Huge Agnes Divide Insulated Backpacking Sleeping Pad Overview

Backside Line

After testing the Huge Agnes Divide Insulated in a variety of situations, together with snow-covered Rocky Mountains, it’s exhausting to consider this pad is obtainable at such an reasonably priced worth. 

The I-beam building cuts down on weight and supplies another for people who don’t jive with horizontal or cell baffles. Whereas facet sleepers may backside out on this pad, we discover its 3.25-inch thickness and raised facet rails ample for our trail-beaten bods.

The Divide Insulated is available in many sizes (together with a double) and packs a decent R-value. The twin-valve and included pump sack make setup straightforward. The sturdy ripstop nylon will go the space so long as you take care of your gear. 

There are actually extra specialised backpacking sleeping pads that maximize consolation, heat, or weight financial savings, however for backpackers in search of one pad to rule all of them, the Divide Insulated is a noble alternative.

How We Examined

We examined the Huge Agnes Divide Insulated sleeping pad on tenting journeys throughout this brisk Colorado spring and a number of other nights within the frontcountry. We spent over a dozen nights on it and scrutinized each function and side to make sure its worthiness amongst our checklist of favourite sleeping pads.

Consolation

Consolation largely depends upon pad thickness, measurement, and baffle model. Lately, most pads use a horizontal or cell baffle system, however the Huge Agnes Divide sticks to a traditional vertical I-beam baffle design.

The principle good thing about the vertical baffles is their hammock-like really feel, which naturally hugs the physique from each side. 3.25-inch-thick heart baffles maintain you off the bottom, whereas 3.5-inch-thick facet rails maintain you from rolling off in the course of the night time. Again and abdomen sleepers ought to discover no problem with this pad, however the vertical baffles present barely uneven help, which can trigger facet sleepers to backside out.

We love rectangular pads over mummy pads for further consolation, and the Divide is available in a variety of lengths and widths to suit each physique kind. It even is available in a double-wide for {couples}.

Weight

At 23 ounces for the commonest 20” x 72” measurement, the Huge Agnes Divide is much from the lightest sleeping bag in the marketplace, however it’s not the heaviest both. For comparability, pads on our checklist vary (from probably the most ultralight to probably the most snug) from about 10 ounces to twenty-eight ounces. 

The additional weight of the divide comes with many good trade-offs, together with extra sturdiness, higher heat, and affordability.

The included stuff sack may be very tight, making packing up within the morning a little bit of a chore, however it does maintain the scale all the way down to a comparatively small 5” x 8”. The small 20” x 66” model will shed an additional ounce off the load and a few inches off the packed measurement. 

Sturdiness

The Divide Insulated provides glorious sturdiness for an air pad. Huge Agnes doesn’t specify the fabric’s denier ranking, however it boasts recycled nylon ripstop cloth with aviation-grade TPU lamination.

This pad will final a very long time if handled nicely, however Huge Agnes additionally features a alternative valve seal and high-quality 3M patches in case of an accident. As at all times, you’ll get probably the most out of your inflatable pad if you happen to watch the place you set it and clear the realm of any pokies and jabbies first.

Heat

Some backpacking sleeping pads go for a easy, single-layer building that sacrifices heat to maintain prices down, however that’s not the case with the Huge Agnes Divide Insulated. 

This model has an R-value of 4, which is nice if you happen to push your backpacking journeys into the early spring or late fall. They make an uninsulated model that can prevent a couple of bucks and ounces in your pack, however we expect choosing the insulated model is the transfer for a extra versatile pad.

Just like most insulated air pads, the Divide Insulated makes use of a skinny reflective movie to bounce your physique warmth again in direction of you and defend you from the chilly floor. With an R-value of 4, this strong pad will maintain you heat by way of the shoulder seasons.

Will it maintain up in early winter as Huge Agnes suggests? Possibly, relying on the surroundings, however we suggest pairing it with a light-weight foam pad on frozen floor. The I-beam baffles may probably create chilly spots within the pad.

Ease of Setup

With its high-volume, micro-adjustable twin valve, the Huge Agnes Divide Insulated is a breeze to arrange and tear down. Though it provides a little bit little bit of bulk and weight, we love that the valves are separated. It primarily eliminates the potential for by accident expelling all the valuable breaths you used to inflate the pad, which is all too frequent with two-in-one valves.

The pad might be inflated with the included pump sack (though it’s not our favourite) or the old school means (that’s along with your lungs). Though the within of the pad is handled with an antimicrobial remedy to chop down on micro organism progress from one’s breath, we suggest utilizing the pump sack as a lot as attainable to be protected.

The vertical I-beam building provides a head begin on folding the pad longways earlier than rolling it up (it’s harder and annoying than one may anticipate). Nevertheless, this comfort is balanced with the tremendous comfortable stuff sack that hardly matches over the pad. Personally, we like to depart the stuff sack at residence and fold the pad right into a rectangle on the again panel of our pack so as to add a little bit rigidity.

Ought to You Purchase the Huge Agnes Divide Insulated Sleeping Pad?

For 3-season backpackers in search of an reasonably priced sleeping pad to do all of it, the Huge Agnes Divide Insulated is a no brainer. It boasts probably the most aggressive worth factors in the marketplace whereas sacrificing minimal efficiency. 

Though the vertical I-beam building isn’t for everybody (much less even weight distribution), it nonetheless supplies infinitely extra consolation than a fundamental foam pad. The raised facet rails assist to maintain your physique on the mat, and three.25 inches of thickness is nothing to shake a stick at. 

Along with its respectable consolation stage, the Divide Insulated supplies sufficient heat to maintain most sleepers heat for a lot of the yr and the sturdiness to final a very long time. 

Ultralight backpackers devoted to shaving each ounce attainable from their pack can actually discover a extra premium choice, however the Divide Insulated is a strong funding for the informal and seasoned backpacker alike.

What Different Backpacking Pads Ought to You Contemplate?

For these prepared to drop a little bit extra coin on a premium sleeping pad, take a look at our full vary of favorites. 

NEMO Tensor All-Season Overview: The Nemo Tensor All-Season is our favourite total backpacking sleeping pad due to its premium high quality and extremely well-rounded options. Though it’s a little bit on the expensive facet, it achieves a formidable warmth-to-weight ratio with out skimping on consolation or sturdiness.

NEMO Quasar 3D Insulated Overview: Possibly you’re a little bit hesitant in regards to the vertical I-beam building of the Divide Insulated. If that’s the case, the Quasar 3D could possibly be the reply. It’s equally sturdy, straightforward to arrange, and reasonably priced, however contains a extra typical horizontal baffle building with a raised head baffle and 3D physique mapping to cradle you to sleep.

Sea to Summit Ether Gentle XR Insulated Overview: The Ether Gentle XR is an actual sleeper (pun supposed). For its weight class, it achieves excellent consolation with its sprung cell baffles – offering among the most even weight distribution. It’s additionally decently heat and really sturdy.