Looking To Get a Quality Down Quilt at a Good Value

[Tim Czarkowski]

I'm a new member here and have learned a lot lurking around but finally bit the bullet and got a lifetime membership.

I'm looking get get a down quilt that's good quality but also a good value. I've looked at a number online and so far Enlightened Equipment seems to deliver the best value by far with their 750 duck down quilts. I need a long one as I'm 6'2" and 160lbs. They appear to be around $250 and 1.5 lbs for the revelation 20. Are there any other suppliers I should be looking at.

I tend to be a side or stomach sleeper, and backpack and kayak in Florida in the winter and in the Appalachians in spring summer and fall. This will have to be able to cope with all those temps and I tend to sleep cold which I was interested in the 20. Any opinions on the choice of size or bag ratings?

I'll be switching from a seven year old synthetic rectangular bag from Slumberjack rated to 30 but was unable to keep me warm at 45 last weekend. It's time for something better. My just as old campmor brand sleeping pad will be next.

To give you some background on where I'm coming from I've been slowly acquiring equipment one at a time to drop my weight. My first trip years ago I had 50+lbs for a three day trip. My last one week trip I was all the way down to 30lbs. It made an amazing difference. I switched from my Kelty 6lbs pack to a ULA circuit first and couldn't be happier. Next was going from a Eureka tent which had to be around 5lbs to a 10×10 sil nylon tarp from Etowah outfitters. Again I couldn't be happier.

I had a seam pull out on the tarp the first time using it and etowah took care of it quickly and for free. I also had an issue with a strap popping on my ULA pack and again they took care of it immediately and for free. Great service from both Cottage companies.

My philosophy is to go as light as possible with each purchase but still keeping prices in what I consider reasonable. So no cuben fiber tarp, no Arc Teryx pack, and presumably no 900 down.

Thanks for your input.

P.S. If anyone has a long down quilt their looking to sell, let me know.

[Brad Rogers]

The Golite Quilts are always a good deal. The original Ultra 20 quilt had around 9.5oz of down and was more of a 30* quilt, the second generation, the 3 Season Quilt, had 12oz of down and was warm to 20* but was a bit heavier. The latest generation, the Z 30 also had about 12oz of down and was reported to be warm to 20* rather than 30*. I think they are coming out with a new model (or revised one) for 2014.

[Joe S]

Tough to beat Tim's quilts for a value. He's a great resource, if you have any questions at all, he can take you to school.

[Stephen M]

Like Joe says its tough to beat the EE offerings, Tim's work is top notch and prices are very reasonable.

[David Chenault]

EE or the Feathered Friends Vireo Nano. Best deals going.

[Scott Hayden]

+1 on the Enlightened Equipment. I like mine.

[Harrison Carpenter]

EE's quilts are an excellent bargain, IMO.

[Anonymous]

+1 for E.E. quilts. So far, we have two. Great quality at a very reasonable price, and from what i've observed and heard, Tim seems like a sincerely nice, honest, and standup kind of guy.

[todd]

Not to beat a dead horse but….

Add me to the EE convert list. I now own two Revelations and am very happy. I've had two other brands over the course of the last ten years and they are both good – EE's are great.

[Tim Czarkowski]

Thanks everyone for your input. It looks like the decision is pretty clear. I'm going to go ahead and order one so I'll hopefully have it before my next trip. It seems that people like them so much I'd probably not find somebody willing to sell theirs too easily, lol.

So far I've had nothing but good experiences with cottage companies and they seem a better value while being made here in the U.S. I can't wait to try it out, drop a couple more pounds from my pack…… and hopefully be warm this time out.

[Anonymous]

You occasionally see EE quilts up for sale on gear swap. They tend to go fast. But, they're affordable enough to buy new, and that's coming from someone who is both a bit cheap and doesn't often have much spending money.

[And E]

Have you considered trying to make your own?

My first sewing project was my Karo Step down quilt I made earlier this month (posted up in the MYOG section last week) and it was surprisingly easy to do.

The total cost was around $135, 11.1oz of 850FP water resistant down. Total weight of 18.6oz.

I got my down from allied feather through Down Linens -16oz minimum order- ($103.5 for a pound I bought, so $71.8 for the amount I used in the quilt). 800 FP down is cheaper and I've posted a coupon code on gear deals the other week. Fabric, etc from DIY Gear Supply. I used 15D Impetus 1.0 which was $9.15 a yard, but you can get 15D Argon from Dutch Ware Gear for only $8 a yard, under an ounce per yard. He also sells precut widths of noseeum for baffles as well.

Making it yourself would probably be the most economical route and you can customize it to be perfect for you. It's a lot of work, but it's fun and you'll have a quilt that fits you perfectly.

[Brian Johns]

Great entry cost and up to snuff for any level of experience or weight requirements. I got an overstuffed 40* a couple of years ago and its warm down to freezing with my sleep clothes. Oh, and Tim Marshall was a pleasure to deal with. Unbeatable customer service. Just be sure to get it as wide as you can, and not too long. Tim will help you with this.

[Tim Czarkowski]

I find the MYOG very interesting and have researched all kinds of homemade gear. Unfortunately I am completely inept with anything like that. I doubt it would even come out usable, much less decent looking, lol.

It's funny because I rehab homes and small apartment buildings for a living but I don't do ANY of the work myself. I honestly am not proud to admit it but the most I even will do at my home is hang pictures. I did hang a TV once and was pretty proud that it didn't fall off the wall or come out crooked.

I am more of a numbers guy, I have an accounting degree. I can tell you with reasonable accuracy what a home will take to rehab just by looking at the outside(can't get in most of them) but I can't do the simplest of tasks to actually get it done. It for the best anyways, it takes too long to do the work yourself.

