Welcome to the forum!

I'm afraid you're not going to find much that meets your specs.

For the price range, the best i can offer is a kit with which you can make a Ray Way synthetic quilt for backpacking. it compresses, but not as well as down. Mine's an upgrade to make it warmer; it weighs in the neighborhood of 16 oz. and was recently comfortable down to near freezing temps. it's intended to be comfy down to 20F. Do a google for Ray Jardine - he's got decent pricing and other gear you can get kits to make, like a lightweight pack and stuff sacks.

You will find that if you want lightweight and topnotch compression, you will sacrifice $. It's the way it is. Down is expensive - good down is even more expensive. And down compresses most. a primer on the pros and cons.

You also have to look out for truth in advertising on cheap sleeping gear. I have a 30 degree synthetic mummy I got for about eighty bucks. I was freezing at 50 degrees and i hate the bag - it fills up half the pack and doesn't compress well.

I am contemplating a kit from Thru Hiker to make a down quilt; one with momentum fabric and 800 fill power costs between 100-200 dollars. The other option I'm debating is Jacks R Better - they have wonderful quilts in all sizes and temp ratings. I'm looking into down because I have a hammock and carrying two synthetic quilts, one for top and one for under the hammock, is stretching the seams on my pack.

The main difference between quilts and bags is the absence of the zipper; quilts can be outfitted with straps, velcro or drawstrings to offset the looseness. I'm claustrophobic; I'll wear a hat and bundle up before I'll deal with another stuck zipper.

If you can hang out in forums around the net, you can sometimes find someone selling good gear for less than new pricing. That's about the best I can do for you.


Edited by lori (05/15/08 12:46 PM)
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