THERM-A-RESTNEOAIRALL

SEASON

IT'S funny - I've spent most of mylife warning people off airbeds,because in general they're tooheavy, and they offer no insulationfrom the cold ground beneath you.That of course is why backpackershave traditionally gone for closed-cell foam mats a la Karrimat, orfor luxurious inflatable foam-filledmats such as those pioneeredby Therm-A-Rest In recentyears, however, new advances inlightweight fabrics have seen arenaissance in airbeds_Now from Therm-A-Rest comes

a completely different take onthe airbed. Like the hadtiooalTherm-A-Rest mattress. it's madefrom coated fabric with a chunkyplastic valve, but i1stead of foam,the inside is partitioned 0= suoover 100 internal cells.. Arrangedin a triangular matrix. tre bagesare made from a heat~material, and about 20 oece-t-sized puffs gets it infia-..ea.. There's a range of Neo.- .mattresses to cater roc ~heights and types of USE. -'"I: ereI tried is the regular All Seasi:rmattress, which tips the scaesat 540 gms, and inflates to~s Iicms thick. The Nylon base facTi:has.a slightly "sticky" SI.rface ':icrIensures it doesn't sIit:her ~on your tent groundshee:.the top surface is a so;";: on ~which is comfortable to rretouch. Even lying on it na..r.ec. JWcan feel it warm up I:Jeream jU!

almost instantly. There's a r.E!fS'SJminus inasmuch as you 00get aslight rustley crisp pacfr.ffi . ""Cof sound from the ba;'\es as J"Xmove about, but becaJse 'O.!reso comfortable, yooteR:: ;;n -:D'<'Eabout a lot less artjWirj_

VERDICT Abrilliantii!a.in:iDa:o:i!'it's won a number of~2JIiEC5Paisdownalotsmallerthan~~mats, too,soa bigsaviIl:mr' 1sa \;s, a =Expect to pay E12SOO-bwww.thermarest.mm

LIGHTWEIGHT TENT TESTM

1MIS particular model was newlast year, but it's been sometime since I looked at an MSRtent: The name Nook conjuresup impressions of somethingdiminutive, but while the tent hasbeen designed to cope with theless spacious pitches you mightfind out in the wilds, it's not at theexpense of liveability.MSR is based in the US capital

of outdoors gear, Seattle. So it'sno surprise that the tent pitchesinner first, or that the inner hasplenty of mesh panels to make useon its own a pleasant experienceon a balmy summer night. Themain frame has a ridge with hoopacross the front of the tent, andthe poles are all convenientlylinked up. It's easiest to peg outthe groundsheet first - the pegsare three-section alloy stakes,which can be a little hard on thehands when you push them intothe ground, but once in, they haveconsiderably more gripping powerthan your average wire peg. Theinner tent clips to the frame, withan additional pole section clippedacross the ridge into the roof ofthe inner. It's this that creates a lotmore headroom inside.The fly simply throws over the

top, with Velcro tabs to attach toeach pole, quick-release bucklesat the tail, and webbing strips witheyelets to attach under the polefeet at the front. And with that"ifth and final peg in at the front to

stretch out the porch, the tent isup! It doesn't come with any guys,but there are several attachmentpoints should you wish to add yourown. The flysheet door is fastenedwith a water-resistant zip, with twopullers, so you can open from thetop for ventilation. There's a venton each side. I rather like the neatway reinforcements on flysheet~tress points are laminated ratherthan stitched.Flysheet and inner doors are

kept rolled back by loop and togglefastenings. The porch isn't thatbig, although there's enough roominside to cater for everything otherthan what really needs to stayoutside. If you really want extraspace, £140 buys you a newly-launched extra porch extensioncalled the Gear Shed, which givesyou more underfly storage withoutimpeding access.Inside the inner, there's a Tardis-

like feel, largely down to the steepwalls and good headroom welltowards the tail of the tent, so twocan sit up comfortably withouthaving to be very close friends!There's a hand-sized mesh pocketon each side of the door to keepsmaller items from going astray,and in the ceiling hanging loopsa-plenty .•

VE.RDleT This is really almed atbackpackers camping wild, but of courseit's still fine on a site. It's not cheap, but your£320 is buying you top quality materials. inadesign that is both light and versatile.

