Katabatic Palisade Ultralight Backpacking Quilt Review
10 YEARS OF USE OVER THOUSANDS OF MILES AND STILL GOING STRONG
March 5, 2024
Home > Gear Reviews > Backpacking and Thru Hiking
OUR VERDICT
Without hesitation, the Katabatic Palisade quilt is my favorite piece of backpacking gear. For me, it passes the ultimate gear test – if all of my gear was suddenly stolen out of my car today, what would I buy to replace it? The answer for me is my Katabatic Palisade. Every other piece of gear would require some thinking, but not my Palisade!
I've used the same Palisade quilt over the past ten years for thousands of miles:
Nights in the low teens on the Appalachian Trail
50F warmer nights on the Wonderland Trail where opening it up as a quilt kept me from overheating
From torrential rain to snow to desert
Short overnighters
Bikepacking trips
Multi-month thru-hikes (Appalachian Trail, Pacific Northwest Trail, Idaho Centennial Trail)
Throughout all of those conditions, the Palisade has been the best-performing piece of gear that I own. No other piece of gear has lasted 10 years – not even close. With the Palisade's ingenious features and quality construction, I give it my highest recommendation.
It’s also the winner of our best ultralight backpacking quilts story.
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SPECS
Temperature rating: 30F
Weight: 17.8 to 23.1 ounces (depending on size and down fill options)
Down fill options: 900 goose down, 850 ExpeDRY duck down, 900 ExpeDRY goose down
Shell fabric: Pertex Quantum Eco ripstop
Liner fabric: Pertex Quantum Taffeta
Available lengths: 5'6", 6', 6'6"
Available widths: regular or wide
Shoulder width: 54" (regular) or 58" (wide)
Hip width: 46" (regular) or 50" (wide)
Foot girth: 40" (regular) or 44" (wide)
Packed size: 4.5 liters (regular) or 6.5 liters (wide)
Price: $339 - $429 (depending on size and down fill)
WHAT WE LIKED
Conservative temperature rating. I've used it down to 12F and lived to write this review (I was wearing all my clothing). While ratings for quilts are subjective and there are no standards, I (and other testers) have found Katabatic to be conservative in their temperature rating. This stands out in a world where other manufacturers tend to exaggerate their temperature ratings.
The interior lining fabric is soft to the touch – not sticky or clammy.
Durability. After 10 years and thousands of miles, my Palisade still looks like new.
Water resistance. I've also used it in absolutely torrential overnight rain. The footbox got wet (the tent's fault), but I did not notice any loss of warmth. And my Palisade does not have the ExpeDRY water-resistant down (which wasn't an option when I bought my Palisade).
The pad attachment system is well designed and extremely effective.
The overstuffed foot box means my feet are never cold.
WHAT COULD BE BETTER
I wish it were available with a lighter-colored interior. Although it would show more dirt, it's easier to find ticks and spiders in your sleeping bag with a light background. And while black fabric dries faster, my fear of ticks wins out here. [To be fair, most quilts and sleeping bags have a dark interior.]
HOW WE TESTED
Testing the Katabatic Palisade in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness on the Blue Mountains Trail. Photo courtesy Naomi Hudetz
I used the same Katabatic Palisade on thru-hikes of the following trails over the past 10 years:
Appalachian Trail
Pacific Northwest Trail
Idaho Centennial Trail
Arizona Trail
Blue Mountains Trail
Oregon Desert Trail
Wonderland Trail
FEATURES
DURABILITY
After 10 years of use over thousands of miles, my Palisade is still going strong. It has needed no repairs. My partner, who also has the same quilt and is harder on his gear, uses Tenacious Tape to repair small punctures in the shell. I wash it regularly, but not too much. And I don't baby it – a requirement frequently needed with ultralight gear. Katabatic has somehow found a way to make something both ultralight and durable! In addition, I've noticed no loss of loft in 10 years.
COMFORTABLY LINER FABRIC
I'm picky when it comes to how something feels against my skin. I can remember down sleeping bags in the 90s that had that sticky, icky feeling – and I hated them. In contrast, the Palisade's liner is made from Pertex Quantum taffeta, which has an extremely soft feel against the skin. I don't worry about needing to wear tights or a long sleeve shirt when I sleep to avoid touching the liner fabric – in fact, it's the opposite. I actually like the feel of the liner fabric of the Palisade!
