Voyager is lost and has to pass through some pretty hostile territories. So a simple question: wouldn't a cloak have made their journey easier and safer even if it's only used sometimes?

We know the Federation can make cloaks: they did it with cloaked mines in DS9 and and the USS Pegasus in TNG. So it's not like the Federation doesn't know how to make them, they are only prevented from using them because of the treaty.

Given Voyager is far away for the Romulans anyway, and a cloak would greatly increase their chance of survival in hostile space I'm surprised nobody ever suggested it, even the Maquis.

Is there something I have missed about the Federations knowledge of cloaks, or something else that would have prevented them from replicating one and hooking it up to the ship? It seems a pretty obvious device to use if you're strolling through a hostile neighborhood.