Neve Gear Waratah 28 Review

With top snaps and cinches plus a bottom zipper coupled with its cinch, the Neve Gear Waratah 28 comes ready to handle any three-season night out in the back country. Open up the quilt into blanket mode for the warmest of nights slept out underneath the stars, or cinch down the bottom and top tight against your body to endure a surprise cold front without shivering. Made with high-quality, reasonably affordable 850-fill-power duck down wrapped in 10D nylon taffeta, the baffles are strategically placed to warm the body where you need it most, without wasting insulation where it's not needed. The simple dual pad attachment straps keep the quilt snug against your sleeping pad, nearly draft-free, to support a good night's sleep.

Warmth

The warmth of a quilt primarily comes from its lofty insulation. The Neve Gear Waratah 28 employs some very clever design patterns to fully utilize the 15.2 ounces of 850-fill-power duck down it has captured within its baffles. The top two-thirds of the quilt features long vertical baffles. These save weight by using less stitching, while the side baffles are under-filled to prevent wasting any insulating loft when you cinch the quilt down to your pad. The footbox has horizontal baffles and is overfilled compared to the torso, as feet are one of the first areas to feel cold. Surprisingly, the Waratah 28 features a box baffle design, which is often regarded as superior to sew-through designs, as it allows fewer drafts to pass through the stitching itself.

We took the Neve Gear Waratah 28 up to the high country of Colorado in late Spring, camping above tree line, allowing us to test the limits of this quilt. Neve Gear doesn't publish a limit rating, but conservatively, 25F is probably a good guess. At the chilling temperatures we experienced, we felt comfortable all around. Admittedly, we're still slightly quilt-skeptical, but the Waratah 28 held up. We never felt cold at our backs, or drafts coming in on our sides to sap our coziness. Our lab tests also supported the veracity of this temperature rating, with a performance that matched or even surpassed that of other bags and quilts with similar ratings. The only suggestion we would have for you when using the Neve Gear Waratah 28 on colder nights is to get an insulated hat, as this quilt — like most quilts — does not cover your head.

Weight

By the numbers, the Neve Gear Waratah 28 with its pad straps, weighs in at 22.4 ounces, a little heavier than other quilts of the same limit rating in our lineup, but certainly on the lightweight end holistically. Of that total weight, 15.2 ounces is high-quality, 850-fill-power duck down. That means the insulation is 67.9% of the total weight — an excellent percentage. Much of the weight savings is achieved by using very thin and lightweight 10D nylon taffeta to sew the insulation into baffles, rather than skimping on the amount of down fill or creating a quilt with tight dimensions. More weight could be cut from this quilt if the manufacturer had opted for a down with a higher fill power; however, that would significantly impact the costs.

For ultralight gear, we're always looking for products that use their materials thoughtfully, which can certainly be said about the Waratah 28. Quilts generally feature a smart design to minimize weight by having the bottom area cut out completely, thereby avoiding the compression of superfluous and oftentimes underutilized insulation between you and your sleeping pad when lying down. Feature details like the top cinch and neck snap, as well as the small #3 footbox zipper and bottom cinch, are no-nonsense designs that do their job well.

Comfort

Comfort was tantamount to the experience of the Neve Gear Waratah 28. The quilt's insulation lofted up high to provide excellent warmth throughout. Various features that enhanced warmth also stayed out of the way, never bothering us while we slept.

The dimensions of the quilt were also compatible with our testers' bodies. “I'm 5'11” and usually at the limit of what a Regular-sized sleeping bag or quilt will support. But I never felt constricted in the Neve Gear Waratah 28. There's plenty of room for me, and some of the gear I store in my quilt to keep it out of the cold." Likewise, the 59-inch shoulder, 51.2-inch waist, and 41-inch footbed circumferences were very generous. If you toss and turn through the night, this might be a detail that interests you. We used a 20-inch sleeping pad, but a 25-inch or wider sleeping pad should work well too. We can't say that drafts are completely eliminated with the pad strap system for the most athletic of tossing-and-turners, but if you take the time to fine-tune the fit of those straps, you're well on your way to rarely having them be a problem.

Versatility

Quilts generally score high for Versatility, and the Neve Gear Waratah 28 is no exception. We found it reasonable to use this quilt at a temperature of about 3-5 degrees F below its 28°F comfort rating, as well as in much warmer conditions. Because you have the adaptability to cinch up the quilt as well as relax it into a blanket, it sleeps well in a wide variety of conditions. Fully expanding the quilt to blanket mode can also help when you need to hang the Waratah 28 to dry during your lunch break.

But sleeping isn't the only thing you can use the quilt for. Since it has a full-blanket mode, try tossing it over your shoulders for particularly brisk morning breakfast gatherings or late-night talks before you head into your respective tents. “During breaks, it's comfy to even wrap the Neve Gear Waratah 28 around my legs while I eat a snack by the creek,” shares one tester. If you're considering a more frigid trip, the Waratah 28 could be a suitable option as an over-quilt on top of another three-season sleeping bag, where the combined amount of down insulation ensures a toasty overnight stay even if flurries start flying outside.

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Features

Ultralight sleeping bags and quilts aren't known for having a Swiss Army knife of features, but rather having only the essentials. We can extend this philosophy to the Neve Gear Waratah 28 as well. We've touched upon its complex, baffling design, which purports to keep the insulation where it's best serving you in terms of warmth. To complement the smart design, the quilt's two pad attachment straps can be used to keep your sleeping pad tightly against the quilt, preventing drafts from entering. Simple and straightforward, they work well.

The Waratah 28 also features a cinch strap and two snaps by the neck, allowing you to bring the quilt close up and fully around your neck if desired. A present draft collar also does a great job in keeping all the lovely warm air inside from escaping through the top. The footbed also boasts well-thought-out features: another cinch is found, along with a small zipper, allowing you to moderate the amount of airflow around your feet. Our only critique is that the zipper is small, which could be prone to snagging on the 10D fabric, potentially ripping it over time. We'd suggest just being careful that none of the 10D taffeta is in the way.

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Should You Buy the Neve Gear Waratah 28?

Suppose you're looking for a solid ultralight quilt with an excellent design and just the right balance of useful features. In that case, the Waratah 28 is a no-nonsense choice that delighted us with its thoughtful design and high quality. We'd have this opinion even without peeking at its very competitive price tag, as this quilt looks and feels like the premium, ultralight piece of gear it is.

What Other Ultralight Sleeping Bags Should You Consider?

The Hammock Gear Economy Burrow 20 can be a compelling option for the budget-minded. Still, you'll need to be careful of the myriad of options you can select, as they can impact the price of your final quilt tremendously. We suggest ground dwellers at least pick the “wide” version of that quilt, as well as the pad attachment accessories. If you need the ultimate versatility of a full zipper, the Feathered Friends Flicker 40 UL is our go-to recommendation. If what you seek is a synthetic quilt at a similar price point, check out the Enlightened Equipment Revelation APEX 30, a synthetic quilt that may be a good pick for wetter climates.