EE Enigma Apex - 20 degree or 50 degree? (yeah, i know....hear me out)

[4x4Dragon]

Let me first start by saying that I'm a ground sleeper and I tend to sleep a tad warm. Not sure if that information is necessarily relevant for this discussion but nonetheless, I'll share it.

I'm going for as lightweight as possible and I already have a DIY Apex 5.0 topquilt(23.5oz) so that alone has me covered for the 30 degree territory. Then I also have a Costco down blanket that I have seam ripped for more loft and added a closed footbox via Kam snaps and drawcord so i figure that has me covered for the 40 degree territory.

So obviously i need something to get me down into the 20 degree territory, possibly even into the teens. My first thought was to get an EE Enigma Apex(i'm going to go with 7d inner/outer) in the 20 degree rating which would come in at around just shy of 28oz. BUT then I got to thinking that I could go for the 50 degree(10oz.) with the mindset of primarily using it as a top layer over something like my Costco down quilt which i estimate would put me at around the 27oz. Looking for any tips/ideas/advice on my logic. Would love to even just hear from anyone that has one of the EE Apex quilts.

[Peppy]

Lightweight would be down for me all the way. I’d get the 20. 50 plus something else is just more weight.
My 20 degree EE Revelation weighs a tad over 18oz.

[RichardDavies]

My guess is the Costco quit plus another 50° quit might get you down into the mid 30s. Get the 20° if you want to hang in the 20s.

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[cmoulder]

"lightest possible" (and also least volume) is the 20 deg quilt.

As important as underquilts are to a hanger, the same holds true for ground sleepers when it comes to sleeping pads, whether air mat, CCF, etc. A warm quilt without a proper ground mat will still leave you cold.

[Hobbit]

I own the Enigma Apex - 20 degree. Wearing light layers I am good to 20°. Weight of quilt is 28.3 oz The 8.0 oz/yd² Apex used generally provides a low limit 15 degree rating. So the 20° EE rating is for me a comfortable low temperature limit, not an extreme low limit from my experience.

General idea of improved temperature rating of layering apex over a down quilt can be seen at the Nunatak website. They show the effect of layering their apex Gamut quilt over one of their down quilts. Just for an idea, they guesstimate their 50° apex quilt over their 40° down quilt a rating of 25°.

One note, I have experienced with apex especially, the effective warmth can be dependent on the denier of the outer shell fabric and calendering for wind proofing.

Not top quilt related but I recently experimented in the backyard with different Apex weights for an underquilt. We had two days with a morning low around 9 degrees and no wind. When using 8.0 oz/yd² apex under me I was just warm with a hint of cool, not a toasty comfortable warm.

Have fun getting out there in the cold. My favorite!

[RichardDavies]

If you're going for as lightweight as possible I'd recommend looking at some of the cottage vendors' quilts because 28oz is actually rather heavy for a 20° quilt. For example, I think both Hammock Gear and Loco Libre offer 20° quilts that weigh in around 19-24oz. In fact, even Hammock Gears "Econ" line of quilts is lighter than 28oz.

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[TxAggie]

Let me first start by saying that I'm a ground sleeper and I tend to sleep a tad warm. Not sure if that information is necessarily relevant for this discussion but nonetheless, I'll share it.

I'm going for as lightweight as possible and I already have a DIY Apex 5.0 topquilt(23.5oz) so that alone has me covered for the 30 degree territory. Then I also have a Costco down blanket that I have seam ripped for more loft and added a closed footbox via Kam snaps and drawcord so i figure that has me covered for the 40 degree territory.

So obviously i need something to get me down into the 20 degree territory, possibly even into the teens. My first thought was to get an EE Enigma Apex(i'm going to go with 7d inner/outer) in the 20 degree rating which would come in at around just shy of 28oz. BUT then I got to thinking that I could go for the 50 degree(10oz.) with the mindset of primarily using it as a top layer over something like my Costco down quilt which i estimate would put me at around the 27oz. Looking for any tips/ideas/advice on my logic. Would love to even just hear from anyone that has one of the EE Apex quilts.

You’re kind of at juxtaposed positions: lightest weight vs Apex. Any particular reason why you want Apex? If it’s due to SC humidity, check out Chesapeake’s recent encounter with wet down. If it’s cost, the Hammock Gear Econ 20* will save you money, weight, and volume.
If you simply prefer Apex, then the 20* by itself will give you the lowest weight and pack size than combining other quilts.

An Aggie’s perspective.


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[4x4Dragon]

Thanks guys, for the feedback! To clear up some things... I want to stick with Apex because I don’t feel like stressing over fluffing and adjusting shifted down/cold spots and moisture. I had considered all the other topquilts like the Econ from HG but going with the Enigma in Apex only adds about 3 oz. over the Econ burrow which is a small price to pay to avoid my above mentioned down pain points. And I have the Torrid jacket from EE and really like their shell materials when combined with the Apex. And a slightly larger packed volume/size is not an issue as I have a 60l Granite Gear Crown VC60 pack.

So I do think I am going to go with the 20 degree vs the 50+ layering.