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Big Agnes Insulated Air Core Sleeping Pad
Field Report - August 20, 2004
Contents
Reviewer Information [return to top]
Name: Chuck Kime
Nickname: Fuzzy
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 8" (1.72 m)
Weight: 229 lb (104 kg)
Email address: ckime AT nelsononline DOT com
City, State, Country: Upper Darby (Philadelphia suburb), PA, U.S.A.
Date: August 20, 2004
Additional Information applicable to this test
Shoulders: 56” (142 cm)
Girth at chest: 57” (145 cm)
Chest: 46” (117 cm)
Waist: 40” (102 cm)
Hips: 46” (117 cm)
Product Information [return to top]
Manufacturer: Big Agnes
Model: Insulated Air Core
Year of Manufacture: 2004
URL: http://www.bigagnes.com
Listed weight: 21 oz (595 g)
Measured weight, pad only: 18.7 oz (530 g), scale accurate to 0.1 oz
Measured weight, pad, sack & repair kit: 19.8 oz (561 g)
Temperature rating: 15 °F (-9 °C)
Color: Black
Size/style: 72” Mummy
Other size/styles available: 78” Mummy, 72” Rectangular, 78” Rectangular
MSRP: $65 USD
Features (from web site) [return to top]
- 3 season Air Core pad filled with Prima Loft insulation
- Full length 2.5" thick pad that is lightweight and packs small
- Unique construction technique prevents the insulation from shifting inside the air chambers.
- The I-beam construction technique is functionally superior to the typical welded-through construction of other air mats. Die cut holes in each I-beam allow air to flow freely between chambers as you move around for constant support and comfort.
- I-beam construction makes inflation quick and easy
- Packs down to a compact 3.75"x10" or 4.25"x10" [9.5x25.4 or 10.8x25.4 cm] size
- Durable 40-denier nylon fabric protects against abrasions and punctures
- DWR coating sheds water and stains
- PU coating makes pad waterproof
- Stuff sack and repair kit included
- All Insulated Air Core Pads come with a stuff sack, repair kit, and a 100% guarantee
Description [return to top]
The Insulated Air Core is a PrimaLoft insulated (gee, really?) inflating mattress. It is available in 72” (183 cm) and 78” (198 cm) models, in both rectangular and mummy styles. I chose the 72” Mummy model.
The pad comes with a black rip-stop nylon stuff sack that has a pocket for the included repair kit.
The pad itself is made of black rip-stop nylon, with PrimaLoft insulation bonded to the underside of the top panel. The pad could be described as coffin shaped, in that the corners have been lopped off – relative to a rectangular pad – tapering from roughly the shoulders up and from the knees down. The valve is a plastic twist-type located at corner of the pad closest to the user’s right ear.
For a more detailed description, please see my Initial Report.
Field Testing [return to top]
Our Boy Scout troop camps monthly. Almost all of these outings include a minimum of 2 nights of camping, with temperatures expected to be from lows around 30 ºF (-1 ºC) to highs around 95 to 100 ºF (35 to 38 ºC). Elevations will range from sea level to approximately 2,000’ (610 m). My girlfriend and I, who between us have 3 First Class Boy Scouts (ages 13, 13 and 14), are also looking into additional camping without the Scouts, and the possibilities of beginning to do some AT section hikes in Pennsylvania after we recover from a recent car accident.
I returned a week ago from a week of Boy Scout Summer Camp, where I used the pad every night but the first (needed a control for comparison). Overnight temperatures ranged from upper 40’s to mid 50’s F (9 – 13 C). All nights were spent with my Snugpak sleeping bag.
The first night, as a control, I slept in a standard Boy Scout canvas tent on a nylon military-style cot with just my sleeping bag. I slept a bit cold that night, with the air flowing under the cot, and found there was just enough sag in the nylon for me to have some contact with both the cot legs and my footlocker, which I was keeping under the foot end of the cot. The third night I spent in my 20-year-old fishnet hammock (shown below without the pad) with a tarp thrown over a ridge line, using the pad and my sleeping bag. I found myself warm enough the entire night that I never actually got into the bag, but basically lay on top of it. I found the size and shape of the pad well suited to the hammock, and may have actually had my best night of sleep that night. The other nights of the week found me using the pad on the cot, in the tent (Hurricane Charley was pushing some rain – ok, lots of rain – our way). I was comfortably warm each night, never getting fully in the bag, and noticed none of the contact from underneath. The only problem I had using the pad on the cot was slippage – the tent floor sloped noticeably from the head to the foot, and any little bit of moving on my part resulted in me being closer to the foot of the cot. Fortunately, the contact between the pad and the cot was slick enough for me to pull myself back to the head without getting up.
The other indignity I subjected the pad to came on the morning I woke up in the hammock. I deflated the pad to make it a little easier to get up, only to find that I was dragging on the ground (gotta get some tree huggers). I checked for holes or other damage (none), then left the pad in the hammock so I could get to breakfast. I returned later, after yet another torrential downpour, to find a small pool of water right in the middle of the pad. I poured the water off, fully reinflated the pad, then stood it on edge in my tent to dry. There was never any noticeable absorption of water, and the pad was completely dry long before dinner, even with nearly 100% humidity and no sun.
Things I am/will be looking for:
- Fit. Does it fit me? I may not be tall, but I’m pretty wide. Does it restrict my sleeping positions?
- Comfort. Can I sleep on the ground and not be significantly bothered by my sore back?
- Insulation. The pad uses PrimaLoft insulation. Does it shift, creating thin or thick spots? Does it keep me warmer than a non-insulated mat?
- Warmth. How cold can it get and still keep me warm, or, at least, comfortable?
- Packability. How packable is the pad? It’s pretty small, so this shouldn’t be a problem.
- Stuff sack. Is it easy to compress? Waterproof?
- Inflation. Is it easy to do? Does it retain air all night?
My findings so far:
- Fit. No complaints yet.
- Comfort. I have learned that a fully inflated pad is harder than necessary, and simply lay down and let air out until it gets juuust right.
- Insulation. Very nice.
- Warmth. So far, comfortable in upper 40’s to mid 50’s F (9 – 13 C).
- Packability. It rolls easily into a nice compact package.
- Stuff sack. Once the pad has been rolled, there’s not a lot more compression to be had, but the sack is nice.
- Inflation. Blows up well. No noticeable leakage.
Things I like [return to top]
- Light.
- Compact.
- Thicker than any other pad I own.
Things I don't like [return to top]
- None yet.
Backpacking Background [return to top]
I started car/trailer camping with the family when I was about 5. I enlisted in the Army Reserve during my first year of college and spent 17 years fine-tuning my packing methodology - by the time I separated from the service, I was down to what I thought was a respectable 75-80 lb (34-36 kg) load. When my son started Cub Scouts, I brought my 60 lb (27 kg) ALICE pack for a weekend. We got to Boy Scouts in the Spring of 2002 and now camp monthly in locations ranging from the Chesapeake Bay area (flat and lightly wooded) to the Pocono Mts (flat spots hard to find and very wooded), in all seasons.
Lightweight (and ultralightweight) web sites, along with a day hike up Pikes Peak in July 2003, have led me to seriously rethink my gear choices. I plan to start doing more hiking/backpacking on our monthly Scout trips, taking along as many scouts as are willing, to a) get in shape (yeah, yeah, I know… round IS a shape), and b) determine what I really need to take along. I am relatively confident that I will be able to reduce my 3-season pack to 20 lb (9 kg), before food, fuel and water, by the time this season is over.
Thank you for your time.
Chuck Kime
a.k.a. Fuzzy
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