NEMO Quasar 3D Insulated Backpacking Sleeping Pad Assessment

Backside Line

We examined the NEMO Quasar 3D Insulated sleeping pad within the depths of Colorado winter. Whereas it gives steady consolation, it leaves a cold spot in our sleep system. 

The 3D in Quasar 3D refers to its physique mapping baffle system that cradles you to sleep with a gentle however supportive really feel. The elevated head baffle helps hold your pillow in place or eliminates the necessity for one fully. The Quasar consists of our favourite pump sack, the Vortex, which makes setup a breeze.

The Quasar 3D boasts consolation, sturdiness, and affordability over weight and heat. In the event you’re searching for a snug pad to cowl automotive tenting and brief backpacking journeys on a funds, then the Quasar is nice. If protecting your pack weight down is a precedence, there are numerous lower-weight choices on our backpacking sleeping pads.

How We Examined

We put this pad by way of the wringer to check its consolation, sturdiness, heat, and extra. From the rocky, abrasive soil of the Rocky Mountains to the consolation of our house, we slept on it for dozens of nights, assessing its efficiency throughout all of our testing metrics.

Consolation

The Quasar 3D gives steady, body-cradling consolation for all sorts of sleepers. The 3D physique mapping design helps hold your physique (and pillow) on the mat all night time. The three.5 inches of cushion is sufficient for many facet sleepers, whereas again and abdomen sleepers (in addition to starfish sprawlers) will recognize the ample 20” x 72” rectangular sleeping floor to assist hold their limbs from spilling off of the pad. 

Some of the distinctive options of the Quasar 3D is the raised head baffle, which creates a kind of chaise lounge impact. It’s designed to assist maintain a pillow in place, however for us, it eliminates the necessity for a pillow fully. The raised head baffle is a pleasant addition for folk who sometimes go for a balled-up puffy jacket for a pillow.

Our favourite consolation function of the Quasar 3D is its big selection of obtainable sizes, together with a double. The double doesn’t have the identical body-cradling traits of the only, however it’s vast sufficient for a pair to take pleasure in cuddling up on a chilly night time and to save lots of the load of carrying two sleeping pads.

Weight

At 28 ounces, the Quasar 3D is the heaviest sleeping pad on our record, encroaching on automotive tenting territory. Its weight is tough to justify for a solo backpacker, however for those who can persuade your accomplice to hold the double model by themselves, you’re taking a look at some severe weight financial savings!

The Quasar 3D bridges the hole between automotive tenting and backpacking. For informal campers searching for a sturdy, snug possibility for automotive tenting and the occasional backpacking, the Quasar 3D insulated presents a flexible and reasonably priced multi-faceted possibility.

Sturdiness

The Quasar 3D presents dependable sturdiness with sturdy supplies and building. The pad is fully constructed with Bluesign Licensed 100% PCR PU 30D Polyester Ripstop. The PU coating will increase the polyester’s longevity when it comes to abrasion, tear, UV, and water resistance. 

Though the fabric isn’t the thickest of all of the pads on our record, the development is tremendous heavy-duty and feels extra sturdy than pads with thicker material.

We love the low-profile inflation valve, however it doesn’t maintain onto the stuff sack as securely as we want—it popped off a few occasions throughout our inflation testing. It’s additionally value noting that some evaluations have reported sturdiness points with these valves up to now, though we haven’t had any issues to this point.

Heat

The 3D Insulated model is the warmest of the Quasar iterations, with its 100% post-consumer recycled PrimaLoft. Nevertheless, one would count on an excellent bit extra heat from an insulated pad as heavy because the Quasar.

The R-value is surprisingly low at solely 3.3. We used the Quasar for a number of winter nights in Colorado with temperatures down into the twenties, paired with a heat sleeping bag. It turned obvious that the Quasar was certainly the weak level in our sleep setup.

We suggest the Quasar 3D Insulated for summer time tenting journeys and into the hotter durations of the shoulder seasons. In winter, it’s possible inadequate for many sleepers.

Ease of Setup

The Quasar 3D Insulated comes with our favourite pump sack, NEMO’s Vortex pump sack, to make inflation fast and straightforward. The Vortex fills up rapidly and seals simply. The Quasar is simple to inflate in below two minutes or about 4 to 5 fills of the pump sack. After it’s absolutely inflated, the micro adjustable valve lets you expel tiny sips of air to dial in your most popular stage of consolation. 

When it’s time to pack up, the deflation valve rapidly dumps air from the pad, and the extra inflexible materials is simple to fold the best way you need. To make life even simpler, NEMO features a useful little hook-and-loop strap to carry the pad collectively. The stuff sack is a bit tight, however not so tight that packing up turns into an annoying activity each morning.

Ought to You Purchase the NEMO Quasar 3D Insulated Backpacking Sleeping Pad?

The Quasar 3D Insulated is a three-season quiver killer of a pad. Whether or not you’re automotive tenting within the entrance nation or planning a brief backpacking journey, the Quasar gives plush consolation at an reasonably priced worth.

Though it’s not the lightest pad by far, the three.5-inch thickness and cradling help of NEMO’s 3D body-mapping baffles will hold you effectively off the bottom and away from any sharp rocks, roots, and pinecones. It’s positively thick sufficient for facet sleepers and the oblong form offers starfish sleepers sufficient area to unfold out. The Quasar even is available in a double-wide model for {couples} or anybody seeking to deliver 5-star lodge consolation into their tent.

NEMO’s Vortex Pump Sack and LayLow valve simplify setup and teardown, and their ultra-durable building provides further peace of thoughts.

Sadly, the Quasar leaves a bit bit to be desired within the heat division. Anybody searching for a winter sleeping pad or to shave each ounce from their pack ought to try NEMO’s Tensor sequence.

What Different Backpacking Pads Ought to You Think about?

Ounce counters and winter backpackers fear not. We’ve received choices for you in our full record of backpacking sleeping pads.

Therm-a-Relaxation NeoLoft Assessment: Though it’s the priciest sleeping pad on our record, it’s additionally essentially the most premium. The NeoLoft takes consolation and sturdiness to the following stage with an excellent gentle and stretchy high materials and a whopping 75D resolution dyed polyester material for the underside. They’re calling it essentially the most snug backpacking sleeping pad ever made, and to this point it’s essentially the most snug one we’ve examined.

Massive Agnes Divide Insulated Assessment: The Divide Insulated is ideal for facet sleepers or anybody that prefers vertical baffles. This pad naturally cradles your physique to really feel just like the filling within a taco so it’s virtually unimaginable to roll off. It’s additionally a bit hotter and lighter than the Quasar whereas saving you just a few {dollars}.

Sea to Summit Ether Gentle XR Insulated Assessment: The Ether Gentle XR is steadily turning into one in every of our favourite backpacking pads. This pad is heavier than most ultralight pads however lighter than all the ones listed on this assessment. The cell baffle design and pillow lock function deliver the texture of a standard spring mattress to a backpacking sleeping pad.