Enlightened Equipment Revelation APEX Quilt Review

[Emylene VanderVelden]

Companion forum thread to: Enlightened Equipment Revelation APEX Quilt Review

This Enlightened Equipment Revelation Apex Quilt Review features one of the most customizable and lightest weight synthetic quilts ever made.

[James Marco]

Thanks! Sounds good.

[John S.]

Nice review.

[Simon Kenton]

No mention of the Nunatuk Gamut in the comp section?

[Russ W]

FYI- If you feel a sleep mask is a plus, the Hoodlum easily serves the purpose. I’ve missed my early daylight alarm clock for that reason. It’s dark outside!

[Zac]

Nice review!

I have an EE Revelation 10F down and I like it a lot. Normally I just leave a regular sleeping bag unzipped because I’m a hot sleeper, then I found the quilt:)

[tom c]

Nice timing!  I bought a 20deg, long wide Rev last week, and am working with EE to add some customization.

I feel obligated to say, they have been EXTREMELY helpful.  Quick responses, multiple back-and-forth’s providing me pictures of the build in order to get my input.

If the quilt is even half as good as their customer service, it will be amazing.

[Emylene VanderVelden]

Hey Simon,

I’m not sure when the Nunatuk Gamut became available but I suspect not at the time of the writing of this article. I did a fair bit of research into quilts prior to the purchase of my EE and it never came up in any of my research back in 2015. It now comes up between EE and Mount Laurel Designs in searches using the same search parameters. Sadly (or not so sadly) new products become available everyday. I’ll look into updating the chart to include it at a later time.

Em

[Jon Solomon]

Excellent review!
While updating, please remember to add: 1) the Apex quilts from As Tucas, in Spain. They make several different kinds, including a wearable one in poncho style. 2) Primaloft quilts from Locus Gear in Japan.

Apex is an interesting insulation material. It seems to retain heat in a way that is different (better) from down, offering a kind of evenness that down products down have because of baffling and down migration.

[Walter Isenberg]

Nice review.

I bought one in a 40 F rating for expedition kayak trips. It’s nice not having to worry as much about having your quilt soaked from the last night’s fog. I’ve also used mine when I was wet and cold without the fear of having my down wet out. A very nice option to own.

[Malcolm H]

I’ve used an oversized 50F Revelation (Prodigy version) over my 0deg down mummy on several trips in Alaska in temps around -25F, as well as a standalone bag in temps down to 15F. I’m a big fan, but I’ve learned a couple things:

• cinch cord at footbox is a very noticeable heat loss. Their new Enigma with a sewn footbox looks better for overbag use
• material of your underquilt or mummy matters: some slight water resistance here helps keep the moisture leaving your bag (that condenses somewhere in the overquilt) from re-entering. This is the only situation where “waterproof/breathable” shelled winter down bags have made sense to me, as the membrane stays warm enough under the quilt.

[Nico .]

Nice, fair review.

I ordered a 50*F apex quilt from EE three or four (?) years back. As you mention in your review, the customization options in terms of length, width, color, fabric deniers and fill power were extensive. I recall I went with regular length, wide cut, and the thinnest denier fabrics available at the time. I’ve used it on a handful of trips each year since. Prices and wait for delivery of the product were very reasonable.

A few specific comments about my EE apex quilt:

• Wide cut is perfect for a broad-shouldered, rotisserie sleeper like myself. I can reasonably block out drafts and wear a light puffy or mid-layer under the quilt without any trouble. It has also been wide enough to drape over a down quilt for added warmth and moisture protection.
• I like the ability to open up the quilt or close it up, including the footbed. For a warm weather quilt specifically, this is a great feature.
• Despite being synthetic, I was pleasantly surprised by the (extremely) light weight and packability.
• Durability of materials (so far) has been excellent.
• I don’t care for the EE pad attachment system using the thin flat webbing straps. I’ve found it to be finicky and fiddly, and to not do a very good job of staying put for me. I much prefer Katabatic’s pad attachment system using thin cord.
• While the low denier face fabrics are quite soft and almost silk-like to the hand, there’s something about the quilt, perhaps the apex insulation itself (?), that makes the quilt feel somewhat clammy or stuffy compared to my other quilts. I definitely find the next to skin feel of my down Katabatic quilts to be more comfortable (albeit too hot for summer trips).
• (Minor gripe) I wish the insulation was somehow fastened to the shell fabrics at (more) intermittent points. It sometimes feels like the insulation doesn’t entirely move with the shell, if that makes sense.

Overall, it’s been a worthwhile addition to my sleep system for warm weather trips and/or pairing with a down quilt as described in the article.

[john hansford]

“I don’t care for the EE pad attachment system using the thin flat webbing straps. I’ve found it to be finicky and fiddly, and to not do a very good job of staying put for me. I much prefer Katabatic’s pad attachment system using thin cord”.

interesting, I find exactly the opposite. On my Katabatic Chosos the plastic attachments easily pull off off the string, and are fiddly to reattach in the middle of the night. On my Rev 10F down quilt however, the clips on the elastic never come undone.

 

 

[JASON CUZZETTO]

I found it interesting that I have used my old synthetic jungle blanket, or as the young kids call them, a ‘woobie’, for the same outer layering with my quilt when I get cold.  it weighs in at about 1 pound for the old one I have.  I haven’t weighed the newer one I picked up on the app ‘letgo’ I picked up for $20, that I keep in my car.

Additionally I do not fix my quilt to my sleeping pad.  I use a rock and tuck method when it gets cold out.  I rock back and forth and tuck it under me around the edges.  It works and was what I did with my sleeping bags for years.  I never zipped them.  Thanks for a good article.

[Laurent Blanchet]

Thanks for the review. Being Canadian myself, my first question is… did you had to pay insane customs fees? I want to order one but it’s hard to predict/budget. Thanks and happy hiking!

[Emylene VanderVelden]

Good question, you can expect a 30 dollar shipping cost. You can expect the USD-> CAD exchange rate. You can then take the CAD dollar value and add on any GST/PST applicable to your province. Duty depends on which country it is and what type of item you are ordering. In my experience the amount will be between 20 and 40 dollars. Currently, the amount may be higher, I haven’t ordered anything in from the states in quite some time because I can’t afford the exchange rate. The best way I have found to check is to look at a site like BorderBuddy.com and get a free estimate, they even have an app. I don’t remember how much duty I paid on my EE but I know it was under 40.00.

[Laurent Blanchet]

Thanks 😊

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