In addition to the Vulcan underquilt, Eagle‘s Nest Outfitters sent an Ignitor topquilt for review and to help out with the hammock series of articles. As with the Vulcan, I had to promise to return the Ignitor once the testing is done. For those who are not familiar, a topquilt is a zipper-less sleeping bag that drapes over the user much like a blanket at home. Of course, topquilts are insulated with down and made to be packable and light weight.
ENO Ignitor TopquiltThe Ignitor topquilt is basically made in a rectangular shape with a twist. The lower section of the quilt has Velcro, a couple of snaps, and a drawstring installed. You wrap the two sides of the quilt under your legs and secure it with the Velcro. The two snaps help to keep the Velcro fastened. Last, just pull on the cinch cord to seal up the foot box of the quilt. The feet and lower legs are full enclosed in a sleeping bag type tube at the bottom of the quilt, and the rest of the Ignitor is draped over you. ENO has installed a draft tube at the top of the Ignitor to give a little extra fluff around the neck and seal up the top of the quilt. I like this draft collar a lot. The quilt feels really snuggly in the hammock.
When I first received the Ignitor, I was sure that the quilt was too small for me. Lying on the bed, testing the Ignitor, I couldn‘t seem to feel good about getting myself totally covered up and sealing out the outside air. I was very surprised when I got into the hammock. Since the hammock fits so closely around the body, the Ignitor seems to grow in size. I never had a problem keeping covered up even on my side. I am about 6‘2”, and measure 21 to 22 inches across the shoulders.
I have tested the ENO Ignitor in the hammock on several nights when the temperatures dropped into the lower 40‘s to upper 30‘s. It never failed to provide the warmth that I needed. I’m sure that this topquilt would be fine into the lower 30‘s and possibly the upper 20‘s. Of course, this is highly dependent on the clothing worn and how warm you tend to sleep. When temperatures are a bit warmer it is very easy to just throw the quilt off and cool down a bit. Topquilts are much easier to use than sleeping bags while in a hammock too.
The ENO Ignitor is insulated with 750 fill power duck down insulation making it light and compressible. The outer fabric is Nylon Ripstop with a DWR (durable water repellent) shell. The inner liner is made from nylon taffeta and feels nice and cozy. The quilt weighs in at 23 ounces and unfolded measures 6 feet 1 inches by 4 feet.
The Ignitor comes with a storage bag and stuff sack. It packs down easily and fits into the provided stuff sack and could be compressed to about the size of a can of coffee. When packed into the ENO stuff sack, the Ignitor is not fully compressed and will easily squeeze into spaces inside your backpack.
I have only a couple minor issues with this quilt. When sleeping with nothing on the legs, the Velcro can be just a tad scratchy, and I did have the snap and Velcro turn loose once. When the foot box is closed and the draw cord cinched up, there is a lot of draw cord flopping around the feet. I got just a bit tangled up in the cord a couple times, but it didn‘t bother me much. I don‘t see a way around having the cord with this type of foot box and so this may be unavoidable.
In summary, I really like this topquilt. It kept me warm and covered just as it is supposed to. The retail price on ENO‘s website is $229.95. Check out the Ignitor and other great hammock camping products at www.eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com.
– Mark
This article is part of my hammock camping series. Related articles include my intro, and reviews of the Exped Synmat 7, Warbonnet Blackbird XLC, and DutchWare Tarp Flyz and Stingerz.