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bwcasolo
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i own their paddles, very happy :) and i got a 20 degree top quilt from enlightened, also very pleased!
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Frenchy19
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Fizics: "Lifelong UGQ customer here. EE look super cheesy in my opinion. The underquilts just look.... stupid and the suspension looks like it leaves A LOT to be desired. Their top quilts look a lot better, but their also $40 more than my bandit, and it's the exact same materials, made by an equally if not more capable cottage company.
I guess if you like to piss extra money away just because of who you're giving it to, load that Minnesotans pocket up! "
Well, I guess you told us. Thanks for putting us in our place with such a kindly worded take.
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Goldenbadger
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Enlightened Equipment is located in Winona, MN. Only about a 40 minute drive for me. I'm in the market for a new bag, so I drove up there today to take a look at their bags/quilts. What an amazing company! They don't have an actual "store", but they do have several quilts/bags on display that you can try out and they encourage people to stop in to check out their products. They brought several up from their warehouse for my friend and I to look at and try out. They spent at least an hour and a half or two with us. They were so kind and accommodating. We had a million questions and they happily answered all of them. They even took us on a tour of their shop! We got to see how the quilts are made from beginning to end. What an incredible company! I love that they're local and have such a high quality product. I will definitely be buying one. I'm going to order the "Convert". It's quilt that converts to a bag. All of their quilts have clips and straps so you can attach it to your pad. You can completely customize everything yourself from type of fill - synthetic or down (and what type of down fill - 850, 900, or 950). Size, color, degrees, etc. They are not cheap, but given the quality of the product and the quality of the company, this is where I will be spending my money.
We also stopped in at Sanborn Canoe Company, also in Winona. I toured their shop a few years ago when they were still in Pickwick. I have their Minnesota paddle and it is beautiful and paddles like a dream. Like Enlightened, these people and this company are also top notch. They were excited to give us a tour of their shop as well. They showed us how they make their paddles and canoes. They also make hockey sticks and baseball bats! What I didn't know is that in addition to making their own canoes, they also make canoes for Merrimack!
If you're ever in Winona, you MUST stop in at both of these places and check them out.
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ozarkpaddler
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I like Winona, it's a really nice, pretty town. I enjoy that drive up the Mississippi. Sounds like another detour to see those two places would be worthwhile in the future?
 
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Goldenbadger
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Fizics: "Lifelong UGQ customer here. EE look super cheesy in my opinion. The underquilts just look.... stupid and the suspension looks like it leaves A LOT to be desired. Their top quilts look a lot better, but their also $40 more than my bandit, and it's the exact same materials, made by an equally if not more capable cottage company.
I guess if you like to piss extra money away just because of who you're giving it to, load that Minnesotans pocket up! "
Your opinion is your opinion and while you have a right to it, I would be more likely to listen to it if you weren't so rude about it. I try to avoid the threads where people get all salty. When I posted this one, that was the last thing I expected from anyone. However, I did take a look at UGQ. I had never heard of them before, so thank you for that at least. But their website is a pain to navigate and build a bag/quilt. As you're customizing your product, it doesn't show you what you're building and how the colors may look together all set up. So I wouldn't say at all that they're more "capable". Also, I don't want to drive to Michigan to explore their wares. I can drive 40 minutes to Winona to EE. And if I have issues with my EE products, I don't have to pay to ship them back. I can drive there and they will stand behind their product 100%. Also, not that I would do this, but if I make a custom order I can change my mind right up to the day they ship it out and they will build a different quilt with my changes. No extra charge. I didn't look at their underquilts because that is not my interest. As far a top quilts go, they don't look much different. And they have a lot more other products like jackets, pants, hats, etc. I happen to love the look of the EE products. But then again, I'm not going out into the wilderness to make a fashion statement.
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timatkn
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What Frenchy said except with more sarcasm.
UGO looks like a great company too BTW...could have just said that?
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nctry
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I'm picking up a canoe to deliver later in the week three. I'm tempted to grab a paddle them. They recently bought Merrimack Canoe and working on some good Sanborn options. I may play down there later in the year. We'll see... But they are a fun bunch and great people. I'd keep an eye on them and see where they go with things.
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Frenchy19
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Have purchased from both, and they are excellent people to deal with.
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Fizics
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Lifelong UGQ customer here. EE look super cheesy in my opinion. The underquilts just look.... stupid and the suspension looks like it leaves A LOT to be desired. Their top quilts look a lot better, but their also $40 more than my bandit, and it's the exact same materials, made by an equally if not more capable cottage company.
I guess if you like to piss extra money away just because of who you're giving it to, load that Minnesotans pocket up!
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quark2222
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If you are into guitars, this is a really good one:
Daves Guitar Shop
Tomster
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timatkn
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The Quilts aren’t cheap, but if you compare the quality of the materials and workmanship then I would consider them on the less expensive end of high quality. If you want something of high quality check out feathered friends or western mountaineering and compare prices...EE won’t look that expensive, plus they weigh less.
This is from a guy that doesn’t even own an EE quilt, I’ve just looked at them so no bias.
T
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Goldenbadger
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quark2222: "If you are into guitars, this is a really good one:
Daves Guitar Shop
Tomster"
I'm not. But I sure wish I could play! I've heard Dave's is a wonderful local business.
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ParkerMag
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I have four of EE's quilts, and yes, they've always been super to work with in my experience as well.
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