For many wild campers and backpackers, finding the perfect sleeping mat becomes a long and arduous quest akin to the search for the Holy Grail. We’ve known adventurers who have bought, tested and discarded countless mats for being either too heavy, too bulky, too uncomfortable, too noisy, too slippery or too tricky to inflate and deflate quickly in the confines of a small tent. With all that in mind, we’re not saying the Rapide is the grail – but it comes pretty close. For superlight comfort and warmth, it certainly delivers and with an update for 2024 it's now warmer and more packable than ever. An offset I-Beam construction reduces weight while providing great stability and support. Inside, PrimaLoft Silver Insulation delivers an R-Value of 4.8 for three-season use and even into milder winter conditions. An included inflation sack makes it easy to pump up and pack down again too. The search for the perfect mat might just be over.
Big Agnes is a small, independent US outdoor brand out of Steamboat Springs, Colorado – a small ski-town that we’ve never visited but which we like to imagine is full of mountain-loving, trail-hiking outdoorsy types. That would make sense, since the company makes some of the best ultralight backpacking gear around, including the award-winning Copper Spur, Tiger Wall and Fly Creek tents. It is kit that has clearly been designed by a gang of folks who love sleeping in the dirt just as much as we do here at WildBounds.
Oh, and if you’re still wondering where the heck that name Big Agnes comes from, we did try to find out. Depending on who you talk to, it’s either an affectionate tribute to a legendary truck drivin’ mountain mama, or a 12,000 foot peak in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness. We kinda like the first one better.
Amazing with its quilted top and is very comfortable