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I haven't bought any gear in a while, and I'm finally in the market for a quilt. Been wanting to do this for a couple of years now.
My criteria is I want something rated around 30 degrees (or a little lower), I want it to fully open, and cost is not an ussue. So, I'm down to the Katabatic Gear Flex, the Enlightened Equipment Revelation and the Underground Quilts Bandit.
I'm looking for input on these from actual owners/users. So what do you say, can any of ya'll give me some good info?
Of your gonna swing for a Katabatic, I would recommend the Palisade instead of the Flex.The differential cut plus the warm footbox are worth the extra $$$. I've owned a Palisade, and it was super warm, but I sold it because of the weight. To save weight, I purchased a Revelation and have nothing bad to at about it except that it was a bit cold. Since my purchase they boosted the amount of down, so I guess that problem is solved, although at a weight penalty. I have no experience with UGQ. The quilt I now have, and really like, is the Warbonnet Diamondback. I ground camp so I bought the 60" wide model The design is really cool. It's kind of a reversed hourglass in that it's narrower at the top (55") and then widens out to 60 inches at the apex, where your elbows typically rest then slims down to the footbox. It's a very effecient design. The diamondback pattern restricts down shift that is a problem with vertical baffle quilts. You can customize it any way you want including adding a draft collar. That's the one I recommend.
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I have a 40 deg UGQ for summer trekking. I like it a lot. Planning to get a 20 deg one for 3 season use.
I bought an EE Revelation 40 a few years back. I since sent it back to add more down and I would consider more of a true 40deg quilt. I like the vertical baffles and ability to shift the down as needed. Build quality has been excellent for me. Having said that, I'm considering getting a KG Flex 22 soon to have a true 3 season quilt that I can layer my synthetic quilt over when it is really cold.
I'm just an hour north of you; if you want to check out my EE quilt or even test drive it for a night, send me a message.
If cost isn't an issue, I wouldn't even look at anything besides Katabatic. There simply isn't anything better as far as quality(I rank it higher than my WM bag, which kinda says it all) or design.
The Flex has been updated, and does feature a differential cut, now. It's also overstuffed at the foot, and has a much better closure than other makers' quilts.
I'm partial to the Palisade, preferring a sewn footbox on a quilt for cold weather use, but sleep outrageously warm, and use it at lower temps than any normal person would.
Another plus for the Flex is that it's roomier for whichever given size, as you can see from the specs.
I double-checked with Katabatic awhile back when considering the 5'6" Flex 40(my Palisade is a 6' Wide, but I'm just scraping 5'7"). The width and length are both 2" more than my older UGQ Flight Jacket quilt that's supposed to be a wide, and for people up to 5'9".
As a note, a forum member, "Just Bill", was making quilts through a business I believe called Town's End. I don't know if he is still involved with this enterprise but I haven't run across anyone who had a better grasp of quilts and would at minimum be an excellent reference source. I've not seen him post in a while but you can try a PM to Just Bill or he may be reachable through [email protected].
Yeah, another +1 to Katabatic quilts, though I've only owned one, and it's the closed foot box version, the 21 degree "Alsek" (same as palisade, I believe, with more down).
I am biased though because their factory was a 10 minute drive from my home, though now they've moved to Salida CO, good for them.
The one EE quilt I bought, the double-wide "accomplice" was no where near the "20 degree" rating they claimed, more like a 30. I added about 4-5 ounces of down to it, which was an easy process BTW. I do like the quilt, it was just optimistically rated.
I, too, sold my beloved WM 20 degree bag after I bought the Katabatic quilt.
plus 1; Just Bill had an encyclopedic knowledge of quilts.Quote:
Originally Posted by Traveler
I also have a 40EE-REV that appears a bit skimpy on the down quantity. Otherwise a great summer quilt.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pastor Bryon
Rob, you do this yourself or send it off? I was hoping to add more down to mine and was wondering if this can be done yourself and where to source the down from.Quote:
Originally Posted by colorado_rob
Berserker, I may be the lone dissenting opinion, but after a couple years ownership of my quilt, I just don't think I ever see myself going quilt for cold weather. I toss and turn too much and for me it's a lot of hassle dealing with the straps and preventing drafts. Just something about crawling into a mummy when its cold out and the freedom to toss and turn at will. Bonus is that my pillow tucks in nicely into the hood to keep it in place. ymmv
I did do it myself. I don't know anything about the baffle-geometry of other EE quilts, but it turns out on the double quilt EE accomplice, you can "access" all of the main baffles making only one small slit, inserting a 1" PVC tube stuffed with down, then "plunging" the down out of the tube with another piece of PVC that fairly tightly fits into the first piece, if you follow.Quote:
Originally Posted by JPritch
I harvested down from an old sleeping bag that I bought many years ago that had high quality down (800), but the bag was just too narrow. I used it for many years then finally "retired" it. The down from that old bag supplied enough for two separate bag enhancements, including the double EE quilt.
I did find down on Amazon too, it wasn't very expensive, I think I may have posted a link under the other thread "feeding an underfed vest".
Both my EE quilts seem light. I had my 20 refilled and it’s much better. Overall good product and good customer service as of 2 years ago
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he can be reached hereQuote:
Originally Posted by Traveler
https://thisgearsforyou.com/contact-bill/
HAD an EE 20* enigma.....very optimistically rated...switched to a HG burrow 20* which is much warmer and accurately rated....Ive bought several quilts and other pieces from HG.....very satisfied......
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If it’s ok with the OP I would like to piggy back.
It seems big box manufactures have finally caught on with the quality light weight trend. Thermarest in particular. I am having a hard time making the switch to a quilt.
I am a ground sleeper and cot car camper. I have a 40* bag now. I think if I go quilt I want a warmer one. If I get to hot I should easily be able to regulate with a quilt.
I have been looking at JacksRBetter, EE and the new Thermarest quilts.
Can anyone give me some guidance?
I recently purchased the Jack's R Better Sierra Sniveler (20 degree). Its wearable which is great for sitting around the campfire. I'm a hammock hanger but it's marketed for ground sleepers. It seems pretty versatile and I'm pleased with it. If you call them they will ask you questions to help you figure out the best one for you. I have their underquilt (the Nest) as well.
Thanks for the input everyone.
I made up my mind and placed an order for....drum roll please.............a Katabatic Gear Flex. I went with a 30 F with 1 ounce of overfill and got it in the long (6'-6")/wide version. I debated a while on going wide, but after taking measurements of my main bag (a Western Mountaineering Caribou), the wide seems like it will be a comparable fit and definitely didn't want to go smaller as I like some wiggle room in my bag.
I'll provide an update at some point when I get the bag (it's gonna be a month or so) and have a chance to actually use it.
Yeah, have at it on piggy backing off this thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by OhioHiker
I don't have a quilt yet so I can't provide good info from an actual user, but I can tell you what went into my decision to go with the Katabatic Flex quilt. First off, my main bag, which is a Western Mountaineering Caribou (35 F rating), has 172 bag nights on it (I think Tipi Walter gets a royalty check every time the term "bag nights" is used). I have been using it as a quilt for a few years now so I do actually have some indirect quilt experience.
So anyway, for me I was looking for something that could be fully opened and used as a blanket. There were many nights where I would have loved to do that and it was not possible with my bag as the zipper does not go down the full length of the bag as is the case with most traditional sleeping bags. That lead me to the 2 main quilt manufacturers that offer this product, which was Enlightened Equipment and Katabatic Gear. I decided to go Katabatic as I liked their foot closure system better and they have the elastic binding around the bottom opening.
Not sure if that helps at all, but it might give you a couple things to consider.