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Outdoor Vitals StormLoft 15 Down Quilt Review

Outdoor Vitals StormLoft 15 Quilt Review

The Outdoor Vitals StormLoft 15 Quilt is a backpacking quilt with hydrophobic down insulation and a closed, non-adjustable footbox. The insulation is constructed in horizontal baffles over the footbox and vertical baffles on the torso.

When Outdoor Vitals first came on to the scene, they stated that their aim was to reduce the cost of entry to outdoor recreation. At $245, the StormLoft 15 is not a budget quilt. But the materials and construction quality also don’t seem to come close to a $245 price point, and there are several inconsistencies between the specs and the product we received.

Specs at a Glance

  • Product reviewed: 15 degree F quilt. StormLoft Quilts also come in 30 degree F and 0 degree F versions.
  • Weight (manufacturer’s) 23 oz / 652 g
  • Weight (tested): 24.14 oz / 684 g, plus 0.5 oz / 14 g for the stuff sack
  • Dimensions (manufacturer’s): Length: Regular: 71″ / 180 cm; Long: 76″ / 193 cm | Max Width: 56″ / 142 cm | Neck Width: 40″ / 101.6 cm
  • Dimensions (tested): Length: Regular: 68″ / 172.7 cm | Max Width: 50” / 127 cm lofted (max of 52” / 132 cm when compressed flat)| Neck Width: 40″ / 101.6 cm
  • Stuffed size (tested): approximately 12” / 30.5 cm long, 25” / 63.5 cm circumference
  • Materials: 10 denier ripstop nylon shell and liner. Shell has been DWR (Durable Water Repellent) treated.
    Insulation: 800 fill power HyperDRY treated hydrophobic down (Responsible Down Standard Certified). 16.2 oz / 460 g stated fill weight
  • Included: 2 pad straps with wafer buckles, Drawstring stuff sack (not compression sack) made of the same material as the shell. Does not come with a large storage sack–you have to buy one yourself.

Inaccurate Dimensions

The Outdoor Vitals website says that the size Regular quilt is 71 inches long. The tag attached to the quilt says a size Regular is 74 inches long. I don’t understand why there would be a 3-inch discrepancy between the label and the website. In any case, I measured the quilt to be only 68 inches long when lofted (i.e. not compressed flat).

Unfortunately, the dimensions of the Outdoor Vitals StormLoft 15 Quilt don't match the published specs
Unfortunately, the dimensions of the Outdoor Vitals StormLoft 15 Quilt don’t match the published specs.

The StormLoft quilt has a narrow neck width of 40 inches (my measurements agree with the manufacturer’s spec). It curves out from there to what the manufacturer claims is a wide point of 56 inches, but which I measured to be 50 inches when lofted, and no more than 52 inches when squished completely flat.

These sizing discrepancies make me wonder if the dimensions given are of the cut fabric and don’t take into account either the seam allowances or the shrinking of dimensions due to loft when filled.

Materials and Insulation

The StormLoft quilt has a 10 denier ripstop nylon shell and liner, and the shell is DWR (Durable Water Repellent)-treated. There is a shininess to both the shell and the liner and while soft, they feel a little plasticky.

The insulation is 800 fill power HyperDRY treated hydrophobic down. This down is RDS (Responsible Down Standard) Certified, which means that it is guaranteed to not come from live-plucked or force-fed birds. I’m glad to see Outdoor Vitals using RDS down and happy to see that it is becoming an expected standard across the industry. I have noticed that the down has somewhat of a musty animal smell that has not dissipated after use and being hung up for two months.

Features in Use

The neck draft collar partially cinched
The neck draft collar partially cinched.

The StormLoft quilt has a cinchable neck with a draft collar. Draft collars are important (some would say essential) on colder-weather quilts to keep your body heat from escaping. There is a snap on either side of the quilt at the neck to close it. The drawcord runs through a channel of the shell fabric on the outside of the down-filled draft collar and cinches with a low-profile cordlock right below your chin. I like this cordlock – it’s not tiny, but it’s about half the height of most cordlocks I’ve seen of the same diameter. However, even though there is a down baffle between your neck and the cord, the drawcord is static, not elastic, so it’s very restrictive – like wearing a necktie to bed.

Mating buckles are sewn to the sides of the quilt, so you can either attach them to the included pad straps or clip them together around you. However, doing the latter feels like you are wearing a straightjacket, especially because the wafer buckles do not open easily. I had to use two hands, and sometimes struggled with two hands, to open them – especially when they were clipped together behind my back! I found that the most effective way to open them was to press down with my thumb while simultaneously sliding the buckle forward – as if I were dealing cards or snapping my fingers.

