Exped HyperQuilt 36 Review

While there are only so many variations to a sleeping bag or quilt, with the features of the Exped Hyperquilt we had high hopes. Initially we thought the Hyperquilt would be a light, sleek bag with innovative hooded quilt designs. We did like some of the features — the stuff sack and hood were both excellent — but they didn't pull enough weight to counterbalance the lack of fit and warmth.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

The Exped Hyperquilt's “comfort temperature” is a summery 41°F, with a “limit temperature” of 32°F, which seems a tad generous. We first put it to the frozen water bottle test, where it performed a little bit below bags and quilts with a similar temperature rating. The Hyperquilt has a fill weight of 9 oz, similar to other bags we tested, yet it felt noticeably colder.

In the field, our testers thought that the hood added a bit of warmth, but the dimensions of the quilt prevented testers from staying too toasty. The dimensions of the Hyperquilt is 12 to 20 inches narrower than every other quilt and bag in the review. The narrowness prevents both sides of the quilt touching the sleeping pad unless the sleeper is flat on their back. Additionally, there isn't any integral way to attach the quilt to a sleeping pad without buying the accompanying mat sheet, which would both increase the price and negatively affect the trail weight.

Weight

The Hyperquilt weighs 19 ounces on our independent scale, a bit higher at the listed 18.2 ounces on the Exped website. Although 19 ounces ain't bad, there are higher performing quilts for the same weight or lighter options as well.

Comfort

Again, the limiting factor of this category is the Hyperquilt's dimensions. The narrowness of the quilt maintained a steady creep of cold air into the warm space under the bag, and our tester's feet kept slipping out of the overly shallow footbox. This bag would be most comfortable for back sleepers, as that's the only way the hood faces the right way and the quilt stays sealed.

Versatility

This bag is sold as a summerweight bag or for hut use, or even a three-season bag with the matching mat sheet. To make it a three-season bag, however, Exped recommends using the Hyperquilt with a heavier mat and a mat sheet, negating both the versatility of the single quilt and adding on weight. We can only really see using this bag in warmer temperatures.

Features

We like the hood and that it can also be totally sealed off to make it more of a blanket style quilt. However, the drawstrings from the draft collar around the hood tended to hang in our faces. We also felt that the footbox was too shallow to keep the more wiggly sleepers' feet in. However, the dry bag stuff sack is one of our favorites, providing both compressibility and water protection.

Value

The Exped Hyperquilt is the second least expensive option in the review. This does make the quilt more enticing for budget buyers, but we think there are better budget options like the Best Buy award-winning Hammock Gear Burrow Econ 20.

Conclusion

Although the Exped Hyperquilt 36 didn't score high in this review, we believe that with expanded dimensions and its own pad attachment system that this could be a much better quilt. We liked some of the features, but not enough to offset the other issues. It's light, but there are lighter and warmer options out there. We hope to see an improved version in the future. On its side, though, is its lower-than-most price in a category that gets real expensive real quick.