Outdoor Vitals StormLoft Down TopQuilt

Review by Erin Trail

I bikepack and prefer to use a sleeping quilt over a traditional mummy sleeping bag.  The main benefit, for me, is that a down quilt is generally lighter and more compact than a mummy bag, while also allowing more range of motion for your upper body. The Outdoor Vitals StormLoft Down TopQuilt is a great option for those seeking lightweight, reliable warmth while sleeping.

Technical Details

• 800 Fill Down, Power ExpeDRY™ from Allied Feather
• ExpeDRY: high performing gold treated down with permanent FUZE treatments that speeds up the down drying process
• Sleeping Dimensions: 56 inches wide and 71 inches long (regular) or 76 inches long (long)
• Weight: 30 Regular: 1 lb 3.6 oz (350g fill)
• Insulated Draft Collar is baffled and has snaps to close behind the neck and a top pull tab to keep in warmth
• Anatomical Footbox
• Buckles and Pad Straps secure the topquilt on a sleeping pad to ensure the topquilt stays put as you sleep
• New Differential Cut that prevents the down from compressing inside the quilt when in use
• Includes a Roll-Top Dry Bag to protect, compress, and pack your topquilt

Detailed Review

I typically bikepack in the summer, but occasionally head out in the shoulder season if conditions allow. I selected the 30 degree bag, knowing that this would be about the lowest preferred nighttime temperatures that I can tolerate inside a tent.

Outdoor Vitals StormLoft Down TopQuilt is well-made and lightweight.  I did not use the included roll-top dry bag while bikepacking, mainly because the dimensions of the dry bag created something fairly cube-shaped and bulky, and did not fit well inside my bikepacking set up.  While I appreciate the inclusion of a dry bag to protect the sleeping quilt, I personally ended up using a different dry bag that compressed the sleeping quilt more and formed more of a tube shape when packed. I would imaging that the included roll-top dry bag would work well in a backpack where a larger footprint can be accommodated.

The Outdoor Vitals StormLoft Down TopQuilt rests on top of a sleeping pad and relies on the insulation of that sleeping pad to keep your underside warm.  The Outdoor Vitals StormLoft Down TopQuilt uses a strap and buckle system to keep the sleeping quilt in place atop the sleeping pad.  There are 2 straps, roughly along your hips and torso, that go under your sleeping pad and clip to the sides of the quilt.  I found that the straps, while stretchy, were on the narrow side, which meant that the buckles ended up on the ground-side of the sleeping pad.  The buckles themselves are easy to operate (push a button to unclip, join together to re-clip) but given that they were underneath my sleep set up, I imagine that they’re hard to adjust in the middle of the night without getting up.  Having the clips underneath the sleeping pad allows the Outdoor Vitals StormLoft Down TopQuilt to fully wrap around the sleeper and sleeping pad, for maximum warmth.  I have other sleeping quilts where the connection is more modular and I found that I prefer the more modular approach for middle of the night adjusting of the quilt connection to the sleeping pad.  A simple fix would be for Outdoor Vitals to include a longer elastic strap so the quilt buckles could land more along the sides or top of the sleeping pad.

I am 5’4″ and got the regular length Outdoor Vitals StormLoft Down TopQuilt.  I left the top strap open, giving my upper body room to move but kept the bottom strap secured, to ensure that the sleeping quilt stayed put all night long.  The Outdoor Vitals StormLoft Down TopQuilt is very light with a good loft. The fabric is nice and quiet if you move during the night. I’m a side sleeper and found that I had plenty of room for sleeping in nearly any position while staying covered but able to move freely beneath the quilt.

My testing conditions only reached nighttime lows into the 40s.  I was PLENTY warm in the Outdoor Vitals StormLoft Down TopQuilt.  The footbox is shaped so it completely – but comfortably – encapsulates your feet. If you get hot, it’s easy to remove one or both feet and place them beneath the quilt or out in the open while keeping the rest of the quilt on your body.  I didn’t need to sleep with the draft collar secured, but this feature is well designed, keeping all cinch locks and snaps away from your head and face, allowing the user to be comfortable and cozy.

I’ve also been using the Outdoor Vitals StormLoft Down TopQuilt and an emergency blanket inside my SUV in the winter and have brought it with me on van camping trips.  The quilt packs down nicely and fits easily in my main van storage area.  It came in handy last fall, when we had a freak snowstorm at the Grand Canyon with temperatures in the upper 20s. Our van ambient temperature was in the low 40s, but I was plenty warm with the Outdoor Vitals StormLoft Down TopQuilt as a blanket.  As an emergency blanket, it’s a no brainer to toss in the back of my SUV, in case I get stuck overnight during ski season.

The Outdoor Vitals StormLoft Down TopQuilt is available in 4 insulation levels (0, 15, 30, and 40 degrees F) and in regular and long lengths.

Erin Trail

Trail Boss of Stoke