Enlightened Equipment Quilts

[Strider]

That was my thinking too. The only thing putting me off the Enigma is the footbox.

Yeah that rating is really for a worst case scenario I can see down here. Seems you are in the same scenario as me, except i have overseas trip plans with it also. Does it pack up small?

I am in Hobart, only a 10 minute walk out of the CBD. If you're happy for me to come check it out that would be great! Where are you located? PM me if you need too.

I attempted to stuff it in a 3L drybag and got it most of the way in but no way I could fold the top over. I reckon 5L would probably be perfect. It came in a silnylon stuffsack 26x32cm (layed flat) which I think is approx 8L and its definitely not tight in there. I'm not low on pack space so I'll probably just stick with the standard sack or grab an 8L drybag for it.

*EDIT*

Measured EE stuffsack properly. It's around 12-13L

[zodiac87]

Just pulled the trigger on a 20F Revelation also! Thanks again for letting me check it out Hope it gets here before a early jan trip!

[Strider]

No worries Will. Enjoy it! Doubt you'll see it by Jan though...

[Strider]

Anyone else seen Tim's redesign of the Revelation and pricing updates? Really glad I got in when I did!

[simonm]

I just checked it out - there is a significant difference in price between the 750 duck down and 850 goose down. A new baffle system too, and no RevelationX.

[Strider]

Tim says he will be adding an 800FP goose down option but the website is being problematic. But assuming its around halfway between the current offerings there, I imagine it should be around the same price as the old 850FP model.

Not sure if the shiftless baffle system appeals to me or not. As I prefer to use one piece of gear year round, I like to be able to shift down if needed.

Its been known for a while that all of the X models were going to be deleted from the lineup.

[simonm]

Yeah it is interesting he went away from the Karo baffles.

Oh well it might mean I can get more for mine when I sell it

[Strider]

He also offers a full length zip now too - a good move I think, considering the success of the Z-Packs bags.

[Strider]

Some discussion from Tim regarding the Enigma, which appears to share its baffle system with the Revelation now.

The baffles being mostly vertical is the first piece of the puzzle. Vertical baffles stop side to side shift which is a big issues when side sleeping and tossing and turning. The next part of the equation is that the baffles over the torso are don't extend the length of the quilt. The torso area is highest when side sleeping and down could shift off the body into the foot if the baffles were full length. The last part is by making the baffles over the feet horizontal it creates a direction change that locks that down into place and ensures it stays there all night. You can of course make the down move by massaging it around within the quilt but it isn't easy to do and impossible for it to move on accident.If you have one of my Revelation series quilts down shift is still reduced vs a horizontal tube but will require periodic redistribution to keep the loft even and on top. I do this at home before and after trips by moving the down so it is more highly concentrated in the center. Then in the field after unpacking and before and after bed i fold it in half length wise and shake it lightly for 30 sec to recenter any down that has moved. This saves me from all the down falling to the sides because i hadn't recentered in a week or two.

[zodiac87]

Got my Revelation a couple of days go. Awesome. Toasty warm and looks perfect. Can't wait to try it out. Will be interesting to see the reviews on the duck down when it starts getting out.

[Strider]

Got my Revelation a couple of days go. Awesome. Toasty warm and looks perfect. Can't wait to try it out. Will be interesting to see the reviews on the duck down when it starts getting out.

Did you get the new version Will?

[zodiac87]

Pretty sure I didn't, ordered about 3-4 weeks. Just got back from 2 weeks on Maria so haven't had a chance to check out his changes yet. Want to buy a stove Strider?

[Strider]

Just bought one. But thanks

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

[magichat]

Just got a Revelation (20F) delivered, the new design. This thing is a great piece of kit, not sure why the skepticism in here Tim didn't redesign his product to make it worse......

Down seems to stay where it should be, it's light, super warm, the straps and cinches work, not sure what else you could ask for.

As a tall, large side sleeper, who has always struggled to get a comfortable nights sleep in the wild I'm amazed how much of a difference my quilt makes.

[simonm]

Just got a Revelation (20F) delivered, the new design. This thing is a great piece of kit, not sure why the skepticism in here Tim didn't redesign his product to make it worse......

Down seems to stay where it should be, it's light, super warm, the straps and cinches work, not sure what else you could ask for.

As a tall, large side sleeper, who has always struggled to get a comfortable nights sleep in the wild I'm amazed how much of a difference my quilt makes.

That's good to hear. Tim does seem to be very thoughtful in his design process. I sold my RevX but it was a very nice quilt.

[Strider]

Just got a Revelation (20F) delivered, the new design. This thing is a great piece of kit, not sure why the skepticism in here Tim didn't redesign his product to make it worse......

I highly doubt it is worse. Although it does appear more inflexible in its usage.

[magichat]

Just got a Revelation (20F) delivered, the new design. This thing is a great piece of kit, not sure why the skepticism in here Tim didn't redesign his product to make it worse......

I highly doubt it is worse. Although it does appear more inflexible in its usage.

I don't understand this tbh. The old design was "lots of squares" to my inexpert eye. The new design seems, if anything, more derivative of EEs more "upmarket" competitors supposedly more sophisticated designs. The summary of the EE stuff in the reading I did in my research was that it was good for the price but not as good as Katabic Gear etc in performance. My guess is EE is moving its Revelation brand into that space while keeping the price the same.

As for flexibility, I don't see any difference. Can you explain what has suffered? It's a blanket essentially, you can still close the foot box the same way, the strap system is the same etc. if it is too warm on a particular night, you can still do the same things to cool yourself off (open the foot box hole, or unzip it, or just poke something out from under the quilt etc). Nothing in the utility is changed. If its cold you can still strap and cinch stuff up the same way you could and get close to what you could (if not equal) from a traditional bag. This product seems about nothing else but flexibility.

