Which Quilt?

I have an EE Revelation 40 and I’ve been very pleased with it.  The attachment system is simple and easy to use. I haven’t experienced any issues with drafts.  I’m mostly a back/side sleeper when on the trail.

I don’t have any experience with Mid Atlantic quilts, but looking at the videos a couple of things occurred to me:

1. The extra drawstring running lengthwise, plus the top drawstring resulted in a lot of excess string hanging outside the bag when they are pulled tight. I could see myself getting frustrated if I found myself lying on them in the night.
2. I think I prefer a zipper at the foot box vs omni tape, but I concede you must be a little more careful not to snag the material when using a zipper.
3. The 20*F Marcy is 2.4 ounces heavier and $50 more expensive than the same size EE quilt with exactly the same dimensions and fill wt. That would be the deciding factor for me.

Doesn’t specifically answer your question, and I know I’m probably in the minority, but I haven’t used a quilt attachment system in years. I used them with my first quilts, from Nunatak (fabulous company!), but didn’t really like them. Haven’t used them since, and I’ve never found drafts to be an issue. Of course, as a side sleeper I always get wide quilts instead of regular, so maybe that helps. But even tossing and turning throughout the night I haven’t found the need to attach my quilts to my pad or myself, simply holding one side of the quilt while turning has always worked well for me, FWIW.

I have or have had Katabatic, Zpacks, and EE quilts.  They were all excellent.  For me, longer and wider quilts are more versatile.  I am 5’8″, 185 lbs which puts me into the “regular” category, but I’ve found that having a bit more room in both directions is especially nice when the temp drops below the rating.

Doug makes a good point. I should have clarified that I only use the attachment straps when I’m pushing below my quilts temp rating. For warmer weather trips I leave them at home and still no drafts (unless I’m venting, which is one of the best features of a quilt.)

Last year I bought my first quilt, a 20F EE Enigma (850 fill duck down, reg, wide) and I love it. I chose the Enigma over the Revelation to reduce the fiddle factor and weight, and because I mostly hike in the mountains where it’s cool enough at night that there’s no need to open up the foot box. There’s more technique required to maximize warmth with a quilt, but it’s worth the weight savings over a comparable mummy bad IMHO.

The EE straps work great, although I did modify one of the straps, so that both of them now wrap around the sleeping pad – just my personal preference (and a very easy mod). By default, one strap wraps the whole way around the pad, and the other simply joins one side of the quilt to the other. I find the straps useful in the 40’s and lower, either with one side of the quilt attached only for a blanket effect, or both sides attached if it’s cooler. I believe that goose down can be requested instead of duck for some down weights, but I’ve noticed no smell with the duck down.

As a side sleeper, I ordered the wide and was glad I did. I can snug the quilt within 6 to 12 inches of both sides touching, which eliminates drafts quite well and still provides enough room. If you email EE with our sleep preferences and shoulder girth, they can recommend a Wide or Regular width to you. At 5’8″, the regular length is perfectly fine for me.

One does have to tweak the straps and fine tune the setup to minimize drafts and maximize warmth. The strap’s placement on the sleeping pad is one key parameter, and also the distance between each placement (if both wrap around the pad like mine). Another important factor is how tight the straps are (how open the quilt is).

Head insulation is very important also with a quilt. For me, a down or synthetic hood/balaclava is a necessary accessory when sleeping in cooler conditions (30’s or lower).

Thank you to all who responded.  You collectively helped me to decide: I’m now planning on getting the Revelation 20, and will go with the wide option.  This forum is great–lots of experienced voices there to help.  Happy trails to all!