Down-Filled Backpacking Quilts (Market Survey and Gear Guide)

[Ryan Jordan]

Companion forum thread to: Down-Filled Backpacking Quilts (Market Survey and Gear Guide)

This comprehensive market survey features 60+ models of down-filled backpacking quilts, 27+ brands across North America and Europe. Includes analysis (warmth, weight, value), expert recommendations, market overview, and more.

[Jerry Adams]

I’m confused about limit temperature.  You only include it as a reference point so it doesn’t matter that much, but…

13537 only specs sleeping bags, not applicable to quilts.  I think what you call limit temp is just the value claimed by the manufacturer.  So it’s not very good for comparing different quilts.

You use fill volume to calculate warmth index, but like you said, depending on how overstuffed the down is, the actual warmth varies.  But this is the best you can do.

With a quilt, if it’s wider, then this doesn’t really add to warmth.  Except, if it’s narrower then you’re more likely to have drafts coming in the sides which can significantly decrease actual warmth.  If a person tosses around more then there will be more drafts.

It’s too bad this isn’t spec’d better so people can do better comparisons between brands or to select a quilt for the minimum temps they’re going to encounter.

I like your comparison of warmth index to value index, this question of how to spec limit temp is a side issue.

[baja bob]

Interesting that Enlightened Equipment essentially uses the least down and is considered the highest performer. It is probably the most criticised brand for overstating warmth from what I see online.

[Ryan Jordan]

Hopefully you’ll consider ignoring temperature ratings – which are probably only a reasonable frame of reference between models for a particular brand. So, when you look at a quilt that contains, say, 10000 ci of down, compare that to another quilt that has about 10000 ci of down. One of those may be rated “25” and another “35” – but using those ratings for comparing performance between quilts from different brands isn’t too valuable. For example, a Gryphon Aries 20 can’t really be compared to a Nemo Pulse 20 – these two are definitely in different temperature limit classes. But the Aries 20 is quite a bit heavier, as well (more down).

Jerry, your comments are right on the money regarding down fill qty vs. warmth.

[Terran Terran]

In comparing fill power, would a simple ratio be accurate?

i.g. In comparing 800fp to 850fp would I multiply by 800/850…(16/17)?

[Dan]

In comparing fill power, would a simple ratio be accurate?

i.g. In comparing 800fp to 850fp would I multiply by 800/850…(16/17)?

In terms of loft-volume per mass of down, I think this is true.

[Terran Terran]

Thanks Dan.

EE gets a bad rap. Personally, I think it’s a great quilt for the price. In a recent newsletter they said that their price of high power down has gone up 35%. Expect a price increase.

[Eric A]

Thank you for the article!  Jumping in as I’m very interested in learning about down fill metrics myself so please correct me if I’m wrong…

Would “measured loft” be a more accurate metric to represent warmth than fill volume (assuming similarly sized quilts, i.e. they cover the user appropriately).

EE says that Overstuffing beyond the weight needed to fill a volume doesn’t necessarily lead to material improvement in a quilts warmth.  I believe Timmermade makes a similar claim on their site.

If so, then the only thing that matters is the loft of the quilt (assuming it holds that loft in the conditions used, and a user can stay under it effectively without drafts), or am I missing something?

For example:

• EE lists the Enigma 20 with a “Target Loft” of 2.5″
• HMG responded to an inquiry I sent about their 20 degree quilt quoting a loft of 2.75″
• Timmermade lists the 20 degree 900fp Coati with a “Calculated Loft” of 3.74″ (*EDIT* Realized after posting that calculated loft and measured loft are not the same metric – and Timmermade doesn’t currently list the measured loft of their quilts)

If those values are accurate, and loft is a true measure of warmth, then the Coati 20 quilt is the warmest of the three, with the Enigma 20 behind both the Timmermade Coati 20 and the HMG 20.

And one could create an index of loft vs weight (using your listed weights) like this:

Assuming my interpretation of these metrics is accurate (and the metrics are measured in the same way), it would suggest one would be getting 50% more warmth per ounce with the Timmermade Coati.

I hope this adds to the conversation and doesn’t create confusion!

[Jerry Adams]

To calculate how much down to put in a baffle, divide the volume in cubic inches by the fill power.  For example, if a baffle had 400 cubic inches, you should put in 1/2 ounce of 800 fill down.  Then add 30% overstuff  so that down doesn’t shift and create spots with no down.  And account for loss of loft because of humidity or whatever.

Richard Nisely did some measurements of down and warmth.  He showed that down has a particular warmth (R value per inch) up to the point the down is fully lofted – for example 1 ounce of 800 fill power down in 800 cubic inches.  If you overstuff up to 150%, that will increase the warmth half as much.  For example, if you put 1 ounce of 800 fill in 400 cubic inches, it would be overstuffed 100%.  The R value per inch would be 1.5 * the R value per inch of fully lofted.

I think this answers the question of comparing 850 fill power to 800 fill power.  You need (850/800 = 1.06) more weight of 800 fill down than 850 fill down.  If you had 10 ounces of 850 down, you’d need 10.6 ounces of 800 fill down.  A small difference.

It’s about 2.5 R per inch for fully lofted.  Not that knowing the R value helps you : )

[JG H]

I assumed it was another plug for retailers, but this time maybe based on contribution levels? Like Baja Bob, my impression from reviews is that EE is a mid-tier quilt maker. My own personal experience aligns with my impression of the reviews. Gryphon, Nunatak, and Katabatic all get consistent high praise, so to see them lag behind ES in comparison was unexpected. My experience with Katabatic and Nunatak is that they’re both noticeably superior to EE. I did like all the data, though.

[Terran Terran]

Not necessarily the nicest, EE rates high in the best buy category with a high warmth to weight ratio. Keep it clean and fluff it well before use. Sometimes the down needs to be redistributed. They’re a good entry level quilt.

[Jeff McWilliams]

In the master product table, I think you have the prices for the Gryphon Ares quilts mixed up.  You have the 20 degree quilt for $327 but the 30 degree quilt for $414, and the 40 degree quilt for $388. Were you picking different options for each of these?

[Slimbobaggins]

I’m curious why Jacks ‘R’ Better wasn’t included in this study.
Their Ultralight Big Meadows quilts use 1000FP down, are available in 0, 20, and 40 degree temps, and their weight and cost are competitive with all of the quilts in this survey.

[Slimbobaggins]

Can’t edit the post from my phone, but meant to point out the Big Meadows quilts are 56″ wide at the shoulder, theyre not hammock-specific quilts.

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