Hammock Gear Premium Burrow Quilt Review

Introduction

The Hammock Gear Premium Burrow Quilt (MSRP from $239.95) is a down-filled backpacking quilt that is highly customizable. Hikers can modify the length, width, temperature rating, footbox style, fill power (FP), and color. As a point of reference, the 30 °F (-1 °C) standard width, standard length version with 950 FP and a sewn footbox weighs 16.72 ounces (474 g).

The Hammock Gear Burrow Quilt is also available in an Economy model, which is a little less expensive and a little heavier. Read our Hammock Gear Economy Burrow Quilt Review.

Highlights

• high performance-to-cost ratio
• highly customizable with premium material choices
• quality craftsmanship
• functional pad attachment system, improved from previous versions
• optional draft plug for zippered footboxes
• accessible collar cinching to seal drafts

Review Context

A down backpacking quilt is one of the most recognizably ultralight pieces of gear in the backpacking world. Quilts are known for their economical use of materials and versatility but sometimes suffer (depending on design) from draftiness. The inability to seal drafts in cold weather seems to be the main complaint from users who try sleeping quilts but then go back to sleeping bags. We discuss this issue at length in the Unconventional Sleep Systems Manifesto and our Backpacking Quilt Q&A Video.

Personally, I use quilts exclusively with hammocks or when using a bivy. These shelters provide enough of a barrier to the elements that drafts are no longer an issue. I find having no zipper less claustrophobic and I do not like sleeping bag hoods. While there are several offerings in the market for hoodless sleeping bags, I do not own any of them, so I reach for quilts whenever my comfort level is not likely to be threatened by temperatures or crawlies. One observation about layering clothing in both sleeping bags and quilts is that it is generally easier to modify girth and volume in quilts than in most commercially available sleeping bags, which have a fixed girth. Thus quilts can make it easier to add clothing to extend its comfort range well below its original rating.

While there are many quilt makers in the ultralight space, Hammock Gear’s quilts are perhaps most easily compared to those of Enlightened Equipment in terms of customizability.

Backpacking Light reviewed the Hammock Gear Economy Burrow Quilt previously, and while our opinion was generally favorable, we found that the pad attachment system left something to be desired. Hammock Gear upgraded their pad attachment system recently, so we were particularly interested in examining that feature of the Premium Burrow Quilt.

This is a Performance Review based on using the quilt in a variety of environments on several multi-day backpacking trips. Read more about our types of reviews here.

Features

• half-tapered design
• vertical baffles in the torso and horizontal baffles in the footbox
• two footbox options: sewn and zippered
• optional ground pad attachment kit (recently revised from the previous version)
• separate draft plug for zippered footbox
• stuff sack
• cotton storage sack

Specifications

When buying a Hammock Gear Premium Burrow Quilt, one has the option to order from the in-stock offerings or follow the link to the premium burrow custom builder. When looking at the custom options, one realizes that while not a full custom build, one gets to choose from different inner and outer shells, temperature ratings, length and width options, sewn or zippered footboxes, two down fills, the option to overfill, and whether to purchase the pad attachment kit or not. Of course, these choices are going to affect the weight of the quilt one ultimately receives.

The Premium Burrow Quilt I ordered for this review has the following specifications:

• outer shell: 10 denier ripstop nylon (cinnamon brown)
• inner shell: 10 denier ripstop nylon (burnt orange)
• temperature rating: 40 °F (4.5 °C)
• length: standard
• width: wide
• footbox: sewn
• fill power (FP): 950
• overfill: standard
• pad attachment: yes

Hammock Gear has a reputation for excellent customer service. While ordering, I wondered why they offered so many more 10d ripstop fabric options for the exterior fabric, ten in total, but only three of those are featured as inner shells (the other two inner shell options are taffeta). In my communication with Hammock Gear, they explained that it was simply to streamline production. But they also said that if a customer were to contact them about using one of their other fabric offerings as an inner, they would be happy to oblige.

Description of Field Testing

I used the Hammock Gear Premium Burrow Quilt about fifteen nights in the summer and fall of 2021 in forested areas in Massachusetts and New Hampshire while sleeping in both hammocks and tents. Temperatures ranged from 55 °F to 26 °F (13 °C to -3 °C).

Performance Assessment

My performance assessment of the Hammock Gear Economy Burrow covers the following:

• Warmth
• Draft Collar
• Pad Attachment System
• Other Observations

Warmth

I find the Hammock Gear Premium Burrow Quilt true to its temperature rating. Moreover, a look at the amount of down per volume of the quilt seems to be in line with most market competitors, which should give prospective buyers peace of mind about the expected warmth of the quilt.