Trying to find a sleeping bag

I recently purchased my first pack, a Lost Coast 45. Went to pack my coleman sleeping bag into it and realized that it was taking up over half the pack in its carry bag which is far to much which means its time to upgrade!

What I am looking for suggestions on is a compact sleeping bag but It can not be a mummy bag even though i know that will decrease volume because those make me claustrophobic (honestly even some rectangle bags i leave unzipped partially). It does not have to be very cold rated because its only going to be subject to NY summers which probably wont see anything dipping below 50.

I am not terribly concerned with weight as much as size as I forsee that as the limitation of the bag at this point in time. If possible I would like to keep the price low as I know a quality bag can quickly reach into the hundreds in the blink of an eye but I am aware down will compress better then a synthetic.

I have considered the idea of a quilt but have no idea which ones are good and if their are any which are not overly expensive.

So far my big contender is this. Its light so I presume (perhaps wrongly) that it will be pretty compact rolled up and its really cheap. Reviews are scarce for this company but they seem to be ok as long as you dont abuse them. http://www.shoplafuma.com/product/37121

As I review the link posted I see the volume is still pretty high on that bag. Is their any rough numbers for compressible volume with stuff sacks on synthetic versus down?

For quilt: Click here

A down quilt in your temp rating should pack very small, smaller than the bag in the link you posted. Even the synthetic version should be pretty small. You didn't give us the $ amount of what expensive to you.

oh sorry. I would like to stay under $150 but will spend up to 200.

Those quilts do look pretty nice.

In your guys opinions is a down quilt worth the $50 extra over a synthetic of the same bag?

That's my opinion... same-rated synthetic gear tends to be bulkier and often heavier.

Down is a far better insulator and better suited for backpacking than synthetic. That is unless your in a rainforest.

Campmor usually has some good deals on bags, or at least down bags, that's where I started for my first down bag years ago. Cheap does not equal compact if buying new. I bped for years with a syn bag, 5 lbs., strapped to the bottom of my old Camptrails pack.
Duane

yes. I tend to find the sleeping bag is the most important backpacking item to spend good money on. You get what you pay for.

I wouldn't touch lafuma as I have seen them and they look woefully thin. you will find that many bags have overstated ratings - that is one brand i wouldn't use if you gave it to me.

I paid $240 apiece for two jacks r better quilts and have used them for six years and anticipate using them for many more. year round at temps down to the mid 20s, with a decent pad, they have seen 2 - 10 nights per month. You will usually get what you pay for in sleeping gear.

Thanks for the replies guys. After the reviews and more research I like the idea of the enlightenment quilts and they seem to come at a really good price point (and more importantly in my price point) with their x brand. I currently like the idea of the xrevelation series.

Are their any other down quilt competitors at that price point?

If you find one let us know.

Edit: It should be worth mentioned that you might want e-mail Enlightened, and ask him about the stuff size of the quilt you wish to order. This give you idea how much volume it take up in your pack. I have his synthetic quilt, and I'm using a different stuff sack that made it compress smaller than the sack he included with mine.

I really like the Kelty Cosmic down 40 deg bag, its about $120. Its very small and under 2#. In a compression sack I can get it smaller than a football.

I find this recipe gives me an extra 10 degrees if I eat it about an hour before going to sleep. It's high in fat which will give you warmth for about 8 hours.

Banana cobbler http://gramcracker-gershon.blogspot.com/2011/09/banana-cobbler.html