II2 berth

illl.S9kg

CJSet up inSmins

Ridge

Price £320.00Size+ 307cm x 127cm+ Inner 223cm x 127cm(96cm)

Packed size 51cm x 15cmMaterials+ Outer 200 ripstopNylon OurashieldPU coated inside andsiliconised outside.1.000mm

+ Inner 200 ripstopNylon and 200 Nylonmicromesh+Groundsheet400 ripstop NylonDurashield PU coating.3.000mm

.. Poles Alloy OACGreenAnodised

.. Pegs 5 anodised alloystakes

~ www.msrgear.com; 01629580484for stockists

campingmagazine.co.uk September 2013 CBmpIng [*__ 1

9/4/13 grough — On test: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir All Season sleep mat and Antares 20 sleeping bag

www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2013/09/04/on-test-therm-a-rest-neoair-all-season-sleep-mat-and-antares-20-sleeping-bag 1/5

Bob Smith, Editor

Wednesday 04 September 2013 12:19 AM GMT

Last updated at Wednesday 04 September 2013 12:21 AM

GMT

Jump to comments

MAGAZINE / GEAR / ON TEST: THERM-A-REST NEOAIR ALL SEASON SLEEP MAT AND ANTARES 20SLEEPING BAG

On test: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir All Season sleepmat and Antares 20 sleeping bag

Therm-a-Rest

NeoAir All Season

sleeping mat

Country ofmanufacture:IrelandWeight: 540gPrice: £125Colour: greenMaterial: top: 75denier polyester;;bottom 70 deniernylon;; inner: nylonSize (R) 51 x 183cm (20 x 72 inches)

Therm-a-Rest

Antares 20 down sleeping bag

Country of manufacture: ChinaWeight: 890gPrice: £250Colour: orange/greyMaterial: outer, 30 denier nylon with durable water repellent treatment;; lining, 30 denier nylon;;filling, 750+ goose downSize (R) 198 cm length x 158 cm circumference at shoulderTemperature rating: EN comfort 1C;; EN limit –5C;; EN extreme –22C

Therm-a-Rest became a by-word for the self-inflating sleeping mat, though they always benefitedfrom a little help from the lungs.

Things have moved on a lot from those early days and, courtesy of the Seattle-based company,we tested the latest inflatable sleeping mat, the NeoAir All Season, along with one of Therm-a-Rest’s new sleeping bags.

We used the Antares 20 sleeping bag together with the NeoAir All Season mat for one simplereason: they’re designed to work with each other.

Therm-a-Rest has ditched the bottom layer of insulation fill in the sleeping bag;; it has only afabric base. This allows more down to be distributed on the top of the bag and at the sides whilekeeping weight down.

The top has 70 per cent of the down and the sides 30 per cent. Obviously, this means you needsomething to stop your body heat escaping downwards into the ground when camping, and that’swhere the NeoAir mattress comes in.

The two items use Therm-a-Rest’s SynergyLink connectors to strap the bag to the mat. These

Sign in Register

RSS grough

groughmag

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Your account

Advertise on this site

Follow our updates

Most recent Commented

Lake District bosses hit back at GeorgeMonbiot's 'sheepwrecked' claims

Government offers £1m cash to boost urbanwalking in Cycling Cities

On test: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir All Season sleepmat and Antares 20 sleeping bag

Don't get caught out by rising river levels,mountain experts warn

Kendal Mountain Festival short films havechance of Channel 4 showing

Penrith mountain rescuers on lookout for newteam members

Pen y Pass hostel closes for six-month £1.3mrefurbishment

Bothy charity chairman John Arnott praisesvolunteers' 1,200 hours' work

Pontneddfechan rescue prompts warningdaylight getting shorter

MAGAZINE ROUTE ACCOUNT DISCUSSION LINKS ABOUT Search articles...

The Therm-a-Rest Antares 20 sleeping bag

9/4/13 grough — On test: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir All Season sleep mat and Antares 20 sleeping bag

www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2013/09/04/on-test-therm-a-rest-neoair-all-season-sleep-mat-and-antares-20-sleeping-bag 2/5

are two stretchy fabric bands onthe bottom of the bag that wraparound the mat to keep the twotogether.

The advantage of this in practice isthat you don’t suffer from that all-too-common mid-sleep annoyanceof finding you and your sleepingbag have parted company with themat and you are now sleeping ona cold ground sheet.

The Neo-Air All Season airmattress can, of course, be usedwith any sleeping bag. It has atough feeling polyester and nylonouter with a series of internalbaffles arranged, Therm-a-Restsays, so that body heat is reflectedback upwards and the cold risingfrom the ground is kept down.

The mattress takes about 20 goodsized breaths to inflate. Stop half-way and close the valve, then rollthe mat so the air is forced intothe bottom part. Then open thevalve again and complete theinflation.

If you find it’s a bit too firm, justopen the valve briefly to let someair out. As soon as you lie on theNeoAir All Season, you can feel itsinsulating properties.

If it’s cold and you’re worriedabout condensation building insidethe mat from exhaled breath, the

mat’s stuff sackdoubles as aninflator by attachingthe plastic end tothe mat’s valve,then squeezing airfrom the sack intothe bag. However,this is a bit laboriousand slow andinflating the mat bymouth is mucheasier.

The NeoAir hasmore than 100internal cells withreflective barriers, giving it an R-value of 4.9. To give you some idea of what that means, a basicclosed-cell foam sleep mat would typically have an R value of a little over 2.

Anyone accustomed to the Spartan comfort of a self-inflating mat or even a simple foam mat willbe delighted at the comfort the NeoAir All Season mat gives.

