn't change my opinion and I'd buy it again, mostly because there are profits going to a US-based company. Heck, if you REALLY want to know where all our beloved hammock gear comes from, the raw materials/ingredients are likely made outside of the US anyway. I work for a US-based textile manufacturer with 4 plants in the US and other plants in France, India, and... China. We sell our raw ingredient (i.e., fabric) throughout the world in over 50 countries. It's just a reality of being in a global marketplace.

    Apologies to the OP for taking the discussion away from your original query.
    Iceman857

    "An optimist is a man who plants two acorns and buys a hammock" - Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (French Army General in WWII)

  9. #19

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    Edit…. I missed your comment on it regarding cam snaps. It is cam snaps (no zip) what I like about the snaps is they are double sided so you can snap it onto their other multi function quilts for stacking.
    and yes….your right , the sale must of just ended!

    I’ll just throw this out there again… (I said it on the first page)
    JRB Shenandoah 40 is $159 for the reg $169 for the long. If you’re not In Pennsylvania no tax.
    comes in at 15 oz. Ticks a lot of the boxes.
    Kris
    Last edited by Kmazuro; 02-06-2023 at 16:35.

  10. #20
    Senior Member
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    There have been some very good suggestions so far and I almost triggered a buy reflex last for two new premium 40F TQ and UQ.. I wish I had known about these 40F UQ before I invested in the Trail Winder given my primary metric is pack size.

    Not to diverge from the primary topic, but what I really really like about the TW UQ is that pretty much covers the whole hammock like an UQP whereas my memory of the HG Econ 20F was that it was much smaller but way more puffy and it was a bit nerve wracking always adjusting it to ensure it's covering you. Maybe if someone made a TW UQ with 850FP that would be the ultimate for me!

    Anyway, I'm gonna sleep on this a few nights or weeks and see...

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