I have the Epiphany quilt and used it about 15 nights last season in temperatures ranging from 50 to 0 degrees. I have been meaning to write a review of the quilt but haven't gotten around to it yet. Here are some of my observations:.
1. The quilt is water proof and vapor proof meaning air cannot get in or out. It has a sack pump that provides a way to push air into the quilt. This allows you to control the loft of the quilt and thus, control its insulating ability.
2. Because it’s a quilt it can be opened up and used like a blanket or sealed completely around you and all level in between. It has a lot of flexibility for controlling temperature.
3. With the quilt sealed around you it becomes a vapor barrier. I ended up sealing the quilt around me when the temperature got in the low 20's, teens and at 0 degrees. I only really got cold at 0 degrees and only my shoulders were cold. My quilt is rated for 20 degrees but it is much warmer than my Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15.
4. I used a Thermarest NeoAir XTherm as my pad. I have the Regular size which is 20” wide. When I slept in a sleeping bag I preferred the large pad (25” wide) but I was very comfortable with the 20” wide pad. Since the quilt only covers the top I slept directly on the pad and with the quilt wrapped around the pad I could not fall off pad which is why I think the 20” pad works well with a quilt. I also had more room in the quilt to roll around than in a sleeping bag.
5. I never got wet in the quilt. My skin would feel moist (clammy) but there was never moisture on the inside of the quilt or in my clothes. Sometimes I used a silk liner and while my skin felt moist the silk liner did not show any wetness.
I read a number of articles about vapor barriers before I bought the quilt. One article in particular matches my experience -
http://equipped.outdoors.org/2012/02/winter-warmer-vapor-barrier-liners-for.html. This article talks about “insensible perspiration” which is how your body keep your skin from drying out. Normally this small amount of perspiration evaporates from your skin which means you have to keep sweating to keep your skin moist. In a vapor barrier the air around your body quickly reaches a humid state so your skin remains moist and the need for “insensible perspiration” is significantly reduced. Thus, in vapor barrier a person sweats less.
My total sleep system with the Epiphany Quilt, NeoAir XTherm and a Ti Goat bivy weighs a little over 2.5 lbs. It kept me warm in the low teens and upper single digits and was easily adaptable to warm temperatures. I feel it is an extremely versatile sleep system. If I had to do it again I would get the 10 degree version. But Tim, the owner of Enlightened Equipment said I could send my quilt in to have down added which should bring it close to a 10 degree quilt.