WARMTH-TO-WEIGHT RATIO
The Palisade has the one of the best warmth-to-weight ratios we've tested in an ultralight backpacking quilt. This means that most of the weight you're carrying will actually keep you warm.
ZIPPERLESS DESIGN
To save weight and eliminate a common failure point with gear, the Palisade is made without zippers. The foot box is sewn in, and the bottom is secured with Katabatic's patented pad attachment system.
PATENTED PAD ATTACHMENT SYSTEM
Katabatic's patented pad attachment system is ingenious. It also takes a little setup and practice, so I highly, highly recommend watching the instructional video and reading the product manual. Set up your sleep system and practice before you head out into the backcountry.
Here are a few tips I've learned over the years:
If you want the most freedom of movement and it isn't terribly cold, set the webbing straps to the widest position.
Mark the position of the cord clips on your sleeping pad before you leave home or tape them in place. This makes setting up your quilt at night a snap.
The cord clips should be fairly taut.
When it really gets cold, using the cord clips in the second position makes a huge difference in keeping out drafts and reducing the girth.
Your quilt does not wrap around your pad.
In short, their pad attachment system minimizes the dead air space while also allowing for freedom of movement when necessary. The locks have two positions – the first position allows for freedom of movement, and the second position locks in place when it's really cold.
Note that some users have reported problems with the pad attachment system when used with the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite sleeping pad. Our experience with the UberLite is that it is fragile and unreliable, so use caution here. I have not had an issue with the pad attachment system and the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT or the Therm-a-Rest XTherm NXT – and I've used the Palisade with those pads for thousands of miles.
ELASTIC BINDING
The sides of the Palisade are finished with an elastic binding to keep out cold drafts. This is something I may not have noticed if it hadn't been pointed out to me, and it's effective.
OVERSTUFFED DOWN COLLAR AND FOOT BOX
The Palisade's overstuffed foot box. Photo courtesy Naomi Hudetz
The Palisade's down collar and foot box are purposefully overstuffed. The overstuffed collar means that body heat is sealed inside the bag. It's noticeably fluffy and highly effective. I find that when my neck is warm, I feel warmer in general. The collar also has snaps to secure it in place when it's really cold.
The overstuffed foot box means my feet are always warm! In general, I've found that I do not need to sleep with socks on in my Palisade.
SEPARATE HOOD
Like most ultralight quilts, the Palisade doesn't have a hood. However, Katabatic sells down hoods separately (from 1.75 to 2.6 ounces) if you like to sleep with a hood on. With an internal drawcord, I've found it to be extremely comfortable. The removable underarm cords help keep the hood in place while you sleep – another ingenious and thoughtful feature..
TRAPEZOIDAL FOOT BOX
The foot box is shaped like a trapezoid such that there's ample space for your feet when you're sleeping on your back. One of our testers, with men's size 14 feet, says that the foot box is even big enough for him.
OVERFILL OPTION
For $10 per ounce, you can opt to add extra down to your quilt – up to 8 extra ounces of down fill. However, Katabatic states that "since the baffle height stays the same in an overfilled bag, the amount of warmth gained is limited to 5-10°F."
CONTINUOUS HORIZONTAL BAFFLES
The Palisade's baffles are continuous, which means that you can move and manipulate the down into the optimal position for the conditions. When I set up my camp at night, I always take a minute to fluff up my quilt, which gets the down to be more or less evenly distributed throughout the baffles. Then, when I'm inside my quilt, I'll move more of the down to the bottom of the quilt if I'm too warm or move the down to the top of the quilt if I'm too cold.
DIFFERENTIAL CUT
A differential cut means that the quilt's interior liner is cut smaller than the exterior shell. This is crucial for quilts because it means that the down can retain its loft when you need it most – when it's cold and you pull it tighter around your body.
Drying out the Katabatic Palisade ultralight backpacking quilt on the John Muir Trail
EXPEDRY WATER-RESISTANT DOWN
Katabatic offers 900 fill power ExpeDRY water-resistant down as a fill option. According to their website, ExpeDRY "works through a permanent and chemical-free bonding of non-toxic gold particles to the down cluster which aids in the evaporation of water molecules, causing the down to dry faster and stay dry in high humidity and extreme conditions." While this doesn't mean you can sleep in the rain without a tent, it will help your quilt dry faster when the inevitable dampness happens from condensation.
