Enigma APEX Custom 50 Degree
Product purchased: Extra long, wide, 50 degree Enigma APEX Custom with 10D interior and 10D exterior.
I'm happy with the build quality on this product. EE clearly does a great job with materials and construction. The weight is as light as advertised and very impressive. 13 ounces in this case.
I'm happy with the sizing as well. I'm 6'4", 185lbs and the extra long/wide size is a great fit. In terms of length, it actually can cover my head, though I prefer to cinch the top around my neck and wear a down hood.
I've tested this bag only indoors at this point. Below 58 degrees I do start to get cold even with full body base layer and down hood. I am a cold sleeper with a very low heart rate.
I bought this quilt with the intention of covering high miles in warm summer temps. It's an ultralight quilt and one I'd think carefully about using in night temps below 55.
Apex Enigma 30 degree
Great piece of equipment. Well made, light, warm. Wish the poncho option was available on the Apex quilts. I'd buy another in a heartbeat.
Unexpected First Use
The 20 degree APEX Custom I ordered came in a few weeks ago and have yet to take it out on the trail. However, my mom and brother lost power at their house the other day amidst one of the chilliest days we've had, wind knocking down powerlines and chilling the house down into the low 40's. As we planned on them coming to stay with my fiancée and I their power came back and being too polite they wanted to stay at home in their own beds. I sent them home with the quilt for an extra layer. The next day I spoke with my brother who had used it and he said not only was he warm enough but he was incredibly comfortable too. I expected him to throw blankets on the quilt as well but he said he had to remove them as he was too warm.
I plan on doing a proper review from the trail and will do an updated post when the time comes. So far I am impressed and happy to hear how well it worked.
love it
I'm 6'1" and ordered a 40 degree long, wide. I don't need the extra size, but I do appreciate it. I also have a revelation, but I discovered I never really unzip the bottom of that quilt - and I noticed the zipper can rub on whatever you are laying on over time. That quilt is also a 50 degree, so I thought trying this one would be a good idea for some variety. Big fan. I am surprised how much more loft there is from my original 50 degree, to this new 40 degree. The 50 is truly a light weight quilt, which travels with me. This one is more fluffy and warm - and will likely just stay home, and join the kit on my occasional backpacking journies.
Enigma Apex 20 Degree
This is my first quilt, coming from primarily military sleeping bags, and I love this thing. I got the wide version, and it is definitely that. Haven't taken it below 38, but it has certainly been warm so far and I look forward to testing it in colder conditions. The loft of this quilt is great. The only downside so far for me is that it packs larger than I expected in the provided stuff sack. I don't necessarily think that's the fault of the quilt - I knew I was ordering a wide quilt with synthetic insulation, but it is worth noting. This one nitpick should improve when I try it a compression sack. So far so good, and very happy to buy American!
Effective overquilt, but could use a more secure neck button
I used the 50 degree Long Wide APEX enigma as an overquilt on the Appalachian Trail in February from the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee to Waynesboro, VA (~600 miles). It got the job done, preventing condensation from de-lofting my main 15 degree down quilt (Katabatic). The 50 degree quilt is super light and combined with my down quilt to form a performant & flexible winter sleep system. The sleeping pad straps were also really easy to slip over my pad and my primary quilt. On a couple hot nights in Virginia (~50 degrees) I actually used it as my sole quilt since my other one was too warm and it performed great.
My one complaint is that the neck button kept coming undone, causing the quilt to eventually slide halfway down my body in the middle of the night. I think for use as an outer quilt in layering, the top of the bag needs to be a bit wider to prevent the sliding in the first place and the single-button neck clip would be better as a 2-button construction w/ less elasticity on the surrounding fabric to prevent the buttons popping apart easily (similar to Katabatic's style).
APEX 40 and 50 degree quilts
I have both a 50 and a 40 degree APEX Enigma and love them. i have used them layered down to 22 degrees prior to this past week. I went out to finish the Pinhoti Trail and we got hit by a Polar Vortex. I slept warm and toasty down to 14-16 degrees with the quilts paired, a grid fleece base layer and down booties!
Planning on grabbing a 30 degree down Enigma to give me some extra insurance for future trips!
excellent first quilt
After much research, I chose the enigma and I'm glad I did. The sewn footbox saves a bit of weight and kept my feet warm in 30 F conditions. The bag is rated to 20 F, and I was toasty with a single base layer in the quilt. The straps and buttons and draw cord are easy to tweak even in the dark, and I didn't experience any big drafts. It was my first time using a quilt and I will definitely be using it again.
I knew the quilt would be large (in terms of volume) because it's APEX and I got the long version, and it definitely is. I'm more of a lightweight backpacker (base weight of 15-18 pounds), and I was happy to have a 60 liter pack to hold the quilt and my other gear.
I'll definitely be using this quilt a lot more.
4 not 5 stars, why?
