Getting out in the wilderness is a lot more fun with a good night's sleep. Lord knows I've spent many a night tossing and turning, flopping around in my tent hoping to find a position that doesn't hurt my back and begging for the sandman to enter. The biggest factors in finding that sleep are warmth (in cooler temps) and comfort (year round.) I’ve been using the Big Agnes Insulated Air Core sleeping pad for the past year, and it hits the mark on both counts. I have the standard width mummy version, and this review will only be focusing on that model. They offer the pad in several other options - standard rectangular, long, wide, wide mummy, and two different short versions (48" or 66"). Overall, I've been plenty happy with this pad. Like any piece of gear, it has its pros and cons – it can’t be all things to all people. The pros far outweigh the few cons for my purposes, however. This is an air chamber pad requiring manual inflation (about 12-15 big breaths for me.) I actually received my Air Core as a warranty replacement for an older Big Agnes air pad that developed a slow, minor leak in the valve housing. Not only was Big Agnes prompt to replace my old pad, they gave me an upgrade to the newer insulated version reviewed here. So, we can go ahead and get that part of the review out of the way – BA is a manufacturer that stands behind their gear and offers great customer service, in my experience. (For the record, I purchased the original pad and received the replacement as a regular consumer – I was not writing about gear at the time.) So, let’s get down to business and talk specifics to see if this pad suits your needs. We'll cover the main specs, first:
