UGQ Bandit Backpacking Quilt Review

The Specs

The following information in this review reflects a 950-fill, 20°F / -6°C UGQ Bandit in regular width, regular length, no overstuff, no draft collar, with dynamic tension control, with a full taper, and with the ultralight pad attachment. As noted above, you can customize a bandit with a variety of fill powers, temperature ratings, lengths, widths, fabrics, and colors. To see all the available options, check here.

• Weight: 21.67 oz / 615 g (varies greatly based on configuration)
• Temperature Ratings: 0°F / -19°C, 10°F / -12°C, 20°F / -6°C, 30°F / -1°C, 40°F / 4°C
• Fill Power: 800, 850, 950
• Widths: Slim, Regular, Wide, Extra Wide
• Lengths: Short, Regular, Long, Extra Long
• Overstuff: 1, 2, or 3 oz available
• Footbox Overstuff: 1 or 2 oz available
• Inner Shell Colors: Various
• Exterior Shell Colors: Various
• Exterior Shell Fabrics: MRS20, M10T, OD-INK, PRYM1, HEXCAM
• Available Draft Collars: Neck Line, Foot Box
• Foot Box Styles: Drawcord, Flat Sewn, Insulated
• Dynamic Tension Control: Optional
• Taper Style: Full Taper, No Taper
• Pad Attachment: Ultralight or Deluxe
• MSRP: $204.95 to $708.95

The Good

The Customization: A standout (and potentially overwhelming) feature of the UGQ Bandit is how customizable it is. You can have an ultralight quilt for summer temperatures or a significantly heavier shoulder season (or even winter) quilt with overstuff, a sewn footbox, and a draft collar. I am partial to the incredible array of fabrics and colors available and am very pleased to now have a bright pink quilt (with a robin egg blue interior); it’s beautiful.

The Weight: If you’re wanting a 20°F / -6°C you can easily customize a UGQ Bandit that weighs in the neighborhood of 23 oz / 652 g – incredibly lightweight for quilts with similar specs. You’ll have to opt for the 900-fill down to get the weight down, but even with 800-fill power down, you’ll only be adding around 2 oz / 57 g to your build. This is all to say, that if you’re interested in an ultralight quilt, you can be sure that you’ve found one with the Bandit.

The Dynamic Tension Control: The Bandit comes with optional dynamic tension control at an additional cost. The dynamic tension control system (DTCS) has two adjustable elastic bands that run lengthwise from the top of the quilt down to the top of the footbox (or the footbox zipper). Fully loosened, the sides of the quilt are limp (as you would expect the edge of a quilt to be), but when tightened the system compresses the edges of the quilt and draws them further beneath you. If you’re getting a quilt to use in colder climates (i.e. anything other than a 40°F / 4°C quilt), I recommend adding this to your build.

The Okay

The Pad Attachment: The UGQ Bandit offers two different pad attachment systems – actually three if you count “no attachment” as a system – an ultralight version and a deluxe version. The ultralight version (the version I have) works well despite my reservations at first. It’s essentially two straps with two oval pieces of plastic that go around your sleeping pad and can be cinched down. The two plastic pieces can be passed through loops on either side of the quilt (at two spots along the length of the quilt). I might opt for the deluxe pad attachment if I had to do it again.

The Price: The price of the UGQ Bandit can vary wildly depending on your desired temperature rating and features. At its most expensive, it’s over three times the price of the least expensive build. Not necessarily a bad thing as there are huge differences between these two builds, but it still means that your quilt could end up costing more than you had hoped.

The Bad

The Customization: Wait, I thought the customizations on the UGQ Bandit were a good thing? They are – depending on who you are. If you’re new to the ultralight or the quilt game, looking at the UGQ builder on the website may seem incredibly overwhelming. Beyond all the options, the website leaves a bit to be desired. That said, there are tooltips that explain a lot of the features available to help guide you through the process. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

The Website: This is something a lot of smaller companies struggle with, but the webpage where you customize your UGQ Bandit leaves something to be desired. As with all the available options, the site itself can be quite overwhelming and it can leave you confused as to how exactly your quilt is going to end up looking once you’ve finished with your build. That said, there are depictions of what each of the quilt builds looks like with each of the exterior fabric options.

Who is it for?

The UGQ Bandit may be a bit intimidating to those new to the world of ultralight or the world of quilts. However, with some guidance, the Bandit can make a great and versatile piece of sleep gear for just about anyone. Just be sure that you’re customizing the quilt to meet your specific needs and that you aren’t trying to shave off a few grams at the expense of your warmth or comfort. If you’re complaining that your quilt is not warm enough or not wide enough, you’ll likely have only yourself to blame.

Rating + Recommendation

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