Its 6.3cm (2½-inch) air-filled cushioning makes for a very comfortable night’s sleep, both interms of warmth and support. The surface isn’t slippery either and, as the bag is strapped to the

Print view Share

Page options

Advertise on this site

The SynergyLink straps keep the sleeping bag anchored to the

mat

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir All Season sleeping mattress provides comfort and

warmth

9/4/13 grough — On test: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir All Season sleep mat and Antares 20 sleeping bag

www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2013/09/04/on-test-therm-a-rest-neoair-all-season-sleep-mat-and-antares-20-sleeping-bag 3/5

mat, it stays in place as you move around during sleep.

Out on the trail, we used the bag and mattress in a variety of temperatures between a mildsummer night and a cool, windy early autumn night.

The Antares 20 is definitely a three-season bag and a warmish night during this unusually goodsummer meant a bit of overheating, but this was easily cured by partly unzipping the bag anduncovering until the correct amount of warmth was gained.

The bag has a good,smooth-runningtwo-way zip so canbe opened from thebottom to providesome ventilationtoo.

As the temperaturedropped, thesleeping bag cameinto its own. It israted for comfort at1C and its lowerlimit is –7C. Wenever felt cold inany of the

conditions when we used the Antares 20 with the NeoAir All Season mat.

The Antares has Therm-a-Rest’s Efficient Comfort Fit, which has extra space at the shoulders andhips but is narrow at places such as the feet and head to increase warmth. What this means isthat the bag pretty much stays put when you roll on to your side to sleep, rather than rotatingwith you, a good feature that adds to the sleeping comfort.

It has neck padding to help stop heat escape and the hood has a drawstring. The sleeping bagalso has a small, zipped stash pocket, large enough to take a smartphone.

The Antares comes with a large storage bag to keep it in when at home, so it’s not compressed,and a stuff sack for when you’re on the trail. Having down fill rather than synthetic insulationmeans it compresses down very small, a boon for backpacking.

One drawback of thestuff sack, however,is that it doesn’thave a spider tokeep it compressed,so the bag tends toslowly expand afteryou’ve got it intothe sack. Stuffingthe whole thing intoa confined part ofyour rucksack willkeep it nicelycompressed though,we found.

Equally, the NeoAirmat takes up little space. In its stuff sack, it measures about 20 x 8 cm (8 x 5 inches).

The bag and mat combined weigh less than 1.5kg, an acceptable weight in our view for thecomfort they provide.

The NeoAir All Season is a fairly narrow mat at 51cm, though we found that presented noproblems.

The Antares sleeping bag and NeoAir mattress work well together to provide

warmth

The Antares packs down small but the stuffsack allows it to expand a little

9/4/13 grough — On test: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir All Season sleep mat and Antares 20 sleeping bag

www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2013/09/04/on-test-therm-a-rest-neoair-all-season-sleep-mat-and-antares-20-sleeping-bag 4/5

There is a larger version available at 63cm which also has an extra length that shouldaccommodate those over six feet tall.

The Therm-a-Rest sleeping bagand mat provided untroubledsleeping on our travels and thequality and design are as good aswe have come to expect from thebrand.

Of course, you don’t have to usethe two together. The NeoAir AllSeason mat in particular is aversatile piece of kit providingcomfort and warmth with a smallpack size and reasonable weight.

The Antares 20 sleeping bag couldalso be used with other insulatingsleep mats too, as the stretchstraps under it shouldaccommodate most mats. Justremember there is no insulationunder the body, so make sure youchoose a mat that will keep thecold out.

Therm-a-Rest’s venture into thesleeping bag market can, wereckon, be gauged a success andthe NeoAir All Season matcontinues the innovation andquality for which the brand isknown.

Down bags need to be kept dry asthe insulation won’t work well if

the filling clumps when it gets wet, but the Antares has a DWR treatment and we didn’texperience any problems during our tests.

And the mat comes with a puncture repair kit in case of mishaps.

The Antares 20 compares well weight-wise with similar down bags offering similar comforttemperatures, because of its clever construction, and is priced competitively too for a sleeping bagof its specs.

The NeoAir All Season mat is at the top end of the sleeping mat price scale, but its comfort andwarmth make it a great addition to a backpacker’s pack.

More details are on the Therm-a-Rest website.

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir All Season sleeping mat

Warmth 33/35Comfort 33/35Design 8/10Quality 8/10Value for money 5/10Total score: 88/100

Therm-a-Rest Antares 20 sleeping bag

Warmth 31/35Comfort 33/35Design 8/10

Therm-a-Rest Antares sleeping bag and NeoAir All Season mat

9/4/13 grough — On test: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir All Season sleep mat and Antares 20 sleeping bag

www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2013/09/04/on-test-therm-a-rest-neoair-all-season-sleep-mat-and-antares-20-sleeping-bag 5/5

ADD YOUR

OPINION...