DURABLE WATER RESISTANT (DWR) FINISH
Further adding to water resistance is the durable water resistant (DWR) finish. DWR helps to shed rain and keep it away from the down fill. If you've ever seen water bead up on your rain jacket – that's likely DWR at work.
SUSTAINABILITY
RESPONSIBLY SOURCED DOWN
Katabatic sources all of their down from Allied Feather and Down. Allied's products are both bluesign and Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified. Both of these are extremely important to us here at Treeline.
RECYCLED FABRIC
We also like that the Palisade uses Pertex Quantum Eco fabric for the shell, which uses recycled materials. Pertex says that Quantum is "designed to trap still air and improve the efficiency of insulation" which allows "insulation to fully loft."
WHY USE A QUILT INSTEAD OF A SLEEPING BAG?
Using the Palisade to stay warm while sitting up. Photo courtesy Naomi Hudetz
The idea behind a quilt is that the insulation underneath you is compressed, losing all of its insulating properties. Down must have loft in order to insulate. So why carry all of that excess insulation weight when it provides no insulation? Some advantages of quilts over sleeping bags:
Quilts are lighter than comparable sleeping bags.
Quilts are smaller when compressed and take up less space in your pack.
Quilts allow for more freedom of movement than mummy bags.
Quilts can be a better option for plus size people (read more about outdoor gear for plus size people)
Quilts are more versatile and are easier to adjust to changing temperatures.
Because quilts use less materials, they are often less expensive than sleeping bags with similar warmth ratings.
On the downside:
Quilts take some getting used to.
They can take longer to set up at night.
They can let cold air drafts in if not used properly.
So ultimately it will be a personal decision. For me, the pros outweigh the cons. I switched to quilts in 2009, and I've never regretted it.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Keeping your down backpacking quilt clean is essential to its longevity and performance. We have a complete guide to washing a down sleeping bag, but in general, stick to the following tips:
Never dry clean your down sleeping quilt.
Wash it in a large front-loading washing machine without agitators or hand wash it in a bathtub.
Never use standard laundry detergent. Use a product specifically made for washing down, such as Nikwax Down Wash Direct.
Rinse it twice.
Dry it in an oversized dryer on low heat with clean tennis balls or wool dryer balls to break up the down clumps. It will take a lonnnng time to get all of the moisture out, so be patient.
Alternatively, you can send your quilt to be professionally washed by companies such as Rainy Pass Repair in Seattle.
Cowboy camping with the Palisade. Photo courtesy Liz Thomas
STORAGE
For long-term storage, make sure your quilt is clean and completely dry. Temperature and humidity controlled places are best – basements and garages are not ideal. Never store it compressed or in a plastic bag or container. With all of their quilts, Katabatic provides a breathable storage sack for long-term storage.
WARRANTY
Katabatic Gear offers a limited lifetime warranty "against defects in workmanship or materials." Normal wear and tear are not covered. I have not needed to use their warranty.
OTHER VERSIONS AVAILABLE
Wearing the Katabatic Alsek on the Elkhorn Crest Trail. Photo courtesy Naomi Hudetz
KATABATIC ALSEK 22F OR SAWATCH 15F QUILTS
If you sleep cold, or if you're looking for a quilt that extends further into the colder seasons, then take a look at the Katabatic Alsek (22F) or Sawatch (15F). I have used the Sawatch extensively, including camping on a frozen lake, and I've never been cold. When I pull out my Sawatch and see all of its fluffy glory, I know I'm going to be warm all night.
Pro tip: you can extend the temperature range of your quilt or sleeping bag by using a sleeping pad with a higher R-value. I've used my Palisade with a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT, and I was shocked by how much warmer I was than with the NeoAir XLite NXT. With a 7.3 R-value (compared with the XLite NXT's R-value of 4.5), I knew that it would be warmer with the XTherm NXT, but I didn't fully understand how much warmer until I actually experienced it.
