Big Agnes Triple Core Sleeping Pad $140

www.bigagnes.com

The Good: 4.5″ of padded warmth, it’s almost like bringing your mattress from home along.

The Bad: That much padding comes with a bit of bulk, you’ll have to leave the Homer Simpson slippers home to compensate.

The Ugly: Trying to blow up this mattress at 12,000ft elevation. The thin air makes for a dizzy affair.

A big part of roughing it in the wild is about re-connecting with the rhythm of nature, breathing in fresh mountain air, and leaving all those distracting creature comforts home. But after a long day in the woods, thudding down on a paper thin mattress is just about the worst way to finish out the fun. Sleeping pads are one of the key elements to a good night’s sleep in the woods, and a good night means a better day when the sun comes back up. A sleeping pad not only adds cushion between you and Terra-firma, it also provides an insulated layer between your warm body and the chilly ground. Big Agnes’ Triple Core is their newest air chamber pad, offering a deluxe 4.5″ of padding comprised of an air chamber topped with open cell foam and Primaloft™ Synergy synthetic insulation. The internal structure of the pad is constructed to minimize cold spots with I-beam construction and a heat reflective coating. The pad’s ample thickness does mean more bulk and additional weight (about 2lbs 6oz or so), but with a good night’s sleep at risk, a bit extra is worth the effort.

We took the Triple Core pad along on a November summit run up Mt. Whitney in California; sleeping under the stars at 8,500ft and hunkered down in a 4 season tent at 12,500ft the next brutally cold night.  Both nights, the triple core pad provided exceptional cushion and insulation from the frozen ground. Rolled tight the pad fit snugly in the pack, but the extra bulk really helped to provide quality sleep in spite of the bitter cold conditions. The lightweight air chamber material feels durable enough to endure a fair amount of abuse, but it is a weak point with air chamber pads, a hole in the chamber means the entire pad will go flat. The included repair kit slipped into a small pocket in the stuff sack was not necessary during the our testing, but has enough material and glue to patch up a solid gash or multiple punctures.

So if comfort on the trail outweighs the need for a sub-30 pound pack in your mind, the Triple Core sleeping pad is an option worth considering.  It will quickly become the only pad necessary for multi-day hikes or even the next weekend car camping adventure.