Some comments areautomatically held forreview before publication

Your comments on this article...

Name

E-mail address (this will not be published)

Quality 8/10Value for money 7/10Total score: 87/100

Some articles the site thinks might be related:

1. On test: Therm-a-Rest LuxuryLite UltraLite Cot

2. New Snugpak sleeping bags feature built-in mosquito nets

3. Award-winning sleeping bags have built-in reading light

4. Anti-allergen certification for Trangoworld self-inflating mattresses

All content is copyright © grough.co.uk 2006-2012, unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved.

'grough Limited' is registered in England and Wales. Registered number 06881144. Registered office 2 Spring Wells, Oakworth, Keighley, BD22 0QZ.

Our organisation

Contact us

Site staff and reporters

Who are we?

Send us details of an event

grough on Facebook

grough on Twitter

This site

Advertise on this site

Syndication and feeds

Manage your account

Register an account

Legal

Terms and conditions

Privacy policy

Ethical policy

Comment

Name

E-mail address

9/18/13 And the winner is….. Therm-a-Rest LuxuryLite Ultralite Cot

www.adventurebikerider.com/forum/36-competitions/262632-and-the-winner-is-therm-a-rest-luxurylite-ultralite-cot.html 2/4

#262632

Adventure Bike Rider Forum Forum COMPETITIONSAnd the winner is….. Therm-a-Rest LuxuryLite Ultralite Cot (1 viewing) (1) Guest

REPLY TOPIC NEW TOPIC Page: 1

TOPIC: And the winner is….. Therm-a-Rest LuxuryLite Ultralite Cot

And the winner is….. Therm-a-Rest LuxuryLite Ultralite Cot

2 days, 19 hours ago

Abs1

OFFLINE

250cc

Posts: 63

Thank you to all those who entered our recent competition to win aTherm-a-Rest LuxuaryLite Ultralite cot.

The Therm-a-Rest LuxuryLite UltraLite Cot allows you to campanywhere in luxury comfort. At only 1.24 kg, and compact enough tofit into your panniers, ensuring comfortable nights on the road. Thewaterproof and stretch-free fabric bed offers consistent supportwithout ridges, bumps or sags, while anodized aluminium poles andlightweight nylon feet will stand up to heavy use. Maximum weightload is 158.8 kg, and users under 78 kg can assemble the cot withonly four bows, reducing the packed weight and size. You can use itwith your sleeping pad for insulation and added comfort.

To be in with a chance to win this prize, we asked you the followingquestion:

In which country is this product manufactured?

The correct answer is Ireland (although some the cots are also

9/18/13 And the winner is….. Therm-a-Rest LuxuryLite Ultralite Cot

www.adventurebikerider.com/forum/36-competitions/262632-and-the-winner-is-therm-a-rest-luxurylite-ultralite-cot.html 3/4

REPLY QUOTE

#262651

REPLY QUOTE

#262698

The correct answer is Ireland (although some the cots are alsomanufactured in the USA, so we have accepted both answers ascorrect entries).

As usual, we received a huge amount of entries to this competitionbut this time, there can only be one winner. We are pleased toannounce that the winner of a new Therm-a-Rest LuxuryLliteUltraLite Cot is.... Mike Tomlinson(aka Barnman). Congratulations,Mike! Your prize will be on its way to you shortly.

To all of who missed out on this great prize, don’t worry. You can stillenter our latest ABR online competition to win a Heine GerickeSummit Gore-Tex performance jacket worth over £500! You do notwant to miss out on that one!

The competition closes on Thursday 26th September 2013 and thelucky winner will be announced on this website on Monday 30thSeptember 2013.

Good luck, ABRs and watch this space!

The following user(s) said Thank You: Barnman

Re: And the winner is….. Therm-a-Rest LuxuryLite Ultralite Cot

2 days, 18 hours ago

Stuartw

OFFLINE

50cc

Posts: 14

Well done Mike, lucky man

Very good price

The following user(s) said Thank You: Barnman

Re: And the winner is….. Therm-a-Rest LuxuryLite Ultralite Cot

2 days, 16 hours ago

Barnman That's great news Abeer.

9/18/13 And the winner is….. Therm-a-Rest LuxuryLite Ultralite Cot

www.adventurebikerider.com/forum/36-competitions/262632-and-the-winner-is-therm-a-rest-luxurylite-ultralite-cot.html 4/4

REPLY QUOTE

... COMPETITIONS Go

OFFLINE

1200cc

Posts: 380

Hopefully I will get to try it out at Ullapool as I am still hopeful that Iwill be able to make it to the rally.

