Zefabak Down Review
Cons: Rather slippery, less water resistant, bulky for a down blanket
Manufacturer: Zefabak
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
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Zefabak Down | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||
Price | $100 List | $100 List | $69.99 at Amazon | $39.35 at Amazon | $24.95 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Warm, great poncho coverage, large dimensions, hand pockets | Softer underbelly, weather-resistant, great features, feels warm, easy to clean | Quite warm and puffy, fairly weather-resistant, comfortable, reasonably affordable | Solid insulation, light and packable, compression stuff sack, large size, affordable | Very soft underside, comfortable, simple stuff sack, reasonable size/weight, inexpensive |
Cons | Rather slippery, less water resistant, bulky for a down blanket | A bit large and bulky | Very large and bulky, a bit slick, not home washable | No cross-stitching, not weatherproof | On the small side, not super warm, not particularly technical |
Bottom Line | A full-coverage poncho and blanket that's great on cold days but is slippery and fairly bulky | Though a little bulky, this blanket is comfortable and provides serious warmth and weather protection | A cozy, warm blanket that's great on cold days, but it's a bit large for most travel | This blanket is a solid performer for a seriously great price | A good, comfortable option for pretty much any casual cozying |
Rating Categories | Zefabak Down | NEMO Puffin | Wavelength | Snugpak Jungle | Kelty Bestie |
Comfort (30%) | |||||
Warmth (25%) | |||||
Versatility (20%) | |||||
Packed Size (15%) | |||||
Features & Design (10%) | |||||
Specs | Zefabak Down | NEMO Puffin | Wavelength | Snugpak Jungle | Kelty Bestie |
Filling Type | Down | Synthetic | Synthetic | Synthetic | Synthetic |
Measured Blanket Size | 53" x 84" | 54" x 78" | 51" x 73" | 62" x 74" | 42" x 74" |
Compressed Size | 4.2 L | 4 L | 11 L | 3.5 L | 3.5 L |
Weather Resistance | light water resistance | DWR treatment (water resistance) |
water resistant | windproof & MicroDiamond (light water resistance) |
none |
Weight | 30 oz | 36 oz | 40 oz | 26 oz | 24 oz |
Stuff Sack | Y - drawstring | Y - zippered | Y - drawstring | Y - compression | Y - drawstring |
Exterior Material | 20D ripstop nylon | 30D nylon micro-ripstop | 20D nylon | 100% polyester with Paratex antibacterial treatment | 75 D polyester taffeta top 190T polyester pungee bottom |
Insulation Material | 600-fill duck down (90/10 down/feathers) |
600G Stratofiber (synthetic) | TechLoft Silver (synthetic - resinated polyester fiber) | Travelsoft (synthetic - resinated polyester fiber) | 9.5 oz Cloudloft (synthetic) |
Manufacturer Temp Rating (F) | 24°F | Not specified | Not specified | 45°F | Not specified |
Yes - 2 corner hand pockets for poncho use | Yes - 1 zippered near feet | No | No | No | |
Machine Washable | No - hand wash only | Yes - front load only | No - commercial washer only | Yes - front load only | Yes - front load only |
Available Sizes | Large, X-Large (tested) | 1-person (tested), 2-person | One size only | Regular (tested), X-Large | One size only |
Additional Features | Can become a poncho, sewn through boxes hold down in place | Foot Nook foot box created by three buttons and holes, outwardly curved edges, sewn through in horizontal bars, contrast-colored top edge | Sewn through in horizontal bars | None | Softer bottom layer, sewn through boxes hold insulation in place |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Zefabak Down features 600-fill down in a 90% down, 10% feather mixture. It's available in a few other slightly smaller sizes and lower fills, and a handful of colors.
Performance Comparison
Comfort
The Zefabak measures 53" x 84" and is one of the larger single-person blankets we tested. It's thick and boasts a high loft, which gives it a rather nice "nesting" vibe. This combination of size and poofiness makes it pleasant to wrap up in on a cold day or wear as a poncho. It is, however, contained in a slippery outer layer of 20D ripstop nylon that isn't the most comfortable against our skin. The mixture of high loft and slippery fabric put it on the border of being warm, yet having the capability of causing you to sweat (when the blanket sticks to your skin). It's most comfortable over a layer of clothing. While we love the oversized poncho it can morph into, our 5'4" main tester had some issues tripping up the stairs while wearing this behemoth blanket.
Warmth
After you get over the feeling of the slippery nylon exterior against your skin, the Zefabak feels warm. In our insulation testing, it finished in the top half of contenders, doing an above-average job of retaining heat. The 17.6 ounce duck down filling is super large and lofty, and its 90% down/10% feather mixture is on the higher end of down percentage. Despite advertising the same amount of down filling (or less) as the other down blankets we tested, the Zefabak is by far the thickest and warmest of the down-filled bunch. It's also one of the few blankets that's advertised to work for specific temperatures; Zefabak claims this cover can keep you cozy down to 24°F. We'd recommend using it as an extra layer on top of whatever you might normally wear outside on a 24° day, but we don't recommend replacing your sleeping bag with just this blanket (and heading out in below freezing temps).
Versatility
Five snaps will turn this big blanket into a poncho. If you need your hands, you can still get pretty good coverage without fixing all five closed. If your arms are long enough, the front corners of the poncho have small triangular pockets for your hands. Our main tester has long arms and is 5'4"; she had a difficult time being able to use these pockets, but we also don't feel that they're absolutely necessary.
Against the wind, the Zefabak offers solid protection. And though it's not waterproof, it does a pretty good job repelling most water, only soaking up a small amount into the outer layer after we left a puddle sitting on it for quite some time. However, we worry a bit about the longevity of this blanket's warmth and loft, as it almost instantly allowed tiny pieces of down to start sneaking through to the outside of the blanket. We tested a black version and this is all the more obvious because the entire thing looks like it's covered in a thin layer of dust. Our several months of testing made no discernible difference to its warmth and loft, but we're left with some concerns about how it will fair after years of hard use outdoors.
Packed Size
Weighing a whopping 30 ounces, we're a bit shocked at how large this down blanket truly is! Typically one of the positives of down in an outdoor setting is that it's light and can easily pack down to a small size. Neither of these things is true about the Zefabak, solidly removing it from consideration for a backpacking trip or any travel where space and weight are on tight restriction. It's a bit on the tough side to fit back into the drawstring stuff sack it comes with, and it's a fairly sizeable bag!
Features & Design
The Zefabak's poncho design has five full snaps and its larger size make it the fullest-coverage poncho we tested. Aside from the not-overly-useful hand pockets, it comes with no other features. Notably, it's also NOT machine washable and instead is hand washable only. Despite the inability to give it a thorough cleaning, Zefabak advertises this blanket as a summer sleeping bag replacement. Our testing indicates it might be warm enough to get you through a typical summer night, but it's not quite the right size to lay on and fold over your body unless you're a very small person who doesn't move while sleeping. But you know how you sleep best, so if just a blanket on top sounds like a good idea to you, perhaps this one will work.
Value
Though we appreciate some of the performance aspects of this large, lofty blanket/poncho, it comes at a price that we think is a bit on the high side for what you're getting. Several other down and synthetic options are far more worth the cost and cost a touch more, or are even less. But if the size and extreme loft sound like your ideal blanket, we don't think the cost is outrageous.
Conclusion
This super thick down blanket offers lots of loft and coverage. It turns into a protective poncho and is one of the warmest down blankets we tested. Its weight and bulk do not make for lightweight endeavors and we're not sure its down is well-contained. But if you like to nest in your blanket and don't mind that it's a bit slippery, the Zefabak is a solid choice.
— Maggie Brandenburg