PHOTOS BY COURTESY
L U X U R Y A C C E S S O R Y
Sea to Summit Aeros
Down Pillow
If you’re looking to sleep better (who isn’t?),
look no further than this ultralight pillow. “It’s so
cushy that I almost feel guilty using it,” one noto-
riously light-sleeping tester says. “But I’ll never
go back to sleeping on my dirty clothes again.”
The Aeros is topped with down that kept his
head warm on a 15°F night in Spain’s Pyr-
enees (the non-down-fi lled side of the pillow
also has soft fabric if you prefer to keep a bit
cooler), and its 4.7-inch thickness hides any
trace of rocks underneath. It’s a bit longer and
wider than a loaf of bread, but packs down
to the size of a kiwi. (The Aeros also comes
in large and deluxe sizes.) A two-way valve
makes it easy to infl ate and defl ate. Caveat:
price. $60; 2.5 oz.; seatosummit.comFEATHERWEIGHT TENT
NEMO Hornet Elite 2P
The race to cut weight from shelters never
seems to stop, and the Hornet Elite is one
of the lightest full-featured off erings we’ve
tested. At less than a pound per person,
this double-wall, semi-freestanding tent
still has double doors and vestibules, and
ts 27.3-square-foot fl oor is enough for two
campers to sleep comfortably. There are
concessions, though: “A crossbar at the peak
mproves head room, but I could only fully sit
up right in the middle of the tent,” one 5’9”
tester says, citing the sloping walls. The vestis
are also too small to cook in. Still, the Hornet
Elite brushed off 40-mph winds in Nova
Scotia’s Cape Chignecto Provincial Park, and
our tester reports that there was no signifi cant
condensation on a rainy, 35°F night. Pitch is
simple, with a standard hubbed-pole design in
addition to the top crossbar. $500; 1 lb. 11 oz.;
nemoequipment.comFIELD NOTES
COZY COMFORTER
Western Mountaineering
AstraLite Quilt
Most quilts, no surprise, have a reputation for
leaking heat out the sides. But not this feather-
weight number. Western Mountaineering has
been making high-end down bags for 32 years,
and its fi rst foray into quilts follows the brand’s
DNA: premium 850-fi ll down, ultralight fabric,
and a conservative rating. “I took this quilt past
its temp rating in Dixie National Forest, Utah,
down to 20°F, and had no trouble sleeping,”
one tester says.
At just 1 pound,
4 ounces the
AstraLite is
thru-hiker light,
and it packs
down to the size
of a cantaloupe.
Drawback: The
pad connector
system is overly
futzy. $420;
1 lb. 4 oz. (regu-
lar); regular, long;
26°F; western-
mountaineering
.comThe latest word from our testersL U X U R YA C C E S S O R YF N T s o t t s i c c i u
t to.Look for the Get Our More Tour in
your area April–November 2019.COMING TO A TOWN NEAR YOU
JULY
9 Quest Outdoors
Louisville, KY 6:30pm
10 Benchmark Outdoor Outfi tters
Blue Ash, OH 6:30pm
16 REI, Washington, DC 6:30pm
18 REI, Boston, MA 6:30pm
19–20 Mt. Washington Observatory
Conway, NH All Day
24–28 FloydFest, Floyd, VA All DayAUGUST
1 REI, Overland Park, KS 6:30pm
7 Sunlight Sports, Cody, WY 6:30pm
8 The Basecamp, Billings, MT 6:30pm
13 REI, Spokane, WA 6:30pm
14 REI, Olympia, WA 6:30pm
16–18 PCT Days
Cascade Locks, OR All Day
20 REI, Eugene, OR 6:30pm
21 Redding Sports LTD
Redding, CA 6:30pmUPCOMING EVENTS
For tour schedule, dates and details visitBACKPACKER.COM/GETOUTMORE