Hammock Gear Economy Burrow 20 Review

The Hammock Gear Economy Burrow 20 is a great choice if you're looking for an affordable, packable, full-featured quilt for hammock or ground sleeping on the warm side of three-season conditions. We were really impressed with how well it worked, especially given how much cheaper the Burrow is compared to very similar products. While it's not the full-on top-of-the-line quilt, it provides an opportunity for someone to enter the world of ultralight backpacking without having to spend an enormous amount of money on one of the "Big Four" items.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

Unlike most other bags or quilts in our review, the Economy Burrow 20 uses 850 FP duck down rather than goose down. While this keeps the price low, duck down is not as high quality as goose down when it comes to a warmth-to-weight ratio, and ultimately, this quilt weighs a little more than other quilts of a similar limit rating.

Compared to other bags and quilts of the same 20°F limit range in our hot water bottle overnight test, results indicated that marginally more heat was lost during the night with the Burrow. Still, this actually exceeded our expectations — this is one of the warmer quilts in our entire ultralight review.

The Economy Burrow also has an optional ground pad attachment kit for aiding warmth. Three pad straps located at the bottom of the quilt work well to keep a seal on your sleeping pad. For a quilt of this temperature rating, we suggest getting an insulated pad with at least an R-value of 4 to properly complement the quilt and an insulated cap for your head so that your head is as warm as the rest of your body.

Weight

Our Economy Burrow 20 weighed in at 25.8 ounces for the standard length, wide width, a ground attachment kit, and zipper foot box. We chose these options as they are what Hammock Gear suggests for using the quilt on the ground, and our measured weight closely matches the manufacturer's claimed weight.

The warmth-to-weight ratio of the Burrow 20 isn't the best, but it's impressive for the price. You'll find 13.7 ounces of 850 fill duck down within the quilt, and the ratio of total weight to down is 53%, which is quite excellent. The 850 fill strength is a little lower than other bags we've reviewed, which go up to 950+, but you're not going to find that in an “economy” model.

The Burrow also uses slightly heavier 20D fabric for both the shell and liner, further contributing to the total weight and volume but providing no additional insulation properties. Heavier fabric can be less expensive for a manufacturer to utilize but can also mean a slightly more durable product. The 20D fabric of the Burrow is more abrasion-resistant than the 15D or even 10D fabric we've seen on other quilts.

Comfort

The Burrow Economy is adequately comfortable, but not a total showstopper. What we do like is the quilt's roominess, even when fully buttoned up. The foot box is plenty wide, and with the addition of a snap, it cinches up quite tightly. On colder nights, it seals well to a pad without making it feel like you're strapped to a backboard — our testers were able to roll without twisting the quilt off the pad. We enjoyed using this model as a blanket, too, which adds to its versatility on chilly evenings before hunkering down or for warmer summer nights.

The quality of the 20-denier nylon taffeta shell material is noticeably different when side-by-side higher-quality (and higher-priced) bags, but we wouldn't say it's uncomfortable. The ground pad attachment system is a little annoying to undo in the middle of the night, so we found it's easier just to crawl out the top (which can be awkward). That said, the Burrow works well, either cinched up like a bag or fully opened as a blanket to adjust to the temperature.

Versatility

We love the ability to fully open or strap down the Burrow, making it well-suited to a wide range of temperatures. We tested it as a ground quilt, but it also works as a top quilt for hammock camping (which is the area that Hammock Gear specializes in). Being designed for either sleep suspended in the air or on earth scored this bag an extra point here. Hammock Gear does recommend the wider version for ground sleepers, which is what we tested.

Fully open works great for summer temperatures, and as the mercury drops, the Burrow can seal more fully around both you and your ground pad. We even opened up the bottom and wore this quilt around camp as an extra layer during a cold morning. For greater versatility, get the goose down model, which will be more packable and better suited for a larger temperature range. We could also see this being used as a “one and a half” person bag for ultralight alpine climbing trips, where climbers often use one sleeping bag for two people.

Features

The Burrow 20 has a short zipper on the foot box, cinch cords on either end, and two snaps to keep everything in place. It also has three grosgrain webbing loops for either hanging from a hammock or hooking the pad attachment system. The cinch on the top has a very long cord, but it tucks nicely into the bag away from the face.

We love that the Burrow can open all the way or strap down onto a pad for cooler nights. We didn't test it for hammock camping, but there are features set up for it, and that seems like an intriguing idea for more heavily wooded areas.

Should You Buy the Hammock Gear Economy Burrow 20?

Performance for your hard-earned money is where the Economy Burrow shines. It's less expensive than most other down bags and quilts we've tested. It doesn't have quite the warmth-to-weight ratio or as nice of material, but it's hard to argue with savings this big. This is still a decently warm quilt that's reasonably light at about half the price compared to most of the bags in our review.

What Other Ultralight Sleeping Bags Should You Consider?

Budget hunting for ultralight gear isn't always a worthwhile pursuit, but there are some options we've dug up. Check out the Enlightened Equipment Revelation Apex 30, a synthetic option. It's not going to have as good a warmth-to-weight ratio as the Economy Burrow 20, but for the price, it's an excellent value and has many of the same features. The Outdoor Vitals StormLoft Down TopQuilt is also a great value for its price and is rated slightly warmer. If you can swing a little more cash at your quilt, the Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20 is another excellent choice.