Therm-A-Rest Antares HD – Gear Review

We are in the prime time camping season here in the midwest.  Living on Lake Michigan, we never know what the weather will be like so to properly plan a hiking or camping trip is nearly impossible.  Most of us have learned to work with multi-season gear here.  The most important things being the sleeping bag, mattress and tent.  We were recently given the opportunity to take the newly updated Therm-a-Rest Antares HD sleeping bag for a test run to see how all the improvements would hold up.  A 3-season bag is the best choice to get you through the nights on the coast (except for the winter season), and Therm-a-Rest’s Antares HD 3-season Sleeping Bag is a great option for your gear list.

When you want to sleep comfortably on the trail or at your campsite, you need the right sleeping bag.  Therm-a-Rest, and their parent company Cascade Designs, is a company that knows and understands what the people need.   This is a company that never stops working to improve their gear.  Two years ago our team had the opportunity to test out the original Therm-a-Rest Antares sleeping bag.  Since then, they have updated and improved this sleeping bag which they now call the Antares HD 3-season Sleeping Bag.  We wanted to put the new Antares HD through a proper West Michigan trial, and headed for the trails along Lake Michigan.

Key Features:

• Zoned Insulation (Box-baffled 750+ fill Hydrophobic Down w/sewn-through insulated bottom)
• Reflective ThermaCapture lining for added warmth without excess weight or bulk.
• SynergyLink Connectors integrate your mattress for optimal comfort and efficiency
• Heat trapping draft collar and full-length zipper draft tube
• Differential cut maximizes loft
• Snag-free zipper
• Cinchable hood
• External zip pocket
• DWR-Treated 20D Nylon Shell

Comfort:

First I have to admit that I haven’t been fond of mummy style sleeping bags.  I don’t like to feel restrained, and I have to be able to move my legs around freely.  I was surprised at the amount of space this bag had from side to side.  There is one very minor issue for me though, and that is that the length was just a tad bit too short.  I tested out the Regular length which is supposed to be long enough to fit somebody 6ft.  I’m only 5’6″ and was close to touching the end with my feet.  If you want or need a little extra space in the foot of your bag then I would suggest going with the Long version for the added space.  As far as warmth goes, I never had an issue.  The bag has a 15*F rating for warm sleepers.  The temperature dropped to only about 45-50*F, so the 750+ fill was actually a little too warm for me.  I’m a hot sleeper though so I could probably remain comfortable in temps down in the 30’s also.  For the cold sleepers, you may need to bundle up a bit as it only has a rating of 27*F for you.   One of the biggest updates they made for this model is the lightly insulated bottom.  The original version had no insulation or fill in the bottom, so keeping the warmth in was a challenge with every roll-over you made during the night.  Now there is less heat loss.  Having no bottom insulation also meant that you had to have a sleeping mattress paired with the bag, or you would most likely freeze at night.  With this update it isn’t necessary to use a sleeping mattress; even though I still did and recommend it for a more comfortable night sleep.  Two that I had the chance to test out and recommend are the NeoAir Xtherm and the NeoAir All Season.  It’s important to feel cozy when your sleeping and the combination of the sleeping mattress, the added insulated bottom, the ample leg room and the softness of the shell and liner made me forget that I was sleeping outdoors.

Design:

The cinchable hood and zipper draft tube are great features.  All of these helped keep in the warmth.  I actually used the hood as my pillow and stuffed a sweatshirt it and folded it over.  With the temperature being so mild, it ended up being a little too warm at times and I had to unzip the the whole bag to cool down.  The zipper however does not go all the way to the end and this is the only design feature that I didn’t like.  On warmer nights I like to unzip the whole bag so I can kick my feet out to cool off or stretch.  I couldn’t do that with this bag.  As mentioned in the comfort category, I tried out two of Therm-a-Rest’s sleeping mattresses with this bag.  The under side is equipped with SynergyLink connectors that can stretch to fit multiple size sleeping mattresses.  While this may be such a simple design function, many people will appreciate this if they like to use the larger width mattresses.  The mattress straps on another bag that I recently tested didn’t stretch, so it basically only held one size mattress.  The extra space all around the bag made its easier to flip over while sleeping instead of rolling and taking the bag and mattress with me.  They kept the little zipper pocket to store small items like a mini flashlight or headlamp.  The snag free zipper has a large hang tag on it that, while annoying at times, made it easy to find the zipper in the dark.  The down is treated with a Nikwax Hydrophobic coating and the shell is also water repellant to keep you as dry as possible.

Pack-ability:

At only 1lb 15oz for a 750+ fill 3-season sleeping bag, that has extra wiggle room, this bag is great for most overnight adventures.  It isn’t the lightest bag on the market, but it comes close.  It compresses surprisingly small and takes up minimal space.  A stuffsack and storage sack are included.  It is a great bag for those looking to pack a little lighter for the trail.

Value:

The Antares HD comes with a hefty price tag at $500 through Cascade Designs Therm-a-Rest brand.  It is a top quality sleeping bag but for only being a 3-season, this price is at the 4-season side of the spectrum.  There are many 3-season options out there.  Some not as lightweight as this one.  Depending on what type of journey you will need it for, the Antares HD is still a great option.  The choice is all yours.

Buy Now: $500 or to learn more: Cascadedesigns.com