BEST AIR SLEEPING PAD
Big Agnes Q-Core SLX
$150
The Q-Core SLX lifted
our tester a massive 4.3
inches off the ground—
practically unheard of
for an air pad. And the
I-beam baff le construc-
tion provided stability
and support that left him
feeling well rested in
the morning. Given that
ample thickness, this pad
is great for car camping,
but it’s still light and com-
pact enough to take with
you into the backcountry.
Our 20-by-72-inch sam-
ple weighed less than 1.5
pounds. The synthetic
Primaloft Silver within
lends the Q-Core SLX
very respectable insula-
tion from the cold ground.
BEST VALUE
SLEEPING BAG
Marmot Trestles Elite
Eco 30 $148
Marmot avoids the major
issue of most synthetic
bags—bulk—in the Tres-
tles Elite Eco series by
blending three weights of
recycled polyester fibers
to create a compressible-
yet-warm insulation. The
Trestles packs as small as
some down bags and won’t
falter when it gets wet like
those might, which makes
it a fine choice for back-
packing. It can be a bit
constrictive, but undo-
ing the secondary zipper
on the right side frees up
some room at the chest on
milder nights.
BEST SELF-INFLATING
SLEEPING PAD
Therm-a-Rest Luxury-
Map $125
Using pressure-mapping
tech, Therm-a-Rest
customized the layer of
3-inch-thick polyurethane
foam, which is what makes
the LuxuryMap as com-
fortable as it is. Since there
isn’t as much foam around
the areas that support the
head, shoulder blades,
waist, calves, and heels,
these bony and curvy parts
of the body can sink deeper
into the self-inflating pad.
And for 2020, the company
added its new TwinLock
valve system, a set of one-
way openings that made
inf lation and def lation
even easier.
BEST THREE-SEASON
SLEEPING BAG
The North Face
The One Bag $289
With two removable blan-
kets, The One Bag delivers
precise temperature regu-
lation throughout the year.
Zip just the lightweight
synthetic outer layer to the
base in summer, the 800-
fill down midlayer (which
doubles as a camp blanket)
by itself in cooler temps,
or both if you’re brav-
ing alpine environments
or winter weather. Zip-
ping the layers to the base
wasn’t always smooth, and
the midlayer’s zipper had
a tendency to snag on the
draft tube. But a bag this
versatile deserves a place
in your camping quiver.
