Are you all geared up for the upcoming backpacking season? Sleeping bags and pads have become lighter than ever, while not compromising on warmth, so if you’re ready to snuggle in without breaking your back in the trail, read on!
Cozy up at night while only carrying 19 ounces on your back. The Vesper quilt is made of 900-fill Nikwax Hydrophobic Down (which is Responsible Down Standard Certified) and which stays drier and maintains loft 60x longer than untreated down. The quilt packs down to about half the size of standard backpacking sleeping bags (5.5 x 8), and the box-baffled construction means you avoid those cold spots that can ruin your night.
This is a quilt, not a bag, which gives it versatility while cutting down on weight. They do include connectors, which allows you to connect the quilt with a pad to keep it in place and maximize warmth. If you don’t need these, however, they are removable. The footbox is insulated to keep drafts from encroaching.
Pick up the Vesper for $369 for the 20-degree version. There’s also a 32-degree version and a 45-degree version.
Pair your Vesper quilt Therm-a-Rest’s new Neoair Uberlite pad, marketed as the ‘absolute lightest insulated air pad made’. It weighs just over half a pound, shrinks down tiny, and yet offers 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) of cushion. I am past the age where I’m comfortable with anything other than an air pad, but I like to keep my pack light (so I can bring more food and fuel, of course!). The Uberlite pad fits the bill perfectly, for the reasonable price point of $154, which includs pump sack, stuff sack and repair kit. Of note: this pad does taper, like many in the ultralightweight category, which means the width may not be wide enough for some.