I currently own a Feathered Friend's Swift and I was looking into switching it out for a quilt just to try something new and hopefully shave off around pound in weight. The Golite warehouse sale is in town and they have the Ultralight 3-season quilt on sale for $150 and was thinking about taking the plunge, but thought I would ask here about this particular quilt before I shelled out the cash.

Does anyone own this quilt or had experiences with it? Likes/dislikes etc.

Normally I would just purchase it, but since it at the warehouse sale they do not accept returns, only exchanges and thus I am a bit weary about throwing $150 away on a bag that perhaps just isn't worth the money. The lack of reviews available also concern me.

I personally don't own one but if you search around on the forums you'll find that almost everyone that has one on here loves them.

Which quilt is it, exactly?

As you probably know, there is a highly active gear swap here, you can always sell it. If you buy right, you will probably not take a big hit and get a chance to sample a piece of gear on the cheap.

In my opinion the Golite Ultra 20 was the near perfect quilt, but it is only good down to the mid 20's. They could have just added 2-3 ounces of down and had the perfect quilt, but they couldn't do just that. For the UL 3 Season Quilt, they did add the needed down to make it a true 20* quilt, but they also went to a heavier shell material and heavier baffles which takes away from the spirit of the quilt. It is still a good value however, and it is a great quilt for $150. The only downside it that with the heavier materials used it isn't much lighter than some of the lighter 20* bags out there. (WM Ultralite etc...)

Note: I don't have the Quilt, but I do have a Golite Ultra 20 and an Katabatic Palisade with 3oz overfill.

It's a great quilt. It's light and has just enough fill to keep you warm down to the mid-Autumn cold, but can be used in winter with a puffy jacket. I also love the water repellant shell and waterproof head and end so that brushing up against the front and back of your condensation laden single wall shelter is not something to worry about. It even works quite well for side sleepers like me, though in really cold conditions I'd probably just take a full bag to keep out the cold spots.

I purchased one at %40 off a couple weeks ago and was able to use it last weekend. It may be a little heavier than some other similar quilts, but for the price that they are at right now, you can't beat it. I took mine down to 21* in 6" of snow wearing lightweight nylon pants, nike dry-fit t-shirt with a north face 100 weight fleece over it, and a MH microdome beanie. I never got the least bit cold. I did sleep in a double wall tent with another person though. I also liked that the quilt is wide enough for me to sleep on my side and still be able to tuck the edges. If this wasn't my first quilt and I had $300 plus to spend on a quilt, I would probably gone with a different one, but I have zero complaints with the golite three season.

Edited by brian2o0o on 12/17/2010 17:13:00 MST.

I think previous posters have accurately summed up this quilt. It's a nice quilt and a good value at it's MSRP and it's a fabulous deal at the sale prices they have. It's too bad the shell fabrics are a bit heavier than needed, but it is commendable that they did this to use recycled fabrics and 'go lighter on the planet'. Too bad they couldn't find a shell fabric that was just as light and recycled.

Unlike some quilts, the GoLite quilts have a nice generous girth which makes transitioning to a quilt easy. I was nervous when I bought an Ultra 20 but I found it quite easy to use and really nice to get in and out of compared to a sleeping bag.

FWIW, you can also get this quilt from GoLite's website for 40% off and with free shipping. That works out to $165 rather than $150, but I believe you'd then have the option to return it if you weren't happy.

Edited by dandydan on 12/18/2010 11:37:41 MST.

I had the first version. It was my (low cost)introduction to quilts and I will always be thankful for that. But it under-performed and I went to Nunatak, and now Javan Dempsey for four more quilts.

But my kids decided that they like Dad's quilts so I bought them the new version last summer and have to say that while they are heavier they are now true 20 F quilts in my opinion. The price is hard to beat if you hit a sale and if you decide quilts are not for you it won't hurt the wallet as much selling it off.

By the way my kids absolutely love theirs.

+1 Dan, etc

I love mine- not the lightest quilt, but pretty dang light! Extra room means you can cinch it down to its rating and beyond. Show me an accurate 20 F bag that weighs 24 oz and costs $300 our less- let alone $160!- and I'll say uncle.

I picked one up at a sale earlier this fall as well. For the price I don't think you can beat it. Plenty warm for me into the teens. If I had to buy it over again I would get the long though.

Dont have the new 3 season quilt, but IMO go for it.
I have an ultra 20 and it weighs 21 oz for the long and its warm.

I slept in mine at 14df in a hammock, with a tarp in tent mode, 2 crossed CCFs and a garlington taco.

I would agree with above that it would be nice if it had a couple of more oz of down, but still it was warm to 14dF so I am pleased.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post. I really appreciate it.

-David, it is the Ultralite 3-season quilt and not the Ultra 20.

-Brad I agree, I have often contemplated purchasing the Ultra 20 from the forums and shipping it away to add the additional 3oz of down that it needs, but having never used a quilt, the investment is just too much.

As for the WM Ultralite etc, I am really interested in a quilt and have my eye on the Arc Alpinist for about the same price as the WM Ultralite, but just a little lighter-- however if I don't like quilts, the WM bag is my next purchase. I just wanted to "try" a quilt and wondered about the Golite Ultralite 3-season since it was on such a deep discount.

-Brian, curious as to which quilt you would have chosen and why?

-Dan, I picked up a flyer in the store for 40% off and I am learning towards this option simply because for $15 extra bucks it is worth the piece of mind to be able to return it for a refund. However the total cost is more like $180, which is still a pretty good deal.


As far as my decision goes, I have decided to go ahead and purchase it. $150/$180 is by far better than anything on the market as far as starter quilts are concerned. Besides, I plan to sell this quilt either way and either purchase a WM Ultralite or an Arc Alpinist depending on if I like quilts or not.

Thanks again.

I bought the Ultra 20 for the same reason, as a way to try a quilt without spending a fortune, and have been more than pleased. I have since sold my WM Ultralite and Summerlite and added a Katabatic Palisade (w/30z overfill) and a BPL Pro 90 quilt to my arsenal.

There is no way to easily add down to an Ultra 20 as it has two vertical baffles that help hold the down in place. They probably added these so they could use less down and not have all the down shift to the sides leaving the middle empty and cold. (ie- the shell could hold more down). It is still a great quilt and value though. I say by the 3 season quilt and try it out for that price. You could sell it here and re-coup most of your money if you don't like it, or want to move up the quilt food chain later on.

Now, I need to hit the road for my weekend backpacking trip - looks like snow!

Here is a guy who added down to his Golite Ultra 20. He added a full 3ozs. He doesn't say it was easy but it wasn't extremely hard either--his wife helped him. http://heberhiking.blogspot.com/2010/11/enhancing-golite-ultra-20.html

Edited by JBMcSr1 on 12/18/2010 08:58:35 MST.

Random note about size... I'm 5'11" and the long is way too big. I keep going back and forth between wishing I had purchased the regular and keeping it. At my height, the long allows me to completely encapsulated myself in the quilt, with just a tiny hole at the crown of my head exposed to air. Seems like it might be good insurance if I ever do run into temps lower than it can handle!