Enlightened Equipment Enigma Sleeping Quilt
After going through many sleeping bags over time, I decided to try out a down quilt.
Name: Enlightened Equipment Enigma Quilt (2017)
Specs:
Length: 66 inches; various lengths - customizable
Weight: 18.6 oz; various weights - customizable
Style: Quilt w/ enclosed footbox
Fill: 950-fill DownTek treated goose down; 850 duck down also available
Outer Fabric: 10 denier nylon - customizable options (20D & 7D)
Inner Fabric: 10 denier nylon - customizable options (20D & 7D)
Temperature Rating: 10* F - multiple options
Sex: Unisex
Closure style: 2 snap buttons near collar, 2 sets clips along middle that attach to elastic strap, 1 drawstring at neck closure
Accessories: Pad attachment strap
MSRP: $385 for this model
Before I delve into the pros/cons of this quilt, I want to give a little more information. Enlightened Equipment makes a few different quilts and bags, and you can buy them “off the shelf” or fully customizable. You can order in synthetic or down, various temperature ratings, sizes, and fabric options, including color. All of these options impact the price and weight of the quilt, so your customized quilt may look different than mine. I will not be doing a sleeping bag vs. quilt comparison here, but simply a review of this product. Keep your eyes out for a discussion of bags vs. quilts. It is also important to note that I am a female using a unisex quilt. As a general rule, most females will want to add 10* to a unisex bag/quilt to get the “true” temperature rating of the quilt. In my case, this 10* unisex quilt is more like a 20* quilt for me.
What I Like
The Quilt Part: I said I wasn’t going to go into quilts vs. bags here, but I will just say that I love the quilt design so much more than a bag. It was easier to vent when I got hot, I didn’t have to deal with zippers, I felt more secure on my sleeping pad, and most importantly, I wasn’t claustrophobic at all.
Customizations: I love that Enlightened Equipment gives you so many customization options for quilts, as I mentioned above. I was able to order mine in a short/ wide style, which was great because I’m 5’4” and not super skinny, so I liked having the extra width to make sure it could tuck completely around me. EE will also do overfill in their quilts, and other customizations if you email them.
Ease of Adjustment: I haven’t used other quilts before, but I find this quilt to be easy to adjust during the night. If you get too hot, its easy to undo the snaps by your neck to let more air in, and also easy to loosen the neck cinch. And vice versa, it’s easy to re-adjust if you’re cold. The pad attachment straps are also easy to clip and slide.
Weight: Quilts really cut weight in your pack over bags. My quilt is barely over a pound! Definitely something to write home about. Even if you opt for the 850 fill, your quilt is going to be much lighter than a comparable mummy bag.
Durability: I take good care of my gear, but this quilt lasted my entire PCT thru hike without having any issues. I stuffed it straight into my pack, lined with a pack liner every day. I have no stitching coming undone, no snaps/ clips falling off, etc. This is quality made, and it shows.
Made in the USA: I really like supporting small businesses that make their products in the USA, for a variety of reasons. Only the ones ordered from their website (and not Massdrop) are made in the USA, so be sure to order directly from them.
What I Don’t Like
Temperature Rating: The 2017 versions of the quilts are under-filled, giving them a not super accurate temperature rating. I was able to take my quilt into the mid-20s before I needed to use a liner, and “technically”, the quilt should be able to take me down to 20* F. Enlightened Equipment recognized this, and all quilts purchased in 2018 are properly filled, so I feel a little more confident in recommending them, since they should reflect a more accurate rating now.
Down Migration: I had some issues with the down migrating in the vertical baffles of my quilt. It always seemed to migrate up to the top, near my face, sometimes leaving cold spots on my torso. I had to make sure to redistribute the down in the quilt every night before bed as the trail went on. After a couple years of use, down also started migrating through a vertical channel, leaving one vertical baffle nearly empty of down.
Price: It’s no secret that these quilts can be a little pricey, especially if you get the 950 fill down and do extra customizations. I think its worth it, especially since they use RDS certified down and they are made in the USA.
The Enigma quilt is so great. It was one of my favorite pieces of gear on the PCT. I always looked forward to crawling into my cozy quilt at the end of a long day of hiking, and it really felt like home. I’m also so glad I gave quilts a try, even though I was nervous to switch over initially.