Large Agnes Divide Insulated Backpacking Sleeping Pad Evaluation

Backside Line

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

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

How We Examined

We examined the Large Agnes Divide Insulated sleeping pad on tenting journeys throughout this brisk Colorado spring and several 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 type. Lately, most pads use a horizontal or cell baffle system, however the Large 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 either side. 3.25-inch-thick middle baffles preserve you off the bottom, whereas 3.5-inch-thick facet rails preserve you from rolling off in the course of the evening. Again and abdomen sleepers ought to discover no problem with this pad, however the vertical baffles present barely uneven help, which can trigger facet 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 commonest 20” x 72” measurement, the Large Agnes Divide is much from the lightest sleeping bag in the marketplace, but it surely’s not the heaviest both. For comparability, pads on our checklist vary (from essentially the most ultralight to essentially the most snug) 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, but it surely does preserve the dimensions all the way down to a comparatively small 5” x 8”. The small 20” x 66” model will shed an additional ounce off the burden and a few inches off the packed measurement. 

Sturdiness

The Divide Insulated affords wonderful sturdiness for an air pad. Large Agnes doesn’t specify the fabric’s denier ranking, but it surely boasts recycled nylon ripstop cloth with aviation-grade TPU lamination.

This pad will final a very long time if handled effectively, however Large Agnes additionally features a substitute valve seal and high-quality 3M patches in case of an accident. As at all times, you’ll get essentially the most out of your inflatable pad should you watch the place you place it and clear the world of any pokies and jabbies first.

Heat

Some backpacking sleeping pads go for a easy, single-layer development that sacrifices heat to maintain prices down, however that’s not the case with the Large Agnes Divide Insulated. 

This model has an R-value of 4, which is nice should 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.

Much 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 defend you from the chilly floor. With an R-value of 4, this stable pad will preserve you heat by means of the shoulder seasons.

Will it maintain up in early winter as Large 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 also can probably create chilly spots within the pad.

Ease of Setup

With its high-volume, micro-adjustable twin valve, the Large Agnes Divide Insulated is a breeze to arrange and tear down. Though it provides a bit little bit of bulk and weight, we love that the valves are separated. It basically eliminates the potential for by chance expelling the entire treasured breaths you used to inflate the pad, which is all too frequent with two-in-one valves.

The pad may be inflated with the included pump sack (though it’s not our favourite) or the old style method (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 development affords a head begin on folding the pad longways earlier than rolling it up (it’s tougher and annoying than one would possibly anticipate). Nonetheless, this comfort is balanced with the tremendous cosy stuff sack that hardly matches over the pad. Personally, we like to go away the stuff sack at residence and fold the pad right into a rectangle on the again panel of our pack so as to add a bit rigidity.

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

For 3-season backpackers in search of an inexpensive sleeping pad to do all of it, the Large Agnes Divide Insulated is a no brainer. It boasts some of the aggressive value factors in the marketplace whereas sacrificing minimal efficiency. 

Though the vertical I-beam development isn’t for everybody (much less even weight distribution), it nonetheless supplies infinitely extra consolation than a primary foam pad. The raised facet 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 supplies sufficient heat to maintain most sleepers heat for many 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 actually discover a extra premium choice, however the Divide Insulated is a stable funding for the informal and seasoned backpacker alike.

What Different Backpacking Pads Ought to You Contemplate?

For these keen to drop a bit extra coin on a premium sleeping pad, try our full vary of favorites. 

NEMO Tensor All-Season Evaluation: The Nemo Tensor All-Season is our favourite total backpacking sleeping pad because of its premium high quality and extremely well-rounded options. Though it’s a bit on the dear facet, it achieves a powerful warmth-to-weight ratio with out skimping on consolation or sturdiness.

NEMO Quasar 3D Insulated Evaluation: Perhaps you’re a bit hesitant in regards to the vertical I-beam development of the Divide Insulated. If that’s the case, the Quasar 3D might be the reply. It’s equally sturdy, straightforward to arrange, and inexpensive, however contains a extra typical horizontal baffle development with a raised head baffle and 3D physique mapping to cradle you to sleep.

Sea to Summit Ether Gentle XR Insulated Evaluation: The Ether Gentle XR is an actual sleeper (pun meant). For its weight class, it achieves excellent consolation with its sprung cell baffles – offering among the most even weight distribution. It’s additionally decently heat and really sturdy.