Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated sleeping pad review: a deep dish of a camping mat that's astonishingly comfortable, warm and packable

Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated sleeping pad: first impressions 

Big Agnes has been designing camping gear from its base in Steamboat Springs since 2001. The surrounding Colorado Rockies provide the perfect testing grounds for building high-performing gear, so it's no surprise that this sleeping pad is an absolute winner.

The Big Agnes Rapide SL sleeping pad is the brand's bestselling pad, and the folks there say they've updated it to make it warmer, more packable and more durable. It arrives packed in its stuff sack and, measuring about the same size as a one-liter water bottle, it holds a lot of promise for backpackers. You can easily pop this in your pack along with other gear and never have to worry about running out of space.

When it's time to set up camp, you've got two inflation choices. One is to simply blow into the valve, which we found took about 40 puffs and a little fiddling to make sure we didn't just lose all the air while trying to seal it. Another option is to use the provided Pumphouse High Volume inflation sack, which takes a few minutes but requires no huffing or puffing.

When it's fully inflated, this deep dish of a sleeping pad is 4.25in (11cm) high around the side walls, and 3.5in (9cm) in the middle, which keeps you well off the ground and prevents you from rolling off. In cool weather, its R-value of 4.8 keeps you toasty and we were most impressed by its warmth-to-weight ratio.

We found the Rapide SL to be one of the most comfortable pads we've ever tested, and that includes sleeping in all positions. Its rectangular shape means more real estate for side sleepers.

Deflating it is as easy as opening the valve, squishing and rolling it up and we even managed to get it back in its tiny stuff sack without too much effort. It comes in lots of sizes, and you will of course pay a bit more for the bigger sizes, but if you can fit on a standard-sized mat, it comes at a very reasonable price.

Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated sleeping pad: in the field 

I'm familiar with Big Agnes from my many years of living in a ski town not far from Steamboat Springs, but they've only recently arrived in the UK market. Now I'm back living in Scotland, I'm getting to rediscover their high-performing camping gear all over again.

Recently, I've been testing out this sleeping pad on short overnight backpacking trips in the Trossachs, which is one of my favorite wilderness spots when I need to get out into nature but don't want to travel too far.

Here’s how it performed:

Weight and packability

As someone who does a lot of solo adventuring and doesn't usually have someone to share my load with, I was ecstatic to see how small this pad is when it's packed down (smaller than my water bottle). It's significantly smaller than my Therm-a-Rest, and I had no issues fitting it in my backpack along with my sleeping pad, tent and Jetboil.

It's lightweight, but in terms of sleeping pads we've tested it falls more middle of the range. So for how tiny it is, it isn't as light as, say the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite, but it's not heavy by any means.

Size and comfort

I tested the regular version of this pad, which is a standard 20in x 72in. I'm 5' 4" and reasonably petite, so this size does me fine and the fact that it's a rectangle and not a mummy-shaped pad means I can sleep on my sides with my knees bent and nothing hangs off. Obviously, if you're tall or broad you'll need to order a bigger pad.

As for comfort, I'm just going to come out and say it – this is the most comfortable backpacking pad I've ever slept on. It's more like an air mattress than a backpacking pad, but without the weight and bulk. I'm a good sleeper, but as I age, I notice I'm not sleeping as well at camp as I used to and I'm also a side sleeper, so I tend to get achey hips, especially if I'm out for more than one night. Not with this plush pad.

It's cleverly designed with higher vertical baffles on the side walls that cradle me when I'm sleeping, which creates a really stable platform that doesn't move, and means I don't roll off it. That's nice, because at a chunky four inches at the edges, you'd feel it if you fell off. I stay comfortable in every position I've tried on this pad, and if I'm awake during the night, it's not due to any pain.

Warmth and noisiness

The warmth-to-weight ratio on paper for this pad is pretty impressive. It's only a few grams heavier than the Nemo Tensor and significantly lighter than my Therm-a-Rest ProLite Apex and it's much warmer than either of those pads with an R-value of 4.8. That said, I've been testing it milder spring weather, albeit on the top of a mountain, so I can't say how it truly holds up to the cold. Based on my experiences so far, where I've been very cozy even though I've only had my Sea to Summit camping quilt, I'd happily use it across three seasons.

No one wants a noisy pad and the folks at Big Agnes have definitely worked hard to eliminate any crinkling or rustling in this pad, so I can roll around without disturbing my neighbors, who lets face it are usually the birds.

Ease of use and value

The first time I used this pad, I applied my usual tactic, which is to not look at any instructions and just hope for the best. So I was surprised when I pulled it out to inflate it and found it came with a large white bag that looks a bit like a sturdy trash bag with a valve on one end and the other end open. Bewildered, I set it aside and blew this pad up the old fashioned way.

It took about 40 breaths, and then a little fiddling to not let all the air out as I tried to seal it (turns out the input valve has a halfway setting where you can blow air in but it doesn't release). To let the air out, you just open the valve marked for deflate and then it involves the usual amount of squeezing. To my surprise, it fits back in its tiny stuff sack with only a small amount of wrestling.

When I got home, I did my research and discovered that the white bag is the Pumphouse Inflation Sack. After watching a somewhat-useful video online, I realized that I can attach the valve of the Pumphouse to the valve on the pad, then sort of just gather the ends of the inflation sack together to trap air, and roll it up with my hands to squeeze air into the pad without blowing. This takes about five minutes, and it's a little tedious if you don't need to do it, but it's a genius invention for anyone with asthma or at extreme high altitude.

As for value, the regular size of this pad is reasonable, especially for what seems to be such a technical, comfortable and packable pad. You do pay more if you want more room, but it's still a decent price for an exceptionally comfortable pad. I don't feel that I've had it for long enough to stand up and say that it's super durable, but if it's as tough as they say (and it comes with a puncture repair kit), then you're definitely getting your money's worth.

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