For an upcoming 2 months long winter trip in the Southern Appalachians I am looking for the warmest synthetic quilt available. Right now it seems to me that the warmest option is an Enlightened Prodigy quilt rated down to 15 F.

There aren't too many other synthetic quilt options and other manufacturers like MLD or Arrowhead only offer colder quilts down to 28/30 F.

Are there any warmer synthetic quilts on the market rated lower than 15 F?

Does anyone have experience with a Enlightened Prodigy 15 F?

Enlightened (like all the other cottage manufacturers does not offer an EN rating) so I wonder how reliable the rating is. I already own a BPL 240 quilt and I was surprised how warm it is - much better than I expected.

Thanks for any input,
Christine

My bet is that Tim's rating is more accurate than the EN rating to start with and on top of that he will take your phone call or email and discuss the rating with you, ask you questions about how you sleep and give you guidance on how the quilt will work for you.

Plus, Enlightened's quilts are custom made, if you want one warmer he can probably make it for you.

I can't imagine you would need anything warmer than that in southern Appalachia later than now. I just got back from a 3 night trip at some high camps in the Smokies with a 30 degree bag and it was more than enough. I don't think its likely to get a lot colder than 30 the rest of this spring.

Ben, I am thinking of a winter trip in January/February 2013, not a spring trip this year. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Ty Ty, I have already contacted Tim Marshall, but he has not offered a warmer insulation or any other alterations for my purposes. Before ordering the Prodigy I just want to make sure that there really isn't a warmer quilt on the market.

I think the only synthetic quilt warmer than the Prodigy would be the Enlightened Equipment Epiphany Apex (due to the VBL effect). I would think APEX could be sandwiched together though to make the bag warmer. Maybe a layer of 8oz APEX with a layer of 4 oz APEX sandwiched between nylon would get you an extra 10 degrees?

Sorry GT. I am thinking about doing a bit in the SE this coming winter too. Sounds fun.

you want warmer, i got warmer.

I can offer a layer of 6oz + a layer of 4oz(10oz) or 2 layers of 6oz(12oz) (i did one of these earlier this year and it is warm, bulky as hell, but warm)or two 4oz and a 6oz (14oz total) or 3 6oz (18oz total) if you can add the numbers 4 and 6 together to make the combination you want we can make it. no guarantee there is a box big enough to ship it but we can make it. new 8d nylon offered soon could save 1 oz as liner on this beast.

-Tim

Edited by MarshLaw303 on 03/22/2012 10:21:20 MDT.

Tim, thank you so much for your offer. I will send you an email to your business address regarding the customizing.
Christine

Sounds good

I still want to paddle it out when you get here. Share a meal by the fire too if you're up for it.

-Tim

Edited by MarshLaw303 on 03/22/2012 15:55:30 MDT.

All this talk and I think I am going to order one.

..and about to break my New Years Resolution.

You and me both David. I think you're an enabler. Hey, I have to blame someone.

I guess if I have to be something, it's not so bad to be an enabler...a GEAR enabler, of course.

At enlightened equipment we do t have trail ambassadors just gear enablers.

-Tim

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=50331

You could ask Huzefa about how his 2x 6oz apex quilt worked out.

The ultimate Gear Enabler has just helped himself by ordering a quilt from Tim.

Okay Joe, what's your excuse?

Can't bring myself to do synthetic. I need about a 50 degree down quilt. Maybe 60. That's probably just called a sheet though.

Brad, thank you for the reference to Huzefa. I have done a lot of research on BPL but I had not encountered that thread. I'll drop him a PM.
Christine

Christine,

I would recommend looking more closely at how cold it will actually be at your destination in the months for your trip and then buy the temp rating you need for the average or predominant temp, (also taking into consideration future trips you have in mind).

The warmer the quilt, the heavier it is. So, IMHO it would be more versitile and lighter to have the quilt you need and just use some lightweight capilenes (or similar longies) to sleep in on the few nights when it's colder.

Otherwise if you buy a warmer qulit than you actually need, it's always more weight that you're carrying, when you don't need to do so.

Cheers,
Susan

First a suggestion:
I saw an example of this on another forum. Someone built their own quilt with a full length zipper down one of the sides to allow insertion or removal or extra insulation layers. Presumably you could swap a 4oz out for a 6oz or combine the two together for colder trips. Again this is not my personal experience, so I can't say how effective this is. Someone else might be able to weigh in.

Second is a question:
Is there a difference in durability between the 4oz and 6oz insulation layers? I assume the 6oz layer is thicker than the 4oz. Is the degredation of it's loft accelerated over time as compared to the thinner 4oz pieces? Does one compress better than the other? And lastly if you were building a 12oz layer, would you opt for three 4oz layers or two 6oz layers to make it? And why?

Thanks