Wafer buckles connect to the pad straps or each other, but they are hard to open
Wafer buckles connect to the pad straps or each other, but they are hard to open

The StormLoft line of quilts is color-coordinated, with a black exterior and a different color lining for each temperature rating (0*F Green, 15*F Blue, 30*F Red). I actually slept with the quilt inside out the first two times I used it because I’m so used to seeing a black lining fabric and a brighter color exterior on quilts (a black lining hides dirt and also dries faster in the sun). I didn’t figure it out until I was inspecting the stitching on the footbox and turned it inside out – or should I say right-side-out! – and noticed the Outdoor Vitals logo on the footbox. Checking the website confirmed that the black side is indeed the exterior.

The footbox is sewn and baffled, and appears to be differentially cut (bigger on the outside to accommodate lofting.
The footbox is sewn and baffled, and appears to be differentially cut (bigger on the outside to accommodate lofting.

Those first two nights, the footbox felt restrictive for my size 9 feet, but it must be sewn with a differential cut, because, upon turning it right side out, my feet suddenly had more room. The footbox is fixed, and can’t be opened up for warmer weather. A fixed footbox is generally less drafty than an adjustable footbox on colder weather quilts. There is a triangle of a double layer of the shell fabric stitched at the opening to spread the load and reduce the possibility of ripping the footbox seam when you kick your feet in and out, but I worry such a light fabric in this application would also be vulnerable to ripping out at the seams when stressed.

Temperature Rating

The quilt has horizontal baffles at the footbox and vertical baffles over the torso
The quilt has horizontal baffles at the footbox and vertical baffles over the torso.

A sleeping quilt’s function is to keep you warm enough to support a good night’s sleep for your body to recover for the following day. The main question consumers ask of sleep insulation is, “Will this keep me warm at X temperature?” In order to know the answer, you have to know a bit about your own body’s sensitivity to cold, and you also need to be able to compare apples to apples when looking at insulation.

Outdoor Vitals field test their quilts, reporting that employees take their insulation outside to within 5 degrees of the stated temperature and verify whether that temp is accurate for them. We don’t know what the field testing protocol is, e.g. if they have to spend an entire night in the system in order to confirm the temperature, or if more than one tester confirms the rating. They say that their temperature ratings correspond to the Lower Limit temperature, which is the lowest temperature a warm sleeper would want to use the bag.

For back sleepers, the curve of the shoulders hugs them nicely, but on my side and stomach I longed for more coverage
For back sleepers, the curve of the shoulders hugs them nicely, but on my side and stomach I longed for more coverage.

I did not experience close to 15-degree temperatures during the testing period. But I can say that I used the quilt completely tucked around me in the low 50s and did not overheat. As a cold sleeper, if the rating is accurate, I should be able to take this quilt down to 25 degrees Fahrenheit. But my experience with it in the 50-60*F range raises serious doubts about that. While the quilt looks impressively lofty, I noticed some baffles with cold spots where, if you held the quilt up to the light, there was bare fabric with no down between the shells.

For back sleepers only

As I described above, the neck draft collar is the narrowest part of the quilt at 40 inches, and then it is radiused (curved) out to a width of 50 inches before curving back in to form the footbox. In one of their videos, Outdoor Vitals says that the curved shoulder area is to reduce the amount of fabric that needs to be cinched up at the neck. This works, for back sleepers – you have sufficient coverage over your shoulders with the neck cinched.

The quilt's upper corners are curved, but I missed having those corners to tuck the quilt around me when sleeping on my side and stomach
The quilt’s upper corners are curved, but I missed having those corners to tuck the quilt around me when sleeping on my side and stomach.

However, I’m a rotisserie side- and stomach-sleeper. As such, I tend to not cinch the neck and use the upper corners of a quilt to pull it tightly around me. But on the StormLoft quilt, those corners are cut off so there’s nothing to grab. As I moved from side to side I kept opening up the quilt to drafts at my shoulders because of this shaping as well at my sides due to the width being less than advertised.

Assessment

I do not recommend the Outdoor Vitals StormLoft 15 Quilt as a good use of your backpacking funds. In addition to the specific issues outlined above, I just don’t see anything compelling about this quilt. It’s not an economy option, it’s not a premium option, and it’s not bringing anything new to the table. For less money, I’d recommend a Hammock Gear Economy Burrow Quilt (which both Philip and I like) as a nicer-feeling, higher-quality, and more versatile quilt with an accurate temperature rating.

Disclosure: Outdoor Vitals donated a quilt for this review

About the author

Greg Pehrson is an ultralight backpacker who was bitten hard by the MYOG (make-your-own-gear) bug. He repairs, tinkers, and builds gear, often seeking to upcycle throwaway items or repurpose things from outside the backpacking world.
SectionHiker is reader-supported. We only make money if you purchase a product through our affiliate links. Help us continue to test and write unsponsored and independent gear reviews, beginner FAQs, and free hiking guides.