REPLY TOPIC NEW TOPIC Page: 1

Adventure Bike Rider Forum Forum COMPETITIONS

Powered by Kunena

Time to create page: 0.26 seconds

(http://facebook.com/kitwiredotcom)

(http://kitwire.com)

Home (http://kitwire.com) Apparel (http://kitwire.com/category/news/apparel/)

Equipment (http://kitwire.com/category/news/equipment/) Technology (http://kitwire.com/category/news/technology/)

Home (http://kitwire.com) News (http://kitwire.com/category/news/) Equipment

(http://kitwire.com/category/news/equipment/) 2014 Therm-a-Rest Womens Sleeping Bags

(http://kitwire.com/2014-therm-

rest-womens-sleeping-

bags/tar_adara_w_frontback_l/)

(http://kitwire.com/2014-therm-

rest-womens-sleeping-

bags/tar_capella_w_frontback_l/)

(http://kitwire.com/2014-therm-

rest-womens-sleeping-

bags/tar_mira_w_frontback_l/)

Previous

2014 Therm-a-Rest Womens Sleeping Bags

Posted by: kitwire (http://kitwire.com/author/admin/) , September 9, 2013

In 2014, Therm-a-Rest expands its award-winning sleeping bag line with the addition of three sleeping bagsmeticulously designed to meet the unique needs of women and provide them with the best possible night’srest outdoors. Therm-a-Rest’s Synergy-Link™ mattress connectors and innovative ThermaCapture™technology set the new women’s sleeping bags apart from the competition. The SynergyLink Connectors—two patent pending bands that fit mattresses up to 25 inches (63 cm) wide—keep the bag and mattresssecurely aligned to eliminate problems with sliding, twisting, and cold spots. ThermaCapture is a proprietaryreflective lining that captures thebody’s radiant heat, amplifying warmth without the weight and bulk ofadditional conventional insulations. The reflective technology, also used in the brand’s popular NeoAir™mattresses, allows the bags to rank among the lightest in their temperature rating.

“These new women’s sleeping bags have to be some of the most well-thought-out sleeping bags on themarket,” said Doug Jacot, vice president of Therm-a-Rest. “Every aspect of the design was scrutinized throughour in-house cold chamber testing and by our team of testers in the field. Our tireless work resulted indesigns that provide women the most warmth and comfort possible in bags that are extremely light andpack-able.”

The sleeping bags feature a unique, women-specific Efficient Comfort Fit with extra room in the torso andhips to allow greater freedom of movement—particularly when side sleeping. The bags are cut slightly closerin the shoulders, head, and feet to maximize warmth. A trapezoidal foot box with Toe-Asis™ foot warmerpocket allows women to rapidly warm cold feet while an overfilled hood, draft collar with drawcord, full-length zipper draft tube, and box-baffled down and shingled EraLoft™ synthetic insulation options maximizethe warmth provided by ThermaCapture technology. Zoned insulation prioritizes high-loft fill throughout thebag’s top to trap rising warm air. Each bag comes with a smaller amount of fill in the bag’s bottom that worksin tandem with a three-season sleeping pad to provide users with extra warmth. The result: A bag that’s tuned

Popula r Recent Comments Tags

(http://kitwire.com/arcteryx-

chilcotin-packs/)

July 19, 2013

(http://kitwire.com/fat-face-

winjim-competition/)

July 3, 2013

(http://kitwire.com/montane-

prism-sleeping-bag/)

July 19, 2013

Arc’teryx Chilcotin Packs(http://kitwire.com/arcteryx-chilcotin-packs/)

Fat Face WinJim Competition(http://kitwire.com/fat-face-winjim-competition/)

Montane Prism Sleeping Bag(http://kitwire.com/montane-prism-sleeping-bag/)

Tag Cloud

#winjim (http://kitwire.com/tag/winjim/)

adidas (http://kitwire.com/tag/adidas/)

Apparel (http://kitwire.com/tag/apparel/)

Arc’teryx (http://kitwire.com/tag/arcteryx/)

arnette (http://kitwire.com/tag/arnette/)

B-Line (http://kitwire.com/tag/b-line/)

Backpack (http://kitwire.com/tag/backpack/)

brandifesto(http://kitwire.com/tag/brandifesto/)

Share!

to match the female body’s natural resting position, stays firmly attached to the pad, and delivers optimalcomfort and warmth. The three new women’s sleeping bags debuting at this summer’s OutDoor Fair inFriedrichshafen, Germany and Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City, Utah are:

• Mira Women’s 15°F/-9°C: At 1lb. 12 oz. (820g), the 750-fill goose down with ThermaCapture Mira bagprovides ultralight and compact three-season comfort for women. UK RRP £330.00 – 345.00 / IRL RRP: €389.95– 409.95

• Adara Women’s 0°F/-18°C: At 2 lbs. 6 oz. (1090g), the 750-fill goose down with ThermaCapture bag provideslight and compressible cold-weather for four season comfort. UK RRP: £420.00 – 435.00 / IRL RRP: €499.95 –519.95

• Capella Women’s 20°F/-7°C: The 2lbs. 12 oz. (1250g) Capella bag features Therm-a-Rest’s EraLoft™ syntheticinsulation—a proprietary blend of fibers that provide superior warmth, loft and durability—for three-seasonwarmth with all-weather performance for women. UK RRP £160.00 – 165.00 / IRL RRP: €199.95 – 209.95

