photo courtesy of backcountry.com
Big Agnes Divide Insulated Sleep Pad Product Review
After a many, many year hiatus, we are getting back into backpacking and seeking out new adventures that require a longer hike and backcountry camping.
We bought our original Thermarest backpacking air mattresses when we were in our early 20s. They are still in great condition, but this body ain’t getting any younger and my days of tolerating a barely-there cushion and sleeping on hard ground are done.
After miles and miles of hiking, getting a reasonable night of sleep is crucial since you likely have miles and miles of hiking for completing your hike and getting to your end point the next day or days ahead. I think for me, the key is being reasonable and adjusting my expectations of what is needed for any camp pad.
For our most recent backpacking trip to the Havasu Falls area, we were very conscious and concerned about weight with our packs. I read someone’s quote that “ounces and turn into pounds”. I decided to splurge on the Big Agnes Divide Insulated Sleep Pad. The pad I selected was 1 pound 7 ounces.
Was it worth it? Yes. Would I change some things? Yes.
I am inherently a tosser and a turner. If I am sleeping in one position, it is on my side. I can’t say that I felt the ground at all when I slept on this. It seemed to accommodate any sleep position well. The downside is it is kind of slippery. My sleeping bag slid easily on it, so it seemed like I had to make more minor adjustments to find where I wouldn’t feel like my legs were going to slide off the pad. I felt like it did deflate slightly during the night.
The other downside was the mode of filling the pad with air. It comes with an air sack that you fill, then attach to the mat, then you push the air in to inflate it. However, the sack is awkward to fill with much air and you have to do an awkward attempt to capture air in the bag and gather the top up in your hand because there is no other way to close the bag and contain the air. Our Exped Ultra 3R Mummy Sleep Pad has a similar inflation system, though has a top similar to a dry sack to roll down and this seems to maximize how much air is in the inflation bag.
All in all, if you are a side sleeper or a tosser turner, this is a decent option that won’t add too much weight to your pack.
Read more about the product specs on backcountry.com and their review here: