Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20 Review

Cons: Long wait for product to be custom made and shipped, foot box draw cord still leaves a little hole, lots of buttons and straps
Manufacturer: Enlightened Equipment
Our Verdict
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Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20 | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||
Price | $300 List | $364.00 at Feathered Friends | $410.00 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $379 List | $329.00 at Feathered Friends |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Very affordable, highly customizable, versatile, lots of features | Highest scoring ultralight sleeping bag, best features, and most versatile | Warmth-to-weight ratio, excellent fabric, best bag with a hood, versatile | Warm for an ultralight bag, simple and versatile design, box baffle construction, waterproof stuff sack | Super simple and light, highest quality down, spacious and comfortable |
Cons | Long wait for product to be custom made and shipped, foot box draw cord still leaves a little hole, lots of buttons and straps | Not as warm as others (in the version we tested), neck draw cords loosen over time | Tight fit, shallow hood, expensive | A little constricting, small foot box, not the best neck draw cord design | No zipper, hard to tell the difference between variable fill zones, must be paired with warm jacket, feet can get hot in warmer weather, not as versatile as other ultralight bags |
Bottom Line | The warmest quilt in our review also comes at a reasonable price | The best performing set of features that allow for the most versatile usage | A very warm and lightweight full mummy with a full zip | With an enclosed foot box and ¾ length zipper, this warm hoodless mummy can also be used quilt style | The only mummy bag that uses more down fill in the foot box and less around the torso, to take advantage of the clothing you have with you |
Rating Categories | Revelation 20 | Flicker 40 UL | Summerlite | ZPacks Classic | Feathered Friends Vireo UL |
Warmth (30%) | |||||
Weight (25%) | |||||
Comfort (20%) | |||||
Versatility (15%) | |||||
Features (10%) | |||||
Specs | Revelation 20 | Flicker 40 UL | Summerlite | ZPacks Classic | Feathered Friends... |
Style | Quilt | Center zip mummy bag or unzipper to be quilt | Hooded mummy | Hoodless mummy | Hoodless, zipperless mummy |
Manufacturer Stated Temperature Rating | 20F | 40F | 32F | 20F | 25F lower half, 45F upper half |
Measured weight, bag only (ounces) | 20.9 oz | 19.1 oz | 19 oz | 20.3 oz | 16.4 oz |
Claimed weight from manufacturer (ounces) | 20.19 oz | 20 oz | 19 oz | 19.8 oz | 16.7 oz |
Stuff Sack Weight (ounces) | 0.6 oz | 0.8 oz | 1 oz | 0.9 oz | 0.8 oz |
Stuffed Size | 7" x 12" | 7" x 10" | 6" x 12" | 6" x 12" | 7" x 10" |
Fill Weight | 13 oz | 8.4 oz | 10 oz | 13.1 oz | 9.4 oz |
Fill Power | 850 Downtek | 950+ goose down | 850+ goose down | 900 fill | 950+ goose down |
Construction | U shaped baffled quilt | Continuous baffles | Continuous baffle | Vertical upper baffles and horizontal lower baffles, box baffle construction | No hood, no zipper and a variable fill |
Shell Material | 10D nylon fabric | Pertex Endurance UL | 100% nylon ripstop | .70 oz/sqyd (23.7 g/m2) Ventum Ripstop Nylon w/ DWR | Pertex Endurance UL |
Shoulder Girth (inches) | 55" | 62" | 59" | 61" | 64" |
Hip Girth (inches) | 55" | 48" | 51" | 61" | 48" |
Foot Girth (inches) | 55" | 39" | 38" | 35" | 38" |
Zipper Length | 1/3 length at bottom | Full length center zip | Full length | 3/4 length | No zipper |
Sizes | Short/regular, regular/regular, regular/wide/ long/wide | Regular, long, and wide | 5'6", 6', and 6'6" | Slim, standard, and broad (girth) short, medium, long, x-long and xx-long (length) | 62", 68", and 74" |
Temp Options (degrees Fahrenheit) | 10, 20, 30, 40F | 20, 30, 40F | 32F | 10, 20, 30, 40F | 25, 45F |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
Warmth
While quilts struggle to match the warmth that mummy bags provide, we found the Revelation to be the warmest quilt. It's noticeably lofty, and the U-shaped baffles keep the down more or less in place. The extra ten percent of down added seemed to make the quilt closer to its 20℉ rating. There are mummy bags in this review and on the market that weigh more and didn't keep us as warm.
The Revelation comes with two pad straps, one being a loop strap, the other straight. We were able to adjust them to be adequately tucked in and felt plenty warm on a night below freezing. There are also two cinch cords, one on each end. Unfortunately, the cinch cord on the bottom didn't close up quite as well as we would have liked, although it worked alright. Like any quilt, there is some slight draftiness, and the Revelation wasn't wide enough to fully wrap around ourselves. However, for a lightweight quilt, we are quite impressed with its warmth.
Weight
At around 20 ounces, it's one of the warmest ultralight quilts we've reviewed. 13 of those ounces are down fill, which means that only seven is the fabric, a pretty good ratio. If you were only hiking in warmer climes you could get a warmer version of the Revelation and save some weight with less down fill. The 10D fabric is a good choice for saving weight and is less delicate than it seems.
One thing we wish Enlightened Equipment would update is the stuff sack. Even though it weighs less than some other similar quilts, it didn't pack down nearly as small as we wished. If we were looking to pack it down as much as possible we'd pair it with an aftermarket compression sack, or nix the sack entirely and smush it into the bottom of our pack.
Comfort
Regarding comfort built into the design, the Revelation definitely feels like it was cut to be ultralight. In a side-by-side comparison with similar quilts, we noticed the Revelation to be narrower, even though they're both listed at 55 inches. We felt this difference when in the quilt as well. It fit our 5'8" tester but might feel tight to taller or wider folks without getting the wide cut. We also found it difficult to keep the opening pointed at the pad when rolling around in the middle of the night without strapping it down to be very constricting.
The fabric is a slick and smooth 10D nylon that feels nice on the skin and not particularly crinkly like some ultralight fabrics. You do end up sleeping on top of the buckles, and the top drawcord sometimes ends up on your face because of its centered position.
Versatility
Like any quilt worth its weight, the Revelation is quite versatile. We enjoyed being able to fully open it up on hot nights and sleep with it in blanket mode, eschewing the pad straps, buttons, and zipper. On cooler nights, we could zip, snap, and strap it down to the pad and curl up to maximize the warmth in the bag. We liked wrapping it around ourselves at camp, and as an extra blanket while car camping. It also could be used as a top quilt in a hammock, although Enlightened Equipment makes a hammock specific version as well.
Features
The Revelation 20 comes with a ton of features to make it so versatile. It has a drawcord and button on the top to seal in heat around your neck. On the bottom, there's an elastic drawcord, a short zipper under the foot box, and two more buttons underneath your legs. In the middle, two pad straps, one looped, one straight, to seal the quilt around the sleeping pad.
We felt that with all these features, a tweak or two could have made the quilt much better. The bottom didn't seal quite as well as fully zippered designs, as it still left a bit of a hole for warmth to escape. The top drawcord toggle could be moved to one side to eliminate a cord in the face and recessed into a neck baffle to make it comfier and a better seal. The two buttons could have been replaced by a slightly longer zipper to better enclosed the lower body. Lastly, we wish that Enlightened Equipment could find a better solution to sealing up the middle of the quilt, either with three pad straps, or taper the cut differently to keep the middle of the quilt in place around the user. Alas, we are definitely picky. Overall, this model has a solid set of features.
Value
The Revelation 20 remains the Best Buy Award winner for the fourth year in a row. There are cheaper options, but they don't perform nearly as well as the Revelation. Given that any other option with a similar score is noticeably more, we think that this quilt is an outstanding choice for balancing performance with price. Among high-end quilts, the Revelation represents the best value.
Conclusion
The Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20 is a highly versatile quilt that can be spread open for warm summer backpacking or closed down and strapped to a pad for use into the spring and fall. The stock version comes high-quality fabrics and high loft Downtek fill to ensure a quality product for a reasonable price. You can also customize nearly everything on this quilt, from heavier or lighter fabrics, 850 or 950 FP down, and a range of temperatures and sizes to fit your needs. If you do so, just make sure you have plenty of lead time, as custom orders can take up to four weeks to arrive.
Other Versions and Accessories
The Revelation is very customizable, from fabrics of a burly 20D to a lightweight 7D, temperature rations from 50℉ to 0℉, different sizes, and up to a 950 fill power down.
— Ethan Newman