The 2014 line of Therm-a-Rest Women’s sleeping bags will be sold online and at retail stores in January 2014.For more information visit the Therm-a-Rest (http://bit.ly/14Gy3NW) Website or follow them on Twitter(http://bit.ly/14GyaJf) or like their page on Facebook (http://on.fb.me/14GyhV9)

Tags: 2014 (http://kitwire.com/tag/2014/), Sleeping Bags (http://kitwire.com/tag/sleeping-bags/), Therm-a-Rest(http://kitwire.com/tag/therm-a-rest/)

Leave a Reply

Enter your comment here...

(//pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkitwire.com%2F2014-therm-rest-womens-sleeping-bags%2F&media=http%3A%2F%2Fkitwire.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F09%2FTAR_Adara_ZipperDetail_l-1024x731.jpg&guid=iXw0Mm2iJ6qT-0&description=2014%20Therm-

1

Social

camping (http://kitwire.com/tag/camping/)

chasing mavricks(http://kitwire.com/tag/chasing-mavricks/)

climatic (http://kitwire.com/tag/climatic/)

climbing (http://kitwire.com/tag/climbing/)

Eagle Creek (http://kitwire.com/tag/eagle-creek/)

equipment (http://kitwire.com/tag/equipment-2/)

fat face (http://kitwire.com/tag/fatface/)

haglofs (http://kitwire.com/tag/haglofs/)

Jacket (http://kitwire.com/tag/jacket/)

Kabru (http://kitwire.com/tag/kabru/)

lifestyle (http://kitwire.com/tag/lifestyle/)

montane (http://kitwire.com/tag/montane/)

Mountain Biking(http://kitwire.com/tag/mountain-biking/)

Pertex (http://kitwire.com/tag/pertex/)

Platypus (http://kitwire.com/tag/platypus/)

Pod (http://kitwire.com/tag/pod/)

Primaloft (http://kitwire.com/tag/primaloft/)

rock guide (http://kitwire.com/tag/rock-guide/)

running (http://kitwire.com/tag/running/)

Saltrock (http://kitwire.com/tag/saltrock/)

Siouxon (http://kitwire.com/tag/siouxon/)

skate (http://kitwire.com/tag/skate/)

slackcruiser(http://kitwire.com/tag/slackcruiser/)

slacklining (http://kitwire.com/tag/slacklining/)

Sleeping Bags (http://kitwire.com/tag/sleeping-bags/)

snowboard(http://kitwire.com/tag/snowboard/)

sunglasses(http://kitwire.com/tag/sunglasses/)

surfing (http://kitwire.com/tag/surfing/)

Technology(http://kitwire.com/tag/technology/)

tents (http://kitwire.com/tag/tents/)

terex scope (http://kitwire.com/tag/terex-scope/)

The North Face (http://kitwire.com/tag/the-north-face/)

trailblazer (http://kitwire.com/tag/trailblazer/)

trousers (http://kitwire.com/tag/trousers/)

Vaude (http://kitwire.com/tag/vaude/)

volcom (http://kitwire.com/tag/volcom/)

walking (http://kitwire.com/tag/walking/)

Archives

September 2013

July 2013

9/6/13 Gear Review: Three Season Sleeping Bags | Walkhighlands news & reviews

www.walkhighlands.co.uk/news/gear-review-three-season-sleeping-bags/009377/ 1/5

Gear Review: Three Season SleepingBagsPosted on by

While it’s a convenient categorisation there’s no doubt that the traditional seasonalsleeping bag rating system (where sleeping bags are designated one, two, three,four or even five season) is highly subjective, and the introduction of thestandardised EN13537 testing procedure was designed to make things a bit simplerfor the consumer. Thanks to the variances in the way people sleep (a hot or coldsleeper, a side, back or front position, male or female, whether you’ve just eaten etc)I’m not convinced that it is. Nonetheless, put simply, the EN13537 Comfort rating isthe lowest temperature that a woman can sleep for eight hours without waking up,the Lower Limit is the lowest temperature that a man can sleep comfortably, and theExtreme rating shows the minimum temperature that a woman can survive in for sixhours. These test are conducted by the use of heated mannequins in a lab wearing aspecific combination of clothing, and while they may not be 100% accurate, they offera good basis for comparison between different models. Of course, being an ENrating this only applies to European manufacturers, but some US companies areadopting the ratings.

For convenience I’m going to assume that a three season sleeping bag – used innon-winter conditions in the UK – should have a Comfort rating in the region of 0°Cto -5°C. Through experience you’ll discover how you sleep in the outdoors, andwhether you can get away with a slightly higher rated bag or need to carry a winterbag in the height of summer.

