Review: Enlightened Equipment Revelation 0 Degree Quilt

 

In an effort to lean into my strengths, I'm starting a short series covering my experiences with assorted backcountry sleeping gear.  I've been putting readers to sleep for more than a year with this blog, so I consider myself well qualified to weigh in on the subject 😜.  

For years I struggled to get a good night's sleep when out camping or backpacking.  I can't really pinpoint exactly when it started, but at some point I became a side sleeper and that ruined everything.  Side sleeping is now fully entrenched and I cannot go to sleep on my back no matter how hard I try.  This is a real pain for camping as most sleeping bags are mummy style and designed for sleeping on your back with your legs together and arms at your sides.  There is no room for rolling over or stretching out, both of which I need to sleep well.

About 6 years ago as my kids were getting old enough to go camping and backpacking and all of us were ramping up our involvement in scouting, I decided to revamp my sleep system and invest in some gear that I hoped would improve my sleep experience.  Around this time backpacking quilts were starting to gain popularity and I was intrigued.  The idea of a "quilt" was to reduce the weight of a sleeping bag by getting rid of the insulation that goes between you and your sleeping pad.  This insulation gets compressed by your body weight and loses most of its insulating properties.  Instead, the quilt just has insulation on the top and sides and uses the insulation of your pad to keep the bottom side warm.  They typically have straps to secure the quilt to the pads.  As you probably know from my other posts, I'm not an ultralighter, but the quilts have an advantage over sleeping bags that I do like:  they are less constrictive and allow you to stretch out and roll around.  The light weight is just the cherry on top.

I purchased a Thermarest NeoAir XLite Insulated inflatable pad to use as my base and went with a quilt called the Revelation (shown above) made to order by a small Minnesota based company called Enlightened Equipment.  I got a 0 degree rated quilt in a regular length / wide width size with black on the outside and purple on the inside.  I wanted dark colors that would dry fast in the sun if I got condensation on the fabric.  I chose the wide to ensure I would have plenty of width to splay out my arms and legs.  This quilt cost $268 shipped on a Black Friday Sale in 2017.  Today it is listed at $410.  I still struggle to wrap my mind around inflation!  I'm not sure I would buy this again at that price.  This configuration weighs in at about 1lb 14oz which, to me, is incredibly light for a 0 degree "bag".  

I have been using this quilt for the past 6 years on all of my trips.  It took a little while to figure out the best way to use it, but overall, I have been pretty happy with it in 3 seasons.  In Winter I still have some problems with it that I will get into.  The quilt comes with two straps for securing to the pad.  One strap has a loop that goes around the pad and clips to the two sides of the quilt and holds the edges of the quilt down.  The other strap goes from the sides of the quilt and under the bottom of the pad.  You can choose which strap you want higher on the pad and which you want lower on the pad to fine tune the fit.  The toe box is zipped close (or open) and there is a drawstring at the bottom to cinch it up.  There is no hood on the quilt, which is actually OK with me as they are usually in the way and cover your mouth when you are sleeping on your side.  There are two snaps at the top of the quilt and a drawstring that can cinch up the top around your neck.  Unfortunately, that drawstring pulls the slack out right where your face is, so you have the loose cord tangling you up all night.

For warm weather, the quilt can be easily thrown off or used like a loose blanket with lots of ventilation.  Despite the 0 degree rating, I never had any issue with it being too hot during warm weather camping.  I did start to have some problems with it when the temperature dropped.  In temps below about 45, I found that the drafts coming in around the edges of the quilt could make me cold.  At those colder temps, sleeping in long johns is sufficient for keeping warm in the drafts.  As temps drop closer to freezing, even the long johns are sufficient for offsetting the cold air that always gets let in as I roll around.  I don't understand how others are using quilts at lower temperatures.  They must not roll around like I do.  

For my head, I can usually get by with a hat in cool temperatures.  To stay warmer when the thermometer drops down to freezing, I bought a down hood that you wear over your head and comes down to your shoulders.  

This hood rolls with me when I move around and keeps my head warm.  It tucks under the top of the quilt and when the quilt is cinched down at the top, I don't get much draft in the top.  Just the open sides underneath me around where my lower back is.

So far, the coldest I have used this quilt in is about 28 degrees F.  To be comfortable at this temp, I slept in my puffer jacket and long johns with a warm water bottle.  The drafts are killer and have me worried about trying to use it in colder temperatures, which is a shame, because I am otherwise pretty happy with this system.

Most days, I am getting great sleep outside with this pad and quilt combo.  It is small enough, lightweight and performs well.  I had one strap break on one of my first uses and Enlightened Equipment sent out a new strap set at no charge.  The quilt has held up very well over the past 6 years of use as well.  I've taken good care of it, and it still looks like new, and the down is still fluffy and distributed well in the quilt.

As mentioned above, my only complaints are the drafts when it is cold and the slack of the shoulder cinch that ends up in your face and tangles you up in it.  

There you have it side sleepers.  If you aren't doing a lot of cold weather backpacking where size and weight of your bag is important and you struggle to get comfortable, check out a sleeping quilt instead of a bag.  I am starting to do more Winter camping and looking for a good solution for colder temperatures.  I've tried out a couple of additional options hoping to find a solution for sub-freezing temps and will review those in the coming weeks (Zenbivy Light Bed, Omnicore Designs -10F Mummy Bag, ???)