Therm-a-Rest made the first self inflating mattress in 1971. Sleeping in the backcountry suddenly became way more comfortable and pleasurable for most campers.
Next spring, the brand, which is part of , claims it will radically improve your sleep again with a new collection of sleeping bags that the company says will be among the lightest, warmest and most compressible in the industry.
Therm-a-Rest's new bags have thermal-mapped, zoned insulation, which means its designers figured out where you are coldest and put more insulation there. They're specially designed to be used with a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir sleeping pad or other 25-inch-wide sleeping pad. And they’re built with extra torso room to let your shoulders, elbows, and hips move freely. The hood and footbox are cut narrow so that your body has less space to lose heat.
The company will show the bags to retailers at the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City this coming August, and the bags will be available by spring 2013. Therm-a-Rest will launch with five bag models:
The sub-two-pound 750+ fill-power goose down Antares ($350) is highly compressible and rated to 20°F. The 750+ fill goose down Altair ($460) is for winter camping down to 0°F. The 1 lb, 5 oz Navis, ($249) is also 750+ fill goose down. It’s rated for 25-45 °F and is designed for fast-and-light adventurers. Combine it with a hooded down jacket for a warm, minimalist backcountry sleeping system.
New synthetic sleeping bags include the 20°F Saros (2 lb, 15 oz) and the 0°F Centari (3 lb, 15 oz).
—Berne Broudy