Enlightened Equipment Enigma 20°F (-6°C) Down Quilt

Product detailed description

Enlightened Equipment down quilts have been among the most popular pieces of gear on American long-distance trails for nearly a decade. In every survey of used/favorite gear on the AT and PCT, they appear in the TOP 5 and are usually the only quilt that can squeeze in among the sleeping bags. It’s a combination of realistic temperature ratings, thoughtful construction, proven materials, and an attractively priced product. The fact that all these quilts are incredibly light probably goes without saying. This fluffy piece in the Regular length (for a height of 182 cm max.) weighs a mere 600 g!

The Enigma model is the lightest in the lineup and is a pure minimalist piece. No zippers, no extra frills. It combines the advantages of a quilt (freedom of movement and usability across a wide temperature range) with a closed footbox like a sleeping bag, which guarantees warmth for your feet when temperatures drop at night. In colder temperatures, this is a better solution than various drawstrings. Nicely filled chambers without zippers and cold seams simply insulate better. "It’s no coincidence that Oli and I chose a double quilt for our CDT in 2016, we chose the double quilt Accomplice 10 °F from Enlightened Equipment for our 2016 CDT hike. It served us well the entire trip and allowed us to spend nights under the open sky even in temperatures well below freezing. A good night’s sleep and the quilt’s low weight significantly contributed to the successful completion of our approximately 4,600 km journey." Petr K.

We’ve already tested the Enigma 20 on last year’s Hayduke Trail and wrote about it in this review. You can read another review on the website Bikepacking.cz All Enlightened Equipment (EE) quilts are characterized by their "U"-shaped chambers when viewed from above with the quilt laid flat. On the torso, the chambers run lengthwise, and at the feet, they run crosswise. This isn’t just a design choice; it serves an important function—when you toss and turn at night, the down in the chambers doesn’t shift to the sides, preventing the formation of “cold spots” without down. To prevent the down from shifting within the long chambers when handling the quilt, several partitions are placed inside them to restrict the down’s movement.

Attaching to a sleeping pad

The quilt attaches to the sleeping pad using a simple yet functional system of flat elastic bands. There are several attachment options. Check out the video below. For us, it makes the most sense when the bottom single elastic loop goes under the sleeping pad and secures the quilt firmly to it.  The top loop is threaded over the sleeping pad, and the quilt is attached to it using sliding flat micro-buckles.  This makes it easy to crawl “under the quilt” and climb out—you simply unfasten one side and “step out”—and it also allows you to leave the quilt looser when it’s warmer and you want more space, or to tighten it more snugly around your body when it’s cold and you need to keep all your warmth close. When threading the elastic onto the sleeping pad, you have to be careful because there’s a “male” end on one side and a “female” end on the other—the first few nights, you’ll inevitably thread it the wrong way around on purpose... Sleeping under a quilt is a bit different than in a sleeping bag. It gives you more freedom to move around while sleeping and to adjust the entire setup to current temperatures—either by completely cocooning yourself or just loosely covering up while sticking your legs and arms out. On the other hand, you need to fine-tune the elastic system and learn how to tuck yourself in properly so that no cold air seeps under the quilt when it’s freezing. 

Three models for different temperatures:

Revelation can be fully unzipped at the bottom, making it a great choice for warmer weather when you’ll appreciate a loose blanket. That’s also why we chose the version with a limit of 50 °F (10 °C) and the warmer version 30 °F (-1 °C)  and 40 °F (5 °C). You can easily pack it into a 4- or 8-liter dry sack, and you won’t even notice its 355 g (50 °F) in your backpack or bikepacking bags! Just because you’re going ultralight doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice comfort! Enigma has a classic closed “footbox” at the bottom, like sleeping bags. It definitely retains more heat than the elastic-corded end on the Revelation. By its very nature, this is a more suitable solution for lower temperatures, which is why we’ve included it in our lineup in a version rated for 20 °F (-6 °C) and also 30 °F (-1 °C). For even lower temperatures, a hooded sleeping bag makes more sense to us. The Enigma is a hair lighter and more packable than the Revelation because it has no zipper or drawstring in the foot area.

Dimensions

Enlightened Equipment makes all their quilts in twenty !!! variations of length (XShort, Short, Regular, Long, XLong) and width (Slim, Regular, Wide, XWide), but most are made to order. That’s why we only import the most common variants: Short for smaller people up to 170 cm, Regular for the majority of the population (up to 183 cm), and the Long/Wide variant for big guys and girls up to approx. 198 cm and easily 130 kg. The width is always sufficient for you to snuggle up comfortably and keep drafts out from under the quilt.

Enlightened Equipment Enigma 20°F (-6°C):

• Total weight: 600 ± 15 g in the Regular size (standard length and width)
• When packed, it fits into a 4-liter dry sack, but it’s a struggle, and I’d prefer to choose 8-liter and compress it well when packing
• Both the outer and inner fabrics are time-tested, custom-made 10D nylon with a good DWR finish
• Insulation: 850 fill power duck down with RDS certification. 438 ± 10 g in Regular size (+/- 3%)
• Closed, nicely filled footbox, similar to a sleeping bag
• The package includes flat elastic straps with buckles to secure the quilt to a sleeping pad—one straight, one loop.
• Option to fasten and cinch the quilt around the neck during cold nights
• Unique design with "U"-shaped chambers that keep the down where it’s needed.
• "H"-shaped chamber construction (box wall)
• The package includes a simple silnylon bag, a large cotton storage bag, and two flat elastic bands for securing the quilt to the sleeping pad