I have used the Big Agnes system and I am not a huge fan. I LOVE the sleeping bag (I forget the model name, but it's a 40 degree rated down bag - perfect for all but wintertime bike touring.) It's the pad I couldn't stand... I use the bag but ditched the pad, opting for my trusty 3/4 length Thermarest (which works fine in the BA's sleeve, which is genius) instead.
The things I did not like about the BA pad: -You have to blow it up. I much prefer the "self inflating" Thermarest. When I get to my destination for the eve, I set up the tent, unscrew the pad's valve, and throw it in there. After I eat, have a beer, and fart around camp for a bit the pad is mostly inflated requiring only a few puffs to firm it up before bed. -The BA pad was noisy. I tend to move around a lot as I go to sleep and the BA pad sounds like a candy wrapper in a movie theater every time you move a muscle. -Also, the stiffness of the thick BA pad affixed to the bottom of the bag made me feel trapped in it. When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is lie on my back and lift my knees for a few minutes. I could not do this with the full length BA pad in the sleeve and being stuck in a rigid sleeping bag made me very claustrophobic. Obviously these are just my quirks, so take that as you may, but I'd recommend a few nights "test ride" on your floor or in your backyard before heading out on a multi day trip with the BA system. As I said, I highly recommend the sleeping bags, I just don't like the pad. -Mike On Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at 11:32:04 PM UTC-4, Dennis Hogan wrote: > +1 for John's Big Agnes system. I don't have it but wish I did. Am > contemplating velcro to attach the bag to the pad but haven't tried the > idea yet. Am also a side sleeper and find the bag and pad seem to have a > -/+ relationship of mutual attraction leading to sore mornings. > Dennis in PDX > > On Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at 4:16:45 PM UTC-7, John Bennett wrote: >> >> Best sleep system, bar none, is made by Big Agnes. The inflatable pad >> fits into a sleeve integrated in the bag. No more slipping off. Fantastic! >> >> https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/SleepingBags >> >> Cheers, >> >> John >> >>> >>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
