Help me decide: EE Revelation or Katabatic Flex?

A 40° quilt is.. in my experience, not very warm. But, damn, it’s light!

I can only speak for myself in that I believe Katabatic is conservative in their temperature ratings.  I have had my Flex 30 down into the 20’s several times wearing only a base layer.  I do run on the warm side but I’m not a furnace.

What do you think guys about this bag which can be compared to Flicker or EE Convert?

http://www.westernmountaineering.com/sleeping-bags/extremelite-series/mitylite/

http://www.westernmountaineering.com/sleeping-bags/microfiber-series/alder-mf/

Anyone used them before moving to quilt style of bag?

I am looking this hood-less bags (WM) only because i can get them in EU shops. For ordering Katabatic or EE i need to pay import tax and duty tax which at the end is not a cheap bag at all.

Thanks!

I have the Katabatic Palisade, and it’s by far the best sleeping bag/quilt I’ve ever owned.  The craftsmanship is impeccable, and it’s now one of my favorite pieces of gear (which is saying a lot, given that I’m a gear slut).  Enjoy!

I have the EE Rev as well and think its fantastic. Love the pad connection, love the foot box hybrid zipper, button and zip cord design. Love the warmth which is crazy warm for me as I sleep hot. Two things I would do differently is:

1. Order less insulation, I purchased a -6deg bag, I’ll likely fix this by ordering another one and keep this one for winter use. However its a pretty low priority because given how flexible the design is I simply use it as a blanket in the warmer months and it has been manageable.
2. The single design item I would request differently is the cinch strap at the top is in a terrible spot right in the middle of the bag which means if you use the cinch the strap will be right at your head or face.

Other wise I can’t recommend it enough one of the best outdoor gear items I have.

Can someone give me approx inside measurement for REGULAR size of FLEX bag?

I am 5’11½” tall and I wonder if i still have enough room to pull quilt over my ears and still have some room at footbox area when closed.

Thank you.

You can call them and ask.  I did that when I was trying to figure out Flex sizing, but I don’t have the measurements they gave me anymore.  The Flex is shorter than the Revelation by a few inches, so I don’t think that you’ll be able to do that with a regular size.

When I asked them I received the following for a regular/regular:

54″ wide at the top

47″ wide at the hips

40″ wide at the foot

when the bag is closed up in foot box mode, it has a bit more foot room than the regular Elite bags and measures about 72″ long.

in don’t know if that provides enough room to over your ears or not.  With the elite bags that I am familiar with, at your height, if I wanted to cover my ears while laying flat on my back, I think a long would be needed.  If you sleep on your side and slightly curled up, you may be able to pull off the regular.  I would error on the side of long to be sure, but I would also contact Katabatic as well.

@John:

probably if i take longer FLEX bag also open space will bi big longer? Meaning that my knees could be exposed sooner due to bigger “open space on back” ?

Just wondering if taking longer than really designed could cause this “issue”?

Sorry for english if i was not clear what i want to ask :)

Another enthusiastic vote for EE, here. I’ve had a Prodigy, Rev and Accomplice; all fantastically well-made, conservatively rated and a pleasure to use. The pad attachment system is foolproof and comfortable. Their customer service is first class; Tim has always been extremely responsive, patient, and full of helpful advice —  a class act, which is not always the rule with gear mfrs in my experience.

Just stopped by the site, though, and while worth the wait, woof, their lead times have gotten a bit cottagey. Which I suppose means they’re busy, and more power to them, but wow, 8-10 weeks? Surely there must be a few people in MN talented with a needle and in need of work?

8-10 weeks? A revelation is 14-16 weeks right now…

You can get a flex in two weeks or less. Quality is better than the revelation but not approx 150 more. I like my flex and would buy it again but I understand budgets and people’s perception of value.

I too got a Flex because of the two week wait time.  I agree that the quality is slightly higher, but probably not $150 higher.  Also importantly for me, the long Flex is exactly the right size for my 6’2″ frame.  The long Revelation was just too long for me, and the regular was cutting it.  Long Flex = just right!

Hi!

Can someone owning Katabatic FLEX bag help me with sizing.

I am:

5’11½” tall = 181cm
165 LBS = 75kg
49″ shoulders measurement
38″ chest measurement

Usually i wear jacket in size M.

I usually sleep as side sleeper and have one leg in narrow position. Meaning i will stretch more than my height information (181cm) because of the foot.

First time buying a quilt and it will be order from USA … so I do not have much option or cheap option to exchange it.

Thanks for help!

Yeah, I have a katabatic flex 30….in size regular length, and wide width. I’m 170lbs, 5’10.5″ tall, and 37″ chest. Go with the wide….if you go with the regular, you’ll have to have the straps quite far apart and you’ll be open to more drafts.

My next post will be a comparison to the EE 30° reg/wide and this flex 30° reg/wide…the EE feels much wider and I’ll explain why, but the katabatic wide feels just right on me.

Thank you for replay :)

And since we are similar heights (cca 180cm) do you find bag REGULAR size long enough when sleeping on stomack? You can still be comfortable and manage to wrap around neck?

I can image there is no much space left in foot area for extra clothes? But i am not lookig for something like that.

Kind regards,

a.

I had my 20 degree EE in the Winds last week.  It was 20 degrees on 2 of those nights.  One of those nights had very high winds.  I stayed very warm.

I think the longitudinal baffles are superior at keeping the down on top of your body.  I think the extra tube around the neck would likely get more soggy from breath than the EE system.  I can’t really speak to the quality of the Katabatic quilt but the EE has been solid.

Are you concerned about weight, warmth, or both?  Would a 10 degree EE be any heavier than a 20 degree Katabatic?

Thread jack alert.

Are you all sleeping with your head out from under the quilt or did you buy one that was long enough to pull over your head?  I may buy an EE Enigma this winter but at 6’3″ tall, I’m not sure if I want to buy one at the 6’6″ length that I would cinch over my shoulders, or a 7′ long one that I could burrow under completely.  My thought was to go with the 6’6″ one and just sleep with my MLD apex balaclava on.

I’m 6’4″ and I don’t pull mine over my head.  I would expect condensation if it was cinched over my head.  My preference is for lighter insulation on the head anyway.  The drawcord cinches around the neck/shoulders nicely as constructed.

And since we are similar heights (cca 180cm) do you find bag REGULAR size long enough when sleeping on stomack? You can still be comfortable and manage to wrap around neck?

So, if I’m laying on my back, the regular length (in either EE Or katabatic), will come to slightly higher than my eyebrows. So if you are just looking for the quilt to reach your neck….no problem there then.

And since we are similar heights (cca 180cm) do you find bag REGULAR size long enough when sleeping on stomack? You can still be comfortable and manage to wrap around neck?

I would go with a regular.  The response I received from Katabatic was that if you are a little taller then the rated length (like .5 inches) you will be fine.  You have even more flexibility if you are a side sleeper.

Regular and wide sounds good then :)

Probably also better idea to go wide to push bags also in winter time using down or syntetic midlayer.

Some pictures of a bag and how it looks when person is inside ? ;) just to have better idea about a size.

Thank you :)

So here are my thoughts on the differences between the Flex 30 and EE 30°. I’ve had EE quilts for about 2 years, and just picked up a used Flex 30 here recently.

Of course, there are obviously loft differences between the two, but you should really compare a Flex 30 with an EE 20° quilt. In 900 fill power, each would have 12.3oz (flex) and 12.89 (EE) of 900 fill down. (reg length, wide) and have a $70 difference between the two as of September 2016.  The flex would weigh 2oz more than the EE 20°.

That aside though…I still think the flex 30 would be warmer than the EE 20. Mainly because of draft mitigation and perceived width.

Now…if you have both unfolded…the widths are about the same ->

Here, its hard to see but the katabatic is actually wider than the EE (EE is green) by the head/shoulders, then tapers more than the EE near the hips (so EE is wider at the hips). Effectively though…the two quilts are made/sewn to be the same width.

You’ll also notice that in size regular, the EE quilt is about 4-5″ longer ->

However, due to the way the EE’s footbox is made, when its closed in quilt form, nearly all of that “additional baffle” gets used up in the “cinching” of the EE quilt and the quilts are much similar in length in quilt form. This pic shows the superior Katabatic footbox with footbox baffle..the Flex has a more square footbox whereas the EE tapers to a close.

