Enigma 850FP 40F

Flex foot box is adequate. It’s a lot of down and as long as you arent over 5 foot 11 shouldn’t be putting any pressure towards the bottom to make a cold spot. Does make it more versatile in warm temps too Personally felt like my Nemo tensor all season and flex 22 were too warm for Rae lakes in November in freezing night conditions. Felt more comfortable in just base layers flex 22 same pad snow camping in Yosemite in my borah bivvy. I have a 40 degree enigma that I use for 80 percent of my trips but when I need a guarantee of warmth that’s when I go flex 22. But I also think I’m a warm sleeper

I agree. After being really cold most of my PCT section hike in 2019, I don't use my EE enigma below freezing. I got a western mountaineering versalite in 2021 and love it for cold weather.

I will always recommend a Durston tent, without fail. The Durston X-Mid 1 starts at $270 and weighs significantly less than the tent you listed. With the 60$ you save on the tent you can upgrade your sleeping bag too. I use the Enigma from Enlightened Equipment and it cost me around $270.

I can stuff a 20F Long / extra wide Enlightened Equipment Enigma (down) in a 3L sack from Sea to Summit. If you go for 50F long/wide, you should be able to get it in less than 2L in my opinion. Only caveat is that it costs more than $200, but if you look for similar designs from cheaper quilt makers you should get a similar result.

> This guide lead me to look at a custom EE Enigma but I’m seeing conflicting information on various sights for the long term usability of this brand when it comes to down moving/compressing. There shouldn’t be any issues caused by down compression. Brand doesn’t affect this. In general, you don’t want to store your bags compressed long term. The way you see them at the store is not ideal. Down tends to be more resilient than synthetic, as the little feathery bits are extremely flexible. Synthetics, especially long fiber insulation, can lose its strength and shape by being stretched under tension or folded tightly back on itself. If damaged in storage, most synthetics cannot be restored. If over-compressed in storage, a brick of down can be massaged, tumbled, and steamed to restore most of its previous loft. I will agree that the U shaped baffles Enlightened Equipment uses are annoying for down migration, it’s one of several reasons I would not buy another of their quilts.