For the past two seasons, I have used my EE Revelation in down, 20 degree, long, wide quilt.
After two days of continuous rain along the PCT in WA State during the last week of Sept 2017, I realized I wanted to move toward synthetic insulations for both my quilt and jackets.
In Nov 2017 I would order my EE Torrid jacket in Climashield's Apex insulation. The next spring I would sell my MHW Ghost Whisperer jacket.
This spring, 2019, I again would sell my EE Rev down quilt and purchased the Enigma in Apex. I wanted a permanent closed, sewn-in foot box as well.
I was mildly surprised at the bulk of the Enigma relative to how well my Torrid jacket packs down. Perhaps not a fair comparison, due to one is a jacket, the other is a quilt, but none-the-less, the bulk of the EE Enigma is noticeable and should be taken into consideration.
I have easily stuffed my EE Revelation into both a Hyperlight Mt Gear large and small packing pod. I have to wrestle the Engima to get it to fit into the large, using my knees on the pod while I zip it shut. I know HMG did not make their pods for this type of application. Oh well.
I have used the EE Enigma in relatively warm environs (40-55) for a 20 degree rated, long, wide quilt. I love how 'comfy' the fabric feels, super soft, and plush. Love the quilt dearly, but do note the bulk going with synthetic, I underestimated this before ordering. Four stars, not five just because of the bulk relative to down.
Enigma Apex 20 degree
I have used this quilt on 3 occasions now. Every outing has been mid 30’s and rainy/wet outside in the backcountry in Washington state. The Enigma Apex 20 degree has kept me toasty warm and dry. I use it with the Nemo tensor sleeping pad. They complement each other very well. The quilt straps right around the pad and stays in place. I have no complaints this far and look forward to using it more this summer and fall elk/deer hunting! I would highly recommend this quilt if you are backpacker and hunter. The quilt packs away very well compared to sleeping bags and other things I’ve used.
I did a lot of research and it was exactly what I expected
I just received my quit in Canada, I got the 20 degree enigma apex and the left seems really good compared to my 20 degree sleeping bag. I'm 5'10" 170lbs and I got the long wide version and I can wrap it all the way around me and right up over my head, all in all very happy with it, total shipping charges to BC Canada was around $90
PERFECT
I ordered the longest, widest quilt I could buy because I’m rather tall. (6’3”) It kept me nice and warm all night long. I ordered the 30° quilt and it worked perfect on a 40° night. I can definitely see it keeping me warm in 30° weather. The 10D fabric is very soft to the touch and a lot more durable than you would think for how lightweight it is. The quality that was put into the quilt is insane. Beyond high quality craftsmanship. I’ve never invested more than $100 on a sleeping bag or quilt, but I won’t make that same mistake again. I convinced a friend to purchase the same quilt and he is also extremely satisfied. Definitely worth every penny!
Enigma Apex
Outstanding quality and attention to detail. The best Apex quilt I have owned and I own several other brands. Worth the wait.
Exceptional loft. Excellent build quality. Extremely light.
I've had my 20-degree Enigma Apex synthetic for about 6 months and have used it on numerous trips. Most recently I slept with it in very damp conditions in Mount Rainier National Park with an overnight low of 29 degrees. The quilt performed similarly to the 20-degree synthetic sleeping bag which it replaced in my backpack. The quilt, however, is far, far lighter and easier to stuff into a compression sack. The loft of the synthetic insulation used by Enlightened Equipment is truly amazing. It's similar to an eiderdown bag which I used to own. However, in the damp conditions of the Pacific Northwest, no down can compare to synthetic insulation for warmth on multi-day trips. The straps provided with the quilt worked exactly as described in the instructions. I am 5 feet, 9 inches tall, and I wish I had ordered the longer version of the quilt because I like to sleep with a blanket over my face. The regular quilt comes up to my chin. The materials and build quality are superb. I was very happy to be able to support a manufacturer which makes its products in the United States.
It keeps really really warm!
I bought the apex -6 and was very curious if its really warm enough for temperaturs about 0 °C, because its not Norm EN13537 confirmed. I tested it in the Pyreness on the GR11 this year in September. Actually it warms better than my Deuter Exosphere -4. The straps for the sleeping pad also work very good.
Normally 5 stars, but the transportation costs for germany were higher than expected. The website told me it costs 40 euros, but actually the transport in germany did cost another 70 euro, so 110 euro together :/ Please warn international customers about these extra costs.
Im still very happy about my new product, its worth the price!
Greetings from germany
Enigma APEX 30F worked really well for me!
Just did a 4 day backpacking trip through the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, culminating in a summit of Mt. Whitney. First time using a quilt instead of a sleeping bag, and was very happy with the performance of APEX and of the comfort of the "Long/Wide" version of the Enigma. Being 6' 3" and a back & side sleeper, I needed/wanted the extra size and with the straps properly used kept me nice and toasty.