If I had someone who could walk me through it in person I might make an attempt at it. It certainly sounds like the price is right and I'd love to be able to say "I made this myself". For others with a bit of skill it certainly sounds like a great way to go.

[Adam Rothermich]

I'll concur with everyone else, EE quilts are great. I got a RevelationX last year and its fantastic and much better looking/more functional than my MYOG quilts. I got the wide version and can roll around under it without getting drafts. I used it a couple of weeks ago to cowboy camp on a night in dropped to freezing and with the pad straps I didn't have any draft problems. Mine is a 20* and I was perfectly warm (except for my nose!)

The Revelations with the new baffles look great and for about the same price as my RevX you get the nicer shell fabrics and a little lighter weight to boot. I'm actually kinda bummed I didn't wait to get mine until the new design came out. Nothing wrong with my RevX though, I especially like the orange inner/black shell combo I got a lot. I wouldn't hesitate to get one of the new Revelations if I had the money though.

Adam

[brian H]

I have been quilt-curious for some time now…still haven't tried one.

And am surprised to see not one vote here for Hammock Gear quilts.

A 20 degree quilt w. reg length/width is about 25% lighter and 25% cheaper @ HG [using Revelation option & no bells/whistles, all of which increase the price diff., and their 800 fp since closest to HG's 850] And the new Argon fabric sounds intriguing to me.

What gives people? Are there no HG owners among us?

[Lance Stalnaker]

Another I will throw in is HammockGear quilts, I own several and they are great. I would recommend checking out the for sale section in Hammockforums.net, as way more hammockers use quilts and they always have them up for sale. Lot's of cottage makers of quilts on there too. Jacksrbetter, wilderness logics, Kickassquilts, and Warbonet Outdoors to name a few. Good luck

[John Davis]

Not too long ago I purchased a 20* quilt from HG. Very light with the Argon fabric which has a nice hand. Quality is excellent. And you would be hard pressed to find an equivalent rated quilt with great quality for less money.

It was easy to pick up the phone…yes phone… and speak to Adam the owner. Nice customer service and very patient with questions. Trust me!

Highly recommend them.

[Tim Czarkowski]

Well I thought I knew what I was going to get until you threw that at me. They seem very comparable as far as pricing is concerned. The hammock gear has 850 fill down vs 750 EE for the same price but it's only 0.05 ounces lighter for the same size (HG wide is the same as the EE regular). I'm still leaning towards the EE since the 750 should handle moisture better than the 850 correct?

The other thing I was wondering about was the material choice between 10d, 15d, and 20d. I haven't ever bought a bag where I had the choice. How do they compare to the Argon? I was thinking I'd go with the 10d with the 15d head and foot option. I'm a tarp camper year round in north Florida and South Georgia and 3 seasons in the Smokey Mountain area. What's your opinion?

I'm heading over to Hammockforums.net right now to see if they have anything available. Thanks for both suggestions.

[John Davis]

I cannot comment on whether 750 or 850 handles moisture better.

My opinion is to go for the higher quantity/weight of down comparing quilts of the same rating. I would take 15 oz of 850 before 15 of 750.

Best to talk to Adam (HG) and Tim (EE) before making a decision.

[Lance Stalnaker]

I would also recommend a phone call. If a bag has the same weight of down 750 vs 850, then the 850 fill down has app. 12% more efficiency (if that's the right way to put it), as that is the volume difference. The 850 will fill more space than the 750, thereby giving you more loft and a warmer bag at the same weight. Moisture will not be an issue IMO, if you are concerned ask Adam if he has dridown. HG quilts are top notch.

[Ash Nat]

First – I didn't even know of HammockGear. They seem like a fantastic value!

It doesn't look like they come with the pad attachment system. Can they be custom added to the quilts?

How do the baffles compare to shiftless baffles on the new EE quilts?

I was dead set on a EE quilt, but the HG quilt seems like fantastic value especially since it uses 850 fill down!

[Tim Czarkowski]

Well I just noticed HG is not only 850 but also water resistant so I suppose that's going to seal the deal for me. With the long and wide option it's a grand total of $15 extra to go from 750 to 850 water resistant. Seems like a no brainer even if it's not any lighter since they seem to have a good reputation also. Does anyone have an idea on their shipping time? I'm going to give them a call tomorrow and then put the order on through.

Thanks for bringing them up, I knew there had to be someone else making quality quilts out there at a decent value. I'll let you all know how it goes, unless I change my mind again, lol.

[John Davis]

When I ordered my quilt Adam quoted a 9 day delivery. And that is when the quilt arrived.

[Lance Stalnaker]

The quilt will be made custom to your specs and delivery time for all of the items I have ordered through HG has been more than reasonable for custom work. If you call Adam he will work with you and make it to fit your needs. If you look at the HammockGear section on the Hammockforums website you can see what his customers think of him there, very positive reviews and discussions. I can relate this story from my own experience.

I called to order some quilts from Adam, I mentioned I had an older model underquilt and he suggested I send it back and he would make some upgrades at no charge, after further conversation (he found out I was in Columbus OH, 40 minutes from his location) He invited me down to tour his facility. I placed the order and a week later stopped by his operation on the way to a backpacking trip, I dropped the quilt off, talked shop, saw the operation, and then on my way out, he looked my order over and said, "Oh, you ordered a cuben hex tarp", he then tossed me one and said, "have fun trying that out on your trip". The rest of my order came the next week (two underquilts and two top quilts. His service was well above and beyond IMO. I love giving my business to the cottage gear shops, and could not be happier with HG.

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