ultralight down quilt durability

Joined
Feb 12, 2018
Messages
947
Location
Grand Junction
How well do typical down quilts (enlightened equipment, katabatic, el coyote, etc) stand up to regular use, getting dirty, and needing to be washed more than usual?

In addition to backpacking I sometimes go out on wildland fires, and I've been thinking that a 20 degree quilt would be just about perfect because of the ability to open a quilt up as a blanket and get more ventilation.

I've previously been using an old synthetic bag, but it is heavy and bulky and it isn't as warm as it once was. It also gets much too hot a lot of the time because of limited ventilation. A down quilt could solve many of the issues of my old bag.

I don't necessarily abuse my sleeping gear on a fire, but you do often go to bed a little dirtier than normal, and cowboy camping in dusty places is not out of the ordinary. I've always babied my down clothing and bags - I'm wondering if maybe these quilts could be more resilient than I've always assumed.
 

Gone4Days

WKR
Joined
Oct 29, 2021
Messages
661
If you think you’ll be putting your quilt through some conditions that are a tad more harsh, think about getting one in 20D instead of 10D. I love my EE Enigma 20°. Just spent 6 nights in it this month. They are as durable as they can be for what they are. Ultralight, yet incredibly warm quilts.
 

mlgc20

WKR
Joined
Oct 29, 2018
Messages
1,192
Location
DFW, TX
I have well over a hundred nights in my Katabatic quilt. It’s holding up just fine.
 
Joined
Nov 16, 2017
Messages
8,227
Location
Central Oregon
How well do typical down quilts (enlightened equipment, katabatic, el coyote, etc) stand up to regular use, getting dirty, and needing to be washed more than usual?

In addition to backpacking I sometimes go out on wildland fires, and I've been thinking that a 20 degree quilt would be just about perfect because of the ability to open a quilt up as a blanket and get more ventilation.

I've previously been using an old synthetic bag, but it is heavy and bulky and it isn't as warm as it once was. It also gets much too hot a lot of the time because of limited ventilation. A down quilt could solve many of the issues of my old bag.

I don't necessarily abuse my sleeping gear on a fire, but you do often go to bed a little dirtier than normal, and cowboy camping in dusty places is not out of the ordinary. I've always babied my down clothing and bags - I'm wondering if maybe these quilts could be more resilient than I've always assumed.
Do you qualify for expert voice as wildland?
Katabatic i think is the most durable because of the pertex fabric.
But I still think all the fire soot is gonna wear stuff out quickly. If it was me I'd just pick up a cheap synthetic quilt for that, if you qualify for expert voice they have some good deals on sierra designs.
 

sneaky

"DADDY"
Joined
Feb 1, 2014
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10,063
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ID
Yeah, if I were you I'd get a synthetic quilt, it'll still pack down smaller than your synthetic bag and it'll give you peace of mind.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
OP
W
Joined
Feb 12, 2018
Messages
947
Location
Grand Junction
Do you qualify for expert voice as wildland?
Katabatic i think is the most durable because of the pertex fabric.
But I still think all the fire soot is gonna wear stuff out quickly. If it was me I'd just pick up a cheap synthetic quilt for that, if you qualify for expert voice they have some good deals on sierra designs
Shhh, not supposed to talk about pro deals lol. But I’ve definitely been eyeing sierra designs.

After doing some research and showing my wife some DIY climashield quilts, I think we’re gonna try to see if we can make a durable, dedicated quilt for work. She’s a talented seamstress so we’ll see what comes of it.
 
Joined
Nov 16, 2017
Messages
8,227
Location
Central Oregon
Shhh, not supposed to talk about pro deals lol. But I’ve definitely been eyeing sierra designs.

After doing some research and showing my wife some DIY climashield quilts, I think we’re gonna try to see if we can make a durable, dedicated quilt for work. She’s a talented seamstress so we’ll see what comes of it.
I did not discuss pricing or discounts
 
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