What is the MOST compact UQ available. In other words, what UQ is gonna pack down the smallest. I can work with different temp ratings, but I need place to start and it's gotta be SMALL.
What is the MOST compact UQ available. In other words, what UQ is gonna pack down the smallest. I can work with different temp ratings, but I need place to start and it's gotta be SMALL.
Anything that is made with 800+ down is the most compact you will find. Many makes and models available. Check the vendors forum and cruise their sites for your pick.
Some synthetics are light, yet can be bulky.
Down is of course on the high end of purchases. But it is the best, as long as you keep it dry.
Also keep in mind that compactness has its issues too. Sure you can put anything into a compression sack to get it as small as possible, but this makes the result a rigid cylinder which sometimes wastes space in the pack as you can't use all of the space in the effectively.
One place to start looking at is the 3 season Warbonnet Yeti. It is a 2/3 underquilt which is 40" wide x 46" long.
Cheers
Brian
Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgment. - Unknown
My Wilderness Logics Summer Series UQ packs down small enough to carry in my cargo pocket. I don't have the exact specs but it's small.
-Jon-
My Hammock Gear phoenix with 5oz of down (30 deg for me) cuben inner and 7d outer. It is very compact. I never used stuff sacks though. Just throw the quilts in the pack and allow them to loft up as high as the rest of my gear will allow. Plus there's no awkward cylinder shape. Just forms the pack.
I've been reading up on usgi poncho liner underquilts....they look like a very viable option for me. Anybody with experience? (yes ive already read the related threads) I'm talking actual hangtime.
I have been using a Poncho liner UQ for about five "hangs" now. Yes it works, but I am saving for a down UQ. The PL ,even in a comp sack is still a little larger than a standard Nalgene bottle.(liter). Thus I am looking for something more compact myself. Plus the PL is fairly heavy compared to down. Best of luck.
They're warm for the price. They're warm for the weight, compared to other insulation options in the same price range, with the sole exception of blue CCF pads (which don't compress at all, full stop).
What they're not is small. While they compress better than comparably-priced sleeping bags, they are not compressable at all compared to a down quilt set. I figure that a normal poncho liner probably takes up about four liters normally and three liters of space when compressed. If you add synthetic insulation to a PLUQ (like I did), that worsens. I figure my PLUQ probably takes up about five liters compressed and six or seven uncompressed.
If you want a really packable quilt, down is the only real option out there. If you're tied to synthetics, Climashield and Primaloft seem to be the most compressable. Note that there's a large difference between first and second place there, though; down wins, hands down.
Hope it helps!
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