20 comments

  1. The fact that they submitted this particular quilt for review says a lot about the company. You have to wonder about the quality of all the products.

    • We’ve reviewed a bunch of their products in the past and they all pretty much miss the mark. This is a kickstarter style company – all video, no substance. The buzz was that they’d brought on competent product designers and management, but they obviously haven’t had an impact…yet.

  2. My understanding is that EN ratings are unavailable for quilts. So the tone of the criticism about the lack of EN rating seems off base. From your review of the EE Revelation Quilt:
    “The temperature ratings that quilt manufacturers assign to their quilts are not directly comparable to the EN ratings used for sleeping bags because there’s no industry-standard testing methodology for measuring quilt warms that accounts for individual, age, or gender differences.”

    Your review of the Hammock Gear Economy Burrow Quilt does not mention an EN rating anywhere, which also goes counter to what you’re saying above. I also can’t find it anywhere on their website. I agree that Hammock Gear quilts have realistic rating though based on personal experience.

    But I appreciate that you have less confidence in this particular rating based on your experience in 50F weather, and given your experience with this manufacturer, you don’t have confidence in their self rating. That used to be the case with Enlightened Equipment until they increased their fill levels, and Zpacks has also come under criticism for “optimistic” temperature ratings.

  3. Thanks for the review.

    I see nothing on Hammock Gear’s website that claims their quilts are EN/ISO rated. Under “technology” they say,
    “At Hammock Gear, we use temperature ratings which are very conservative. Compare them in the marketplace and you will agree. Here is a point we wish to emphasize: the first and most important step you must take when choosing a quilt by temperature is to Know Thyself. Are you a Cold sleeper, a Warm sleeper, or maybe a Really Warm sleeper? Factor this into your selection process and you will be much better off.”

    Nothing about EN/ISO testing. Can you point to where they state that Hammock Gear quilts are tested and rated by an independent third party?

  4. I have this quilt and under quilt for hammock camping. Your review is spot on. I have had these for a couple of years now and have used them about 30 nights camping mostly in July and August in Western MA and northern Maine. So not on the lower end of the temp range.

    Mine did have that same smell, that finally went away after a while. I store them in a large Rubbermaid tote.

    Material wise, I did have one of the buckles pull out, but that was it. Other wise it has been surprisingly good. After owning them I was disappointed in the product after I became more knowledgeable in the other economy offerings by the other makers. But for my summer canoe trips in Maine, they are sufficient. Would I make the same purchase again, nope. I would also give the same alternative suggestion as you did.

  5. Thanks very much, JP and Jeff, for bringing my error to my attention. While, in our experience, Hammock Gear’s ratings are realistic, it was incorrect to say they are EN-rated. The text of the review has been changed to fix my error. Apart from the temperature rating, my other issues with the quilt described in the review persist and so it retains its “not recommended” rating.

  6. Thermarest claim an EN rating for their Vesper quilt but that is the only one I have come across…which is curious. This subject was discussed here a few years ago. https://sectionhiker.com/backpacking-quilt-temperature-ratings/
    where Thermarest said there wasn’t a standard for quilts.
    Enlightened Equipment follow a similar methodology as described in that article but do not claim EN ratings. Just that they have made an effort to make their rating have some equivalence.
    REI, often a promoter of standards, do not claim an EN rating for their Magma quilt.
    So a mixed bag.
    Probably not fair to ding Outdoor Vitals specifically on not using EN. It’s certainly reasonable to complain if they don’t publish the methodology for their ratings but not doing so seems typical for quilt makers currently.

    • One thing I see in sleeping bag and quilt marketing is when off-brand vendors claim “comfort” and “lower limit” ratings without actually doing any testing. Whenever I see this and happen to be reviewing the product, I immediately contact the vendor to ask where they got the product tested (since I know where one goes for this) and for a copy of the test results. They always fess up immediately. But still its very deceptive.

  7. Bill in Roswell GA

    There are gear companies that do marketing, and there are marketing companies that sell gear. Where do you use your wallet?

  8. Three questions.

    Did you take measurements before you figured out that the bag was inside our? If it is differentially cut that would matter.

    What R value pad were you sleeping on in the 50s? If uninsulated no surprise it wasn’t that warm.

    What are your height and shoulder dimensions?

