Designed to be a trusty 3-season camping compatriot, the Therm-A-Rest Antares Sleeping Bag is rated for 20*F and is uniquely equipped to work in unison with Therm-A-Rest sleeping mattresses to provide a comfy nights sleep no matter where your treks may take you. At first glance the Antares (“Antares” is a supergiant star in the Milky Way noted for its visibility in the night sky) is your classic goose down filled mummy bag, but flipping it over reveals it’s much different. In fact, the the entire back of the Antares is void of insulation and equipped to attach a sleeping mat. The mat in effect is the insulation, unlike any other sleeping bag we’ve ever tested.
Recently we were given the opportunity to test and review Therm-A-Rest’s newest sleeping bag accompanied by one of their high tech sleeping mats – the NeoAir Xlite, which is praised for being warm, comfortable and extremely lightweight. For our review sessions we set out backpacking in the giant dunes of Western Michigan, where the days were moderate (mid 60’s) and the nights got down right chilly – perfect conditions for this review!
Key Features:
Key Features:- Synergy Link mattress connectors
- Draft tubes & collar
- Stash pocket
- 750+ fill (Goose Down)
- Zoned Insulation
- Rated for 20*F
- Super compressible
- Extremely Light
- Draft Tubes & Collar
- Trapezoidal Footbox
- Snag Free Zipper
- Sculptured Hood
- Stuff Sack Included
– Therm-A-Rest Antares Review –
Pack-ability:
(10 out of 10) Holy. Crap. I am AMAZED at how packable the Antares is . . . although it was pointed out to me that it is basically half a sleeping bag since the bottom layer is without any fill. I put this bag in the compression sack that I had for my old bag and I was able to cinch it down all the way and could have kept going – my old bag barely fit! And that’s all I have to say about that.
Not only is it compressable, it is also super light – I had the long bag (meant for someone 6’ tall, but I like to throw the clothes I’m going to wear the next day at the feet to keep the clothes warm, and my feet) and it weighed in at just over 2 pounds – 2 lbs 2 oz to be exact.
Comfort:
(7 out of 10) The material is super soft and comfy and there is fill (goose down) in all the right places! For example, the hood and head area had extra fill basically creating a built in mini-pillow (although I still put my sweatshirt in my stuff sack and used that as a pillow). In addition, there were multiple draw strings that could be cinched down to the point where just your nose was sticking out, and you can cinch it down even further and pull the top over the bottom part of the opening so you are completely enclosed. That combined with the zoned insulation makes for a super cozy bag. Finally, for a mummy bag, this thing is roomy!! Plenty of room to roll and stretch, so no risk of claustrophobia.
However, I personally found a few things that I didn’t love. First, I thought that the draft collar was a bit sparse. The sleeping bag I previously used had a collar that was U-shaped, and it literally fit like a collar around your neck – no air was getting through. The collar here was your basic tube shaped collar, so there was a lot of room for air to get through. Second, there is a big zipper pull on the main zipper that would hit me in the face any time I looked to the right. Finally, and this is discussed more in the design category below, every time I would roll over the bag would pull apart from the mattress and create a cold spot letting warm air out.
Design:
(6 out of 10) First, let’s start with the awesome aspects. It’s super packable and very comfortable, as stated above. I LOVE the Synergy Link mattress connectors – there is no sliding off your mattress with this sleeping bag! Additionally, there is this super handy little storage pocket on the right side (opposite the zipper side), that is perfect for a few small items, such as your lip balm and a small flashlight. Finally, I love how cozy you could get – the cinch-ability is fantastic!
I get that this is meant to be paired with the mattress, and in theory I love that. However, it didn’t work great for me. I feel like I am generally pretty warm when sleeping, for a girl, but it took me a very long time to get warm in this bag, and then staying warm was an additional challenge. If I stayed on my back, or on my side, I was just right after a couple minutes – which is typical, it generally takes me a couple minutes to warm up. However, as soon as I would roll from one side or the other (side to back, vice versa), the edges would pull up (just a bit – but enough to make a difference) creating an air pocket and all the warm air would escape, and I had to start over again. We were camping on shores of Lake Michigan on Memorial Day weekend, and I think the temperature at night was in the mid-30’s, so warmth was a priority . . . it was a bit of challenge with that feature – I basically just got to the point where I laid on my back with all the openings cinched down and didn’t move. When I did that, it was perfect, super warm and cozy. If you were camping in a place that was only going to be in the 50’s at night, I don’t see this being an issue at all. . . the reason for the 6 rating is that I feel like most people that are going to be backpacking into a camp site are going to be in areas where it very likely could get down below 50* at night, and the cold spots would be a considerable downfall.
Value:
(7 out of 10) Amazon.com lists the Therm-A-Rest Antares between $350 and $380. Since this is meant to be paired with a mattress, and it works really well with the NeoAir XLite, you are going to be purchasing that in addition. The NeoAir XLite lists between $160-180. If there were no cold spot issues, I would say this is totally worth the price . . . however, that one factor makes it pretty hard for me to drop $500 for a sleeping bag and air mattress combo.
The Bottom Line:
The Therm-A-Rest Antares is incredibly light, very comfortable, and warm in certain circumstances, however, I do not see this being a good buy without also buying the air mattress that fits with it. The combo is great in that it is light and packable, but not without its flaws. Overall, if you’re planning on doing some hike-in backpacking in weather 35*+, this combo is totally worth it.Buy Now: $180 or go to ThermaRest.com
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