Summary
A little over a year ago, I bought a Massdrop x Enlightened Equipment Revelation Quilt. This quilt was produced as a collaboration between Massdrop (since rebranded to Drop) and Enlightened Equipment.
The original Revelation has been a huge hit and is one of the most popular ultralight gear items, so Massdrop decided to offer a discounted version. They’re able to do this by building hype around a niche product, measuring interest, then mass producing it at a bargain price.
The Revelation is easily one of my favorite pieces of gear. It’s my first quilt, and I’m completely sold on quilts over sleeping bags for 3-season backpacking. The benefit of this quilt is it has no full-length zipper, no built-in hood, and no useless down between you and the ground. When down doesn’t have loft, it loses its insulative properties. For its weight, the Revelation is warmer than a sleeping bag.
I love having the versatility to haphazardly throw a quilt over myself on warmer nights, or cinch down the straps and footbox on colder nights. For freezing or near-freezing temps, I wear a down hood and booties also. With these, I stay toasty in the Massdrop x Enlightened Equipment Revelation, which is rated to 20° F.
View at EE
View on Drop
Full Review
Now that I’ve been using the Massdrop x Enlightened Equipment Revelation Quilt for over a year, I’ve got a good handle of its unique set of features. Below are the ones that stand out.
Features
Elastic Straps Instead of a Full-Length Zipper
One of the main differences between the Revelation and other sleeping bags/quilts, is its lack of a full-length zipper. Instead, it uses two buttons and a drawstring to tighten around your head, a strap to tighten around your torso, another strap to attach to your sleeping pad/tighten around your midsection, and a button, zipper, and drawstring to tighten around your feet.
This system gives you the ability to adjust for different temperatures, which is something traditional sleeping bags don’t do well. I’ve slept comfortably in my Revelation with nighttime lows in the 70s, all the way down to the high 20s.
I should note that no matter how tight you cinch the footbox drawstring, there is a slight draft. To offset this, I like to wear down booties to keep my feet warm. Also, like most quilts, the Revelation doesn’t have an attached hood, so I like to wear a down hood to keep my head warm on colder nights.
Water Resistant Down
As a general rule, I try to keep my down gear dry at all costs. Once wet, down loses its loft and will no longer insulate your body. On the trail, I stuff my Revelation in a dry bag, but condensation inside my tent has dampened it before. Luckily, it’s stuffed with DownTek down which is hydrophobic. This means it can tolerate a little water, although it’s still best to avoid.
Comfortable and Roomy
When I bought my Revelation from Massdrop, they offered four sizes: regular/regular, short/regular, regular/wide, or long/wide. At 5′ 9″, I opted for the regular/wide and I’m glad I did. The length is perfect and the wider option has been crucial, because I’m a side sleeper that tends to toss and turn. I’ve always felt constricted in mummy-style sleeping bags and the Revelation has allowed me to sleep better.
Differences Between Massdrop and Enlightened Equipment Revelation
In order to reduce the price of highly sought after gear, Drop (previously Massdrop) takes requests then manufactures in bulk once they generate enough interest. Because of this, there are some key differences between their Revelation and the Enlightened Equipment Revelation:
- The Massdrop Revelation is made in China by a “trusted manufacturer” rather than in the USA. Ostensibly, Enlightened Equipment controls the production so quality isn’t compromised.
- It’s made with 15D fabric, which is more durable than the 10D fabric Enlightened Equipment uses.
- It is stuffed with 800-fill down rather than the 850-fill down Enlightened Equipment uses.
- The down is overstuffed by an additional 5% to “keep the down from migrating over years of use”.
- Shipping is free to the USA and discounted elsewhere.
Reservations
A lot of people have expressed their concerns on whether the Massdrop version is up to snuff and in my experience it has been.
If you’re worried about the ethics behind buying the Massdrop version, I’d encourage you to read what Danny Milks (he leads the ultralight team at Drop) had to say in these comments.
Final Thoughts
I’ve been thrilled with the quality of my Massdrop x Enlightened Equipment and I don’t have any complaints. I’m 100% sold on quilts over sleeping bags for 3-season backpacking because of their weight, comfort, and versatility.
Specifications
- Massdrop x Enlightened Equipment
- 15d nylon taffeta fabric (DWR treated and calendared)
- 800-fill-power DownTek down (hydrophobic, RDS certified, Zero PFC)
- Temperature rating: 20º F (-6.7º C)
- 20 in (50.8 cm) zipper #3
- Elastic drawstring at foot and head areas
- 2.5 in (6.4 cm) loft
- Green shell and charcoal liner
- Weight per included strap: 0.5 oz (13 g)
- Made in China
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