One of the most common mistakes first-time cottage gear buyers make: ordering too late. Unlike buying from REI, most cottage gear is made to order — your quilt, pack, or shelter is built after you place your order. If you're starting a thru-hike in April, ordering in March is often too late.
This page tracks typical lead times for the major cottage brands. Lead times vary by season and order volume — always check the brand's website for current information before placing an order.
When to order
Rule of thumb: order 8–12 weeks before your start date during peak season (January–April for spring thru-hikes). Summer orders typically have shorter waits. Brands often update their lead times on their homepage — check before ordering.
For brands that ship from stock (marked below), you can order much closer to your start date.
Quilts and sleep systems
Enlightened Equipment: 2–6 weeks typical. EE is one of the faster cottage makers — they stock common configurations and ship quickly. Custom options (rare fabrics, unusual dimensions) take longer.
Katabatic Gear: 4–10 weeks. Katabatic runs longer than EE and the wait extends during peak season. Order early.
UGQ Outdoor: 4–8 weeks. Fully custom, so wait times depend on complexity and season.
Nunatak: 6–12 weeks. Very small operation — one of the longer waits in the quilt market but worth it for their quality.
Goosefeet Gear: 2–4 weeks. Smaller brand, currently fast turnaround.
Hammock Gear: 2–4 weeks. Generally ships faster than other cottage quilt makers.
Jacks R Better: 2–4 weeks.
Shelters
Zpacks: 1–3 weeks for in-stock items. Most Zpacks shelters ship from stock — this is one of their key advantages over other DCF makers.
Tarptent: 1–3 weeks. Tarptent generally ships from stock. One of the most reliable lead times in the shelter category.
Six Moon Designs: 1–2 weeks. Ships from stock, very fast.
Mountain Laurel Designs: 2–6 weeks. Semi-custom options take longer.
Yama Mountain Gear: 2–4 weeks.
Liteway (Ukraine): 2–6 weeks plus international shipping time.
Packs
Hyperlite Mountain Gear: 1–3 weeks. Ships from stock.
Gossamer Gear: 1–2 weeks. Ships from stock, very fast.
ULA Equipment: 2–4 weeks.
Zpacks: 1–3 weeks for most pack models.
Pa'lante Packs: Ships from stock during open ordering periods. They do limited production runs — watch their site for drop dates.
Nashville Packs: 4–8 weeks. Small operation, made to order.
Waymark Gear Co.: 4–8 weeks. Fully custom.
Important caveats
Lead times change constantly. A brand that ships in 2 weeks in July might have an 8-week backlog in January. Always check the brand's current homepage or email them before ordering for a time-sensitive start date.
Always check the brand's website for their current stated lead time. Consider ordering your most critical piece (sleep system) first, since being cold on trail is worse than most other gear failures.