Backpackers.com — Shucks! This deal is over. We told you it would end, and here we are, at the end. Don’t worry though, we post more deals every week. See the current gear deals now. Feel free to read the article, though. It’s full of excellent content and reviews — you know you want to. Happy shopping!
This has been an interesting week for backpackers. The #OptOutside campaign eschews your deal-oriented Black Friday for a breath of truly fresh, mountain air, but it’s still a great time to get some quality gear that usually costs an arm and leg.
Even with most backpacking companies getting behind the #OptOutside movement, many still offer some sort of discount for the entire week and until the end of November. Enlightened Equipment is one such company.
Now, we’ll let you know from the start: it’s a small discount. Just 10% off the normally priced goods. You may wonder why we’re highlighting it. Two reasons: Enlightened Equipment (EE) is one of the the best ultralight backpacking quilt manufacturers on the market, and it’s a completely hand-made in the U.S. business that deserves your love and attention.
We’re all about great deals here, and you’ll see our endless lists of them. But we’re also about showcasing those unique, mom and pop brands that deliver high quality products and — in this case — at a very reasonable price.
Enlightened Equipment Revelation and Enigma Quilts
A quilt can be used in place of a sleeping bag. And, if made and used correctly, it can be just as warm, or even warmer in some scenarios. A good quilt also shaves pounds off your overall pack weight, and can stuff down much smaller than your typical sleeping bag. All this means that quilts are the ultimate sleeping attire for ultralight backpackers, and EE is one of the best manufacturers around.
The Revelation Quilt is EE’s prize pig. It has been consistently rated as OutdooGearLab’s Best Buy quilt since 2013, and has a smattering of reviews from all the major backpacking sites. CleverHiker says of the Revelation,
“The Enlightened Equipment Revelation Quilt is the best sleeping bag/quilt I’ve ever taken on the trail. It’s been a complete game changer for my backcountry trips and I’m getting some of the best trail sleep I’ve ever had. If you’re like me and you dislike feeling constricted in tight-fitting ultralight sleeping bags, you should definitely check out the Revelation.”
The Revelation doesn’t have a zipper and is fully opening, which means there’s no sewed in foot box. Depending on your preference, this can be great. The quilt has straps and drawstrings that make it highly versatile — you can strap it to your sleeping pad, clamp it around your feet or head, or use it as a thin layer on warm nights.
In the realm of ultralight quilts, the Revelation is also fairly cheap. It starts at $250 for the standard bag, and you can get it 10% off until November 30. Because EE is a little shop in Minnesota, the amount of customization available for your quilt is incredible. You have seven color choices for the inside of your quilt and 14 choices for the outside. You can get it in 800, 850, 900, and 950 fill down ratings, with six different temperature ratings (from 50 degrees to 0 degrees), and you can get custom sizes, too.
Oh, and EE offers DryTek or regular down. So, basically, if you’re ready to shell out the cash you can get the exact quilt you want. Do realize that the quilts are hand-sewn, so it will take 5-6 weeks to make and ship it to you.
EE’s Enigma quilt is similar to the Revelation, but it has a closed foot system. You can’t fully open it, but some sleepers like that more than a fully opening quilt. Here’s a decent video review of the Engima quilt by Trail and Mountain:
If you’re ready to get a quilt, check out Enlightened Equipment. And use the 10% off code, “HOLIDAY2015,” until November 30,2015.