As I said, My impression is the design is just a bit more refined.i think he's probably successful enough now to start thinking about how to develop his brands and that's probably why the X range is gone. Good luck to him, he has a great product.

[Strider]

My understanding is that the new design only allows down to be moved from core to foot. Is this not correct? This obviously has benefits for continued cold climate usage but I would worry that this also limits the utility as a year round piece of equipment here in Australia.

Even ignoring the X, the price of the Revelation series has increased considerably with the new design too.

Last edited by Strider on Sun 23 Feb, 2014 8:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Strider]

Double post

Last edited by Strider on Sun 23 Feb, 2014 8:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[kymboy]

And I'm the very happy buyer of Simon's RevX quilt. I do wonder if the X range (at the lower price point and using cosmetic seconds fabric) served a purpose to raise awareness of the quality of his gear but might have been too successful at the expense of his more expensive models. So, he gets rid of the budget range and concentrates on the you-beaut new models? But it is sunday night and I might just be waffling on

[magichat]

My understanding is that the new design only allows down to be moved from core to foot. Is this not correct? This obviously has benefits for continued cold climate usage but I would worry that this also limits the utility as a year round piece of equipment here in Australia.

Even ignoring the X, the price of the Revelation series has increased considerably with the new design too.

Ah I see what you mean.

Not quite, I'd say you can move down from the edges (ie the bits you'd tuck under yourself) to the foot. The stuff in the middle stays there.

As you say, unless youre camping in some mega cold place, probably not an issue.

Which is why I say "meh". Its going to handle most anything I can ask of it, with at most the odd shake when I set up. And I dont really get how the old design was any more utilitarian, but like I said Im not an expert and I kind of expect my gear to just work and this fits the bill.

As to price, I dont know what considerably means when it comes to bushwalking gear (especially "light" gear). I've just become accustomed to paying... LOL. It wasnt massively different though, I looked at buying just before and just after the change.
For the price of an upper end sleeping bag in a shop here I got my quilt and bought a Downmat 7 UL, 1200g ish (670 for the quilt and 560 for the mat) for a guaranteed comfortable nights sleep anywhere I can imagine I'll use it. Deal imo. Reckon I could have easily got away with the old Synmat I was using, but my daughter can have that now.

And stepping back from examining the intricacies of change, I'm just blown away by how much difference the change from a sleeping bag to a quilt makes to my overall comfort.

[Ellobuddha]

Im looking at getting a Revelation.

Im about 180 and about 95kg with wide shoulders. I am a XL to XXL in jackets or a 45 in a shirt. Picture a big headed gorilla with a backpack.

I toss and turn and sleep from back to side to stomach. In a normal bag I always end up twisted to hell and have to sit up and fight my bag back into position. Very frustrating so thats my main reason for looking at a quilt. That and the weight saving.

Thinking about going for the long for good tuck around the neck and shoulders. Cant work out whether I should go wide or extra wide to allow for the room.

Opinions from owners on size? Both length and width. I have emailed Tim for his opinion as well.

Also , how is the pad attachment system on them? I understand there is a new version which is far better. I really like the look of the Katabatic system but another $100-$150.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers
Paul

[Strider]

Are you in Hobart, Paul? If so I have a Revelation (old model) you can check out for fit.

I am 167cm, 90kg with wide shoulders. I bought the Regular and it is the perfect length allowing me to really snuggle down with the quilt around my ears if I need to.

I'm also a heavier build and got the Wide as I am a side sleeper. In hindsight I probably could have made do with a Regular widthways as well. The extra room is great though but perhaps not as thermally efficient when I really need it.

The pad attachment system is annoying as it twists up very easily. I am planning to try the elastic straps around my mat instead on my next trip.

[Ellobuddha]

Cheers Strider,

Im NSW/VIC coastal border so unfortunately no chance of a look till next Tas trip which wont be till 2015.

Still cant find anything to explain the quilt to pad connection as easily found as Katabatic. Its my only concern as to how it works - especially for a wide sleeper who is looking to secure to mat

Tim just got back to me as well. Will go the wide and 6foot based on his, yours and other opinions.

Much appreciated

Paul

[Strider]

It uses grosgrain ribbon with flat (male) buckles that connect to female equivalents on the quilt. It does do what its supposed to do, but doesn't adjust particularly well. I am thinking of modifying it to use a cord instead. The buckles used are also cumbersome and quite difficult to use - they would be a nightmare with cold fingers!

Remember Katabatic have a sewn footbox, so are nowhere near as versatile.

[Picaro]

Last year I used 3mm bungee under my mat between grosgrain loops on the JRB quilt. It worked well, with a little give when moving and rolling, enough that the quilt stayed in place.

[Strider]

Not the best photo, and not mine, but does this help?

[Ellobuddha]

Ahh got it. Looks good.

Just trying to work out what temp to get now. Want it for majority cool/cold use and hopefully on snow use so thinking about going for a lower temp quilt with the option of using open in warmer camps

Any suggestions on temp?

[Strider]

I went with 20F with the view of using it year round in Tassie.

I've only used it two nights so far, both of which around 4-5C and I was toasty warm provided I was careful not to let any drafts in. The Wide width helps here I think, but then again if it was really cold I doubt I'd be moving much anyway.

[Ellobuddha]

Yeh was looking at getting a 10 or even lower. I want to be able to use in the snow or really cold areas if possible. Im thinking of going back to Nepal this year. Last year my camelbak hose froze solid INSIDE the hut as I forgot to pack it away.

Keen to try some snowshoeing/camping up in Kozi this season as well so leaning towards a really warm one.