Massive Agnes Divide Insulated Backpacking Sleeping Pad Overview

Backside Line

After testing the Massive Agnes Divide Insulated in a variety of situations, together with snow-covered Rocky Mountains, it’s arduous to imagine this pad is obtainable at such an inexpensive worth. 

The I-beam building cuts down on weight and offers an alternate for folk who don’t jive with horizontal or cell baffles. Whereas aspect sleepers might backside out on this pad, we discover its 3.25-inch thickness and raised aspect 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 definitely extra specialised backpacking sleeping pads that maximize consolation, heat, or weight financial savings, however for backpackers searching for one pad to rule all of them, the Divide Insulated is a noble alternative.

How We Examined

We examined the Massive 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 characteristic 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. Today, most pads use a horizontal or cell baffle system, however the Massive Agnes Divide sticks to a basic 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 aspect rails maintain you from rolling off in the course of the evening. Again and abdomen sleepers ought to discover no concern with this pad, however the vertical baffles present barely uneven assist, which can trigger aspect 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 most typical 20” x 72” measurement, the Massive Agnes Divide is much from the lightest sleeping bag available on the market, however it’s not the heaviest both. For comparability, pads on our checklist vary (from probably the most ultralight to probably the most comfy) 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. Massive 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 effectively, however Massive Agnes additionally features a substitute 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 in case you watch the place you set it and clear the world 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 Massive Agnes Divide Insulated. 

This model has an R-value of 4, which is sweet in case you push your backpacking journeys into the early spring or late fall. They make an uninsulated model that can prevent a couple of dollars and ounces in your pack, however we predict 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 the direction of you and shield you from the chilly floor. With an R-value of 4, this strong pad will maintain you heat via the shoulder seasons.

Will it maintain up in early winter as Massive Agnes suggests? Perhaps, relying on the setting, 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 Massive Agnes Divide Insulated is a breeze to arrange and tear down. Though it provides a bit of little bit of bulk and weight, we love that the valves are separated. It primarily eliminates the opportunity of by chance expelling the entire treasured breaths you used to inflate the pad, which is all too widespread with two-in-one valves.

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

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 would possibly count on). Nevertheless, this comfort is balanced with the tremendous comfortable stuff sack that hardly suits over the pad. Personally, we like to go away the stuff sack at dwelling and fold the pad right into a rectangle on the again panel of our pack so as to add a bit of rigidity.

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

For 3-season backpackers searching for an inexpensive sleeping pad to do all of it, the Massive Agnes Divide Insulated is a no brainer. It boasts one of the vital aggressive worth factors available on the market whereas sacrificing minimal efficiency. 

Though the vertical I-beam building isn’t for everybody (much less even weight distribution), it nonetheless offers infinitely extra consolation than a primary foam pad. The raised aspect 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 offers sufficient heat to maintain most sleepers heat for a lot of the 12 months and the sturdiness to final a very long time. 

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

What Different Backpacking Pads Ought to You Take into account?

For these keen to drop a bit of extra coin on a premium sleeping pad, try 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 bit of on the expensive aspect, it achieves a formidable warmth-to-weight ratio with out skimping on consolation or sturdiness.

NEMO Quasar 3D Insulated Overview: Perhaps you’re a bit of hesitant in regards to the vertical I-beam building of the Divide Insulated. If that’s the case, the Quasar 3D may very well be the reply. It’s equally sturdy, straightforward to arrange, and inexpensive, 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 a number of the most even weight distribution. It’s additionally decently heat and really sturdy.