So, as stated in my post above…I’m 5’10.5″ and both quilts come up to my eyebrows when lying on my back.

Anyway, I was most surprised at the difference in how wide each quilt actually felt in use….when having both strapped nearly fully closed on each pad…the EE felt much wider….too wide for my 170lb body. I was feeling more cold than I should have in my 30° EE a couple of nights on the trail…so got the katabatic, but I believe its b/c  it felt too spacious inside and I had some trouble with drafts some nights.

After thinking about it a while, I believe that the Flex feels less wide and minimizes drafts due to a combination of many small factors….which all combine to make the Flex warmer.

1. Flex uses cord to attach to the pad…EE uses elastic grosgrain. I think the elastic grosgrain is definitely less abrasive to the fabric and easier to put on/off the pad, but ….it flexes. So if you lift up and turn over to your other side, the EE might “move” an additional few inches over the flex.
2. The actual pad connectors…the katabatic connects very close to the actual quilt fabric…the EE’s buckle is about an inch away from the strap. Then….times by 2 for the EE and the quilt is effectively 2 inches wider than the flex…but not in a good way b/c its possibly creating 2 inches of draft at the pad connection.
3. The katabatic’s footbox zipper is 10″ longer than the EE….so the “quilt” area is 10″ less. Both quilts use 4 buckles (1 at the neck, 2 pad connectors, and 1 closer to the zipper). The 4th buckle on the Katabatic is actually an adjustable grosgrain strap, the EE’s is a snap buckle. The EE actually has a 5th buckle right at the zipper which the Flex doesn’t but I don’t think the katabatic will come unzipped by itself. Anyway, since the Flex’s “quilt” area is smaller, the buckles/pad attachments are closer together, meaning less chance for the quilt fabric to raise up in an arc and create a draft entry.
4. The flex has elastic around the quilt opening….again decreasing the amount of “arc” in a draft…it pulls the fabric down/closer to other attachment points.

So…since the Flex can’t “lift off” the pad as much as the EE….it then feels less wide (in a good way for me), and blocks drafts better.

Combine that with the neck baffle….and you are really getting warm in a Flex.

I do have to say….I didn’t really believe other forum comments that stated how good the katabatic look and feel was over the EE. I was perfectly happy with EE’s construction quality before. But….now comparing the two side by side……I am a believer. The Katabatic just feels more like a retail product….the branded storage bag, tags, booklets….and the sewing is incredible….its just more “finished” than EE.

I also wanted to try the Palisade….because it should be even warmer than the Flex because of the differential cut, but the additional $100 is harder to swallow…plus you lose blanket functionality (though…I’ve never unzipped a Revelation out in the field). I talked with Katabatic and they said the Flex doesn’t have a differential cut b/c it would look odd in blanket mode and ….it takes much longer to make a palisade than a flex b/c of the cut….so they wanted to offer users a cheaper option.

One other thing I don’t get…..is why the 850FP Flex 30 is $10 more expensive than the 900FP. EE’s 850 down treated in 20° is $50 less than the 900FP option….not sure why the difference there…

Anyway…so far….extremely impressed with the Katabatic….and to me…the extra $$$ and 2oz is worth it so far.

I do have to say though…that the Katabatic has the same problem with the neck drawstring that the EE has….so I will be sewing on a loop just like I did with my EEs….I show that here ->

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/incessantly-annoying-quilt-drawstring-in-face-problem-possible-solution/#post-3400544

Hey! Thanks for pic. Really helpful.

May I ask did you took 850FP Water-Resistant down or 900FP? I have mixed opinion about Water-Resistant down – reading a lot of different opinions about it.

Usually I camp by rivers, lakes, ..with my tent. I am am using trap to sleep outside when hiking.

Thank you!

Well….I have a 900, but thats because I got it used so I didn’t have a choice but if I was buying new I would still go with the 900 with Katabatic.

Maybe the large price difference between EE’s 850FP and 900FP are due to the 850 being duck down and the 900 being goose down?