Then there’s the choice of a down or synthetic insulated bag. Down is expensive, buttends to last longer if looked after and offers greater warmth-to-weight andpackability than synthetic insulation (though synthetics are catching up rapidly).Down becomes particularly useless if soaked, so there is a recent move towardsdown treated with a waterproof coating to help keep moisture at bay. Down fill powermeasures the ability of the down to loft or trap air, so bags with a higher fill power aremore resilient to compression and will require less insulation by weight to provide thesame level of warmth as lower quality down.

Helen and I will be looking at a variety of sleeping bags in this review and ourphysiologies couldn’t be more different (Helen is a petite female and I’m a large

Jackets Trousers Midlayers Baselayers Tents andcamping Footwear Rucksacks

Archive

SEARCH

September 5, 2013 Phil Turner

Viewpointwith Cameron

McNeish

GearReviews

Walking polesMagellan GPSHatsGlovesSocksDrybags

2013 (176)

September (3)August (18)July (24)June (19)May (14)April (31)March (23)February (27)January (17)

2012 (274)2011 (376)2010 (274)2009 (126)

9/6/13 Gear Review: Three Season Sleeping Bags | Walkhighlands news & reviews

www.walkhighlands.co.uk/news/gear-review-three-season-sleeping-bags/009377/ 2/5

RRP £340

RRP £85

male) though sadly there are a relatively small number of woman-specific sleepingbags on the market.

Terra Nova Voyager 800A good no-frills down sleepingbag, Terra Nova only state theComfort and Extreme temperatureratings for the Voyager range.Nonetheless, thanks to the 375gof good quality down packed intothe bag, it should be suitable formost to just below freezing. Theshell fabric is proprietery nylonand feels rugged where otherbrands make use of thinnerbranded fabrics like Pertex. Butthen Terra Nova know a thing ortwo about fabrics and the weight

to durability ratio feels pretty good in this case. Most of the usual features arepresent including a thick zip baffle, but oddly there’s no neck baffle. I’m not sure ifthis is a weight-saving ommission or a means of reducing construction complexity,but I’d rather a neck baffle than the reflective strip that runs along the zip. Thankfullythe hood drawcord can be cinched in tightly to make an effective seal, and whilethere is just the one length – 215cm – the fit is close enough to prevent excessivedead space. Oh, and a minor point – the minimalist stuff sack is a nightmare withcold fingers, it feels flimsy and was quickly discarded for a slightly bigger one at theexpense of a few grams. It’s a lightweight and rugged option, but there are betteroptions for the money.

Insulation: 800 fill power down Temp Rating: Comfort: 0°C, Extreme: -15°C Weight:843g

Snugpak Chrysalis 3Firstly – look at the price. A hugeadvantage of synthetic insulationis the ability to keep the pricedown, and in the case of theChrysalis 3 from UK-basedSnugpak you get a lot for thisrelatively modest outlay. The bagis the classic mummy shape, witha water-resistant, breathableParatex lining and shell, andenough Softie insulation to givinga Comfort rating of -5°C, which isideal for UK non-winter use. Otherfeatures include a little LED lightsewn into the hood which makes a nice reading light and is removable and thebatteries replaceable. An expansion system – consisting of an additional zip and

2008 (77)

9/6/13 Gear Review: Three Season Sleeping Bags | Walkhighlands news & reviews

www.walkhighlands.co.uk/news/gear-review-three-season-sleeping-bags/009377/ 3/5

RRP £360

RRP £200

insulated panel – allows the bag girth to be easily varied, and a basic hook and looparrangement enables the bottom of the bag to be folded back and secured. Thesemeasures ensure that smaller users aren’t trying to heat an excess of empty spacewithin the bag, as well as making it ideal for growing children. These features soonadd up though, and at 1600g it’s far from lightweight, and despite the compressionsack doesn’t pack down particularly small. Regardless – at £85 for a -5°C rated bagwith this level of features the Chrysalis 3 is extremely good value.

Insulation: Softie (synthetic) Temp rating: Comfort: -5°C, Extreme: -10°C Weight:1600g

Mammut Sphere UL 3-Season

By acquiring the Ajungilak brand Mammut haveobtained access to a long heritage of insulationtechnology. The Sphere UL line represents arange of excellent minimalist down sleeping bags,of which the 3-Season model is an ideal do-it-allbag for the UK backpacker. There’s 500g of high

quality goose down arrangedwithin wave-shaped baffles whichstops the down moving aroundinside the bag and causing coldspots. Both inner and outer fabricis thin but weather-resistant andbreathable 20 denier ripstop nylonwhich resists down escapeattempts as well as spilled tea.This is the snuggest sleeping bagreviewed – it’s hard to supplementthe temperature rating withadditional insulated clothing, andthose that like to move around

within the bag should look elsewhere. With this close fit in mind it’s important toselect the correct length too – 180cm or 195cm. The hood has a thin brim whichseems to offer increased protection while maintaining visibility and the three-quarterlength zip flows freely and is easy to operate thanks to a simple cord zip pull. It’sbacked by an insulated baffle, whereas the neck is sealed by a simple cordlock –combined with the snug fit and hood cinch the lack of insualted neck baffle isn’t aproblem here. The weight is excellent given the quantity of down and temperaturerating, and small packed size (in a sensible stuff sack) make this a great buy.