    • Good thinking and good questions, Andrew.
      1. No. Measured right-side out.
      2. R value 4.2
      3. 5’4″, approximately 20″ wide, measured across my back

  9. Thank you for this review! FWIW I recently tried 3 backpacks; OV shadowlight 60, GG crown 2 60, and the ULA circuit. I chose the circuit but really liked the shadowlight. There were 3 main reasons, I was concerned about water in the top pockets, the Behr was at it’s smallest, and the front zipper is useless is using a pack liner.
    I also recently got their novaul puffer jacket. I have not used it but did try it on. It seems to be very good and for a down puffer, the price is very competitive. The features and construction seem very well done. From what I can tell in the middle of summer it should also be warm.
    So at least some of their products are well made.
    I have been considering their top quilt instead of my big Agnes down bag that weighs 2.5 pounds. But based on this review will look elsewhere.

  10. Thanks for the review….I always felt there was something HINKY about this Company and while I perused THEIR WEBSITE AND VIDEOS I NEVER felt right about PUSHING THE BUTTON. I have 4 quilts and mostly use my 100 dollar Aliexpress Flames Creed Quilt. Would LOVE a Zpacks Quilt but I am not RICH.

    • Only thing I have from them is the pillow. I weigh 225 and have been sitting on it for dozens of trips and day hikes. My kid blows it up and kicks it around. It is solid.

      Since I am also 6’5″ slouching, a lot of their gear isn’t gonna work for me.

  11. Zachary Robbins

    If a company I am not familiar with bombards me with video ads on YouTube and Instagram then I have little confidence they make a worthwhile product. This review confirms my suspicions.

  12. Friar Rodney Burnap

    I own there 0 Degree Quilt and like it a lot…I own a xtherm sleeping pad …I am not a backpacker but have an estimated 40,000 MI on five different touring bicycles…I am a Mendicant Friar…and live by faith with what I can carry … Outdoor Vitals products have worked great for me. I own their first sleeping bag they were selling wasn’t very high end but it kept me warm.
    I am writing a Surly Troll ATB with Two Carridice Camper Longflap Saddle bags…a black Rogue panda frame bag and two large Lone peak Mount Superior Conyers on the front wheel… I pull a small BOB Yak design trailer…in this trailer I have a small Kitty named Babie that travels and sleeps in my Black Diamond Mega Light…with me…I stay warm in my Outdoor Vitals Quilt…I have owned a lot of high end sleeping bags and three gift Quilts a Jack’s R Better, a Zpacks with the zip and now the Outdoor Vitals Quilt….I think what is also important what kind of customer service do you have after buying a product. . . I thought Jacks R Better has very lousy customer service they weren’t willing to help me when I was having problems with their quilt. I was having a migrating down problem… Jacks R Better would not help me with this problem.So I gave it to a Friar brother that uses it like a blanket on his bed at night and for him it works. Blessings to you all Friar Rodney Burnap…Hodos!

  13. I used to own the 0F version of this quilt. I slept in it in 40F (probably closer to 45F) and was too hot, not surprisingly. I had attached the quilt to the pad straps and tightened the cinch cord around the collar to seal everything up. So I did the obvious thing – I released the neck cinch cord, undid the neck snap and unclipped the quilt from the pad straps. But the narrowness of the quilt then meant that I could feel big drafts coming in around my shoulders and torso. I ended up having to wear a puffy jacket (instead of base layers) to sleep comfortably in this quilt, even though it was rated far below the actual outside temperature.

    Thank you for your helpful review. After I read this review, I measured my quilt and found exactly the same dimensions as you did. Either Outdoor Vitals is knowingly selling a quilt that doesn’t match its own specs, or it is being tricked by its Chinese manufacturers. In the latter case, it is still OV’s responsibility to verify the products they are selling under their own name.

    After I ordered this quilt, I saw an OV video on Youtube talking about quilt temperature ratings. In the video, they admitted that their ratings were Limit ratings, not Comfort. While they are not the only manufacturer to engage in this deceptive practice, it was a bad sign.

    I was foolish enough to have bought this quilt after having watched a Dan Becker video on Youtube singing its praises. Won’t ever make that mistake again. And won’t trust Dan Becker again either.

    When I see Youtube reviewers raving about other OV products such as hoodies, I’m always suspicious now. The other OV products may well be good, but this experience means that I have no trust in that company.

    Fortunately I bought the quilt through Amazon and was able to get a full refund after returning it.

  14. I’ve not noticed anything much better or worse from my few OV items than any other mid level company. My favorite item is their Novapro jacket. It’s really a great piece. I was close to buying a quilt from them, however I was able to design my own warbonnet diamondback quilt for less money and that company knows what they’re doing. Haven’t gotten it yet, 3 week lead time.

  15. I bought this quilt for my 2023 thru hike and liked it a lot. I was brand new to quilts and cold weather camping, so no gear comparison, and I did have temps in the teens with this quilt. Was I comfortable? No. But above 25F? Yes.
    I haven’t measured mine but had no issues with width and drafts, even as a side sleeper. I sleep cold, for reference.

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