KATABATIC ALSEK 22F BACKPACKING QUILT
KATABATIC SAWATCH 15F BACKPACKING QUILT
Katabatic also offers quilts that can be completely opened up, like a blanket, compared with the Elite Quilts (such as the Palisade), which have a sewn foot box. While there are pros and cons to both types of quilts (e.g., the Flex quilts have a small weight penalty but more flexibility), it usually comes down to personal preference and how you like to sleep.
KATABATIC FLEX QUILTS
OTHER BACKPACKING QUILTS TO CONSIDER
ENLIGHTENED EQUIPMENT ENIGMA
Temperature rating: 0F, 10F, 20F, 30F, 40F, and 50F
Weight: 14.2 to 24.0 ounces (depending on size, down fill, and shell options)
Down fill options: 850 duck down, 950 goose down
Shell and liner fabric: 20D, 10D, or 7D nylon
Available lengths: 5'6", 6', 6'6", 7'
Available widths: slim, regular, wide, extra wide
Packed size: 3.5 to 10 liters (depending on size and down fill)
Price: $345 - $415 (depending on size and down fill)
Similar in design to the Palisade, the Enlightened Equipment Enigma weighs slightly less. Like the Palisade, the Enigma has a sewn-in foot box, no zippers, and no hood. The Enigma offers a draft collar for an additional fee.
The Enigma has vertical baffles, compared with the Palisade's horizontal baffles. Vertical baffles are longer and create more opportunities for down migration and cold spots.
Another area the Enigma falls short is the pad attachment system. Katabatic's patented system 2-step is far superior to Enlightened Equipment's simple clips – and a good pad attachment system is key to using a quilt.
I also prefer the feel of the Palisade's liner fabric over the Enigma's.
ENLIGHTENED EQUIPMENT ENIGMA
Temperature rating: 10F, 20F, or 30F
Weight: 12.1 to 15.2 ounces (for 30F, depending on size)
Down fill options: DownTek 900
Shell and liner fabric: 7D nylon
Available lengths: 5'6", 6', 6'6"
Available widths: Slim, standard, broad
Price: $399 to $479, depending on size and width
With a sewn foot box, water-resistant down, lack of hood, and zipperless design, the Zpacks Solo Quilt has some similar features to the Palisade. However, notable differences include vertical baffles on the upper body and a rectangular foot box. We think the Katabatic wins out in both of these differences.
ZPACKS SOLO QUILT
Temperature rating: 26F
Weight: 17 ounces (6') or 19 ounces (6'6")
Down fill options: 850+ down
Shell fabric: 12D ExtremeLite nylon
Liner fabric: 10D nylon taffeta
Available lengths: 6', 6'6"
Available widths: regular only
Price: $500 (6') or $515 (6'6")
Similar in design to the Palisade, the Western Mountaineering AstraLite is rated as a 26F quilt. However, the AstraLite's fill weight is significantly less than the Palisade's:
12.0 ounces fill weight (Palisade 6' 850 fill power) vs. 10.5 ounces fill weight (AstraLite 6' 850 fill power) – the Palisade's fill weight is 14.3% higher than the AstraLite's
12.9 ounces fill weight (Palisade 6'6" 850 fill power) vs. 11.3 ounces fill weight (Astralite 6'6" 850 fill power) – the Palisade's fill weight is 14.2% higher than the AstraLite's
So, while the AstraLite is rated at 26F and the Palisade is rated 30F, the fill weight says otherwise.
WESTERN MOUNTAINEERING ASTRALITE 26F QUILT
ABOUT THE AUTHOR / WHY YOU SHOULD TRUST US
Naomi Hudetz is a thru-hiker and co-founder of Treeline Review. Naomi left her corporate career to pursue her passion for the outdoors. She received the Triple Crown award for completing the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trail and has hiked numerous other distance routes, including the Great Divide Trail across the Canadian Rockies (twice), Grand Enchantment Trail, Pacific Northwest Trail, the Arizona Trail, (most of) the Idaho Centennial Trail, the first known thru-hike of the Blue Mountains Trail, and the Oregon Desert Trail. She's hitchhiked on most of those trails.
She is the former Treasurer of the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West and is based in White Salmon, Washington.
You can read Naomi’s Treeline Review stories on her author page.