Insulation: 850 fill power goose down Temp Rating: Comfort: -1°C, Lower: -7°C,Extreme: -24°C Weight: 800g

Kelty Ignite DriDown 20 A £200 down bag is an excellent deal, made even better by the use of down treatedwith a hydrophobic coating which helps prevent the porridge effect that can occurwhen down gets soaked. In order to achieve this low price, cheaper and lower quality

9/6/13 Gear Review: Three Season Sleeping Bags | Walkhighlands news & reviews

www.walkhighlands.co.uk/news/gear-review-three-season-sleeping-bags/009377/ 4/5

RRP: £350

RRP: £250

600 fill power duck down hasbeen used in preference to goosedown and this fill, along with 30and 50 denier fabrics - addssome weight and bulk and haslead to a relatively high weight ofjust over 1300g. The hardware ispractical and durable and there isboth neck and zip baffles as wellas a generous cut which permitsmovement within the bag withoutthe bag feeling too loose. Thetemperature ratings feel fair anddespite the lower-cost hardwareand fabrics there isn’t any indication that corners have been cut – just a thoughtfulapproach to economical performance. The price and quality is impressive and therecan’t be a better hydrophobic down bag at this price, but the weight and bulk meanthat there are better options for backpacking use.

Insulation: 600 fill power DriDown Temp Rating: Comfort: -2°C, Lower: -9°C Weight:1320g

Rab Neutrino Endurance 600 WomensThe only specific women’s bagtested, the cut is shorter in lengthand also wider at the hips than themen’s version, and was certainly acomfortable fit for me with plentyof wiggle room and space to sleepon your side. The outer is fromPertex Endurance which has goodwater resistance (and is thereforeslightly less breathable), and theliner is soft (and thinner) PertexQuantum fabric. With a fill weight

of 600g it is pretty warm and I’d use it in all but the colder British conditions. Themummy shape is highly tapered but due to the angled foot box there still seemed tobe plenty of room for the feet to shift about and lie comfortably without producing anycold spots. A baffle and anti-snag tape cover the 3/4 length YKK branded zip (lefthand zip only on women’s version) and the hood has a collar baffle and drawcord.There is a useful internal zipped stow pocket. The bag is supplied with a qualitywaterproof compression sack (that does add 65g of weight) and also a large cottonstorage bag. Relatively lightweight for the amount of insulation provided and arobust, comfortable bag that should last, justifying the higher price.

Insulation: 800 fill power down Temp Rating: Comfort: -7°C, Lower: -14°C, Extreme:-34°C Weight: 1120g

Therm-a-Rest Antares 20

9/6/13 Gear Review: Three Season Sleeping Bags | Walkhighlands news & reviews

www.walkhighlands.co.uk/news/gear-review-three-season-sleeping-bags/009377/ 5/5

This bag claims to reduce weight by cutting out down where it is not needed andrelying on the insulation propertiesof the sleeping mat underneathyour body. When I first unpackedthe bag I was a bit skeptical, theouter fabric seemed thin and Iwasn’t sure whether just having apanel of this between body andsleeping mat would becomfortable or warm. The 405gof goose down is arranged withless at the side where Therm-a-Rest says studies show you areless likely to need it. This is not really noticeable to feel and there were no cold spotswhen I tested it. The shell fabric is 30D ripstop nylon with a water repellent coatingand normal 30D nylon lining the inside. A baffle covers the 3/4 length zip (left sideonly) and there is also a baffle at the neck and a well-fitting cord-adjustable hood.However the real innovation are the two lycra straps that hold the bag to the sleepingmat. I tried a variety of self-inflating mats of different makes as well as one from theThermarest NeoAir range, all fitted well, and more-crucially did not slip or shift duringthe night. However given that you have to rely on the insulation of the mat, this bagreally needs to be paired with a quality mat especially in colder temperatures. Theshape of the bag allows you to sleep on your side or back and wriggling betweenpositions caused no problem with the mat set up. There is an external stow pocketon side and the robust zip can be opened from both ends. It compresses really wellinto the supplied stuff sac (25g) and there is also a mesh bag for longer termstorage. There is no specific women’s version, although it does come in two lengths,anyone over 6 foot will want to go for the long version. The temperature ratingseemed fairly accurate – I’d definitely use this in most British summer/autumnconditions. It would have been nice to see an even greater weight saving to appealto the keenest lightweight backpackers, however for the price this seems a good buy.

Insulation: 750 fill power down Temp Rating: Comfort 1°C, Lower -5°C, Extreme-22°C Weight: 890g

Let us know what you think .

Posted in

on our forum

Gear reviews