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...
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?
Thanks for your HG Premium suggestion. I really like HG products and this is likely my top contender now.
Bookmarks