Have you subscribed to Crookedbrains's email newsletter? You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.Free Shipping On Your Next Purchase Of $49+ When You Sign Up For EmailDetails:(Sample provided by Big Agnes for testing and review) For a summer-only pad, the Big Agnes Double Z offers big comfort and durability with a relatively light weight. At 4 inches thick, it absorbs bumps and other ground imperfections better than the self-inflating foam-core mattress type. The pad’s design creates quilting-style pockets throughout the sleeping surface, which distribute weight efficiently while maintaining some degree of airflow. Don’t try to take it below 40°F without at least a thin layer of closed-cell foam on top. Mummy cut saves weight vs. rectangular cut Edges are a bit fatter than the rest; “hold” you on the pad Pad thickness compensates for variations in terrain Durable, abrasion-resistant bottom, silky top fabric Brilliant valve design lets air in and out quickly
Light!: 1lb 11oz in the size large, 1lb for the regular No insulation means a narrow window of application Packed size not much smaller than foam-core pads Warm-weather backpackers and hikers whose walking style allows proper camp setup time. Shoulder-season campers who use a two-pad system. Anyone who appreciates good sleep in the backcountry. The Double Z pad incorporates a half-taper mummy cut, meaning the section from your head to your hips stays the full width, and then only the leg section is taken in. The corners are not rounded, so your feet actually have room to move around while staying on the pad. The pad clocks in at a full 4 inches thick, and the dimensions of the size large I tested are 78” long by 25” wide…very generously sized. Double Z pad drying in the Idaho morning sun... The Double Z features a quilted design which connects the top and bottom of the pad with short runners of fabric every few inches; this type of construction stabilizes the pad and will prevent the head/foot area from ballooning out under weight.
This construction also provides an “edge” to the sides of the pad—an area just a bit taller than the quilted area—which will help keep the user centered on the pad throughout the night. Zoomed in on the Double Z's quilted construction... The valve deserves mention here if only because of its clever design. For filling the pad only the top section is unscrewed, and a one-way valve lets air in without having to plug it between breaths. For deflating the pad the bottom section is unscrewed—bringing the top section with it—and one is left with a 1” gaping hole that very quickly lets out air. The valve itself is located in a convenient position near your head, out of the way when sleeping yet easily reachable if adjustments are needed. Double Z Valve in inflate mode... Double Z Valve in deflate mode With the paper-thin 20-denier fabrics some manufacturers are using in sleeping pad construction, Big Agnes has obviously intended this pad to be long-lasting and durable option for backpackers.
The Double Z uses a burly-feeling, 40-denier (?) nylon taffeta for the base and a decidedly not-crinkly, soft-finished nylon ripstop for the top. The crux of my testing the Double Z pad came in the form of a 21-day wildland firefighting assignment to the sub-alpine mountains of Idaho. I brought the Double Z along as my only pad, knowing the potentially freezing nighttime temps—yes, even in the middle of summer—would test the limits of the pad. I was very pleased with the results. Big Agnes gives the pad a lower limit of 35 degrees Fahrenheit and I wholeheartedly agree. I used the Double Z every night for this fire assignment, both in a tent and directly on the ground, and I was cold on nights where the temps dropped under 40°F; I could feel the heat being robbed from underneath. I spent a couple very cold—if cushioned—nights waiting for morning light. Double Z stock shot, looking plump and supple... I was able to procure a full-length, 3/8”-thick Evazote pad from supply once we got to our second fire on the Bitterroot National Forest, and set to experimenting with placing it both below and on top of the Double Z.
In my testing I found placing the Evazote pad on top did a better job of increasing warmth, and indeed, with the added CCF pad I was able to remain comfortable on the Double Z down to freezing. In other words, if you like to bring a CCF pad along anyway, as a backup in case your inflatable pad fails, the Double Z can be pushed down to freezing with such a setup. Speaking of pad failure, this was never a concern of mine with the Double Z. All the welds held up perfectly, the valve never cross-threaded or did anything weird, and the base fabric stood up to anything I asked it to during those three weeks of continuous use in dry, prickly sagebrush country. More than half my nights were spent under stars, and I quickly learned that with just a bit of campsite care, there was no place I couldn’t just plop down the Double Z…rocks, gravel, and bare dirt all work just as well as being under the pines. Considering bacterial growth over time: I always used my lungs to inflate the Double Z, and often packed it away with wetness both inside (from the vapor in my breath condensing) and outside (from vapor in the air condensing) and I never had any problem with mold.
As a matter of practice, I always hang up my pads—valve pointing down—for a few days after I get back from a trip, hopefully in sunlight; I find this goes a long way toward disinfecting the inside surfaces and retarding growth of the funk. Years down the road and hundreds of nights later, I can tell you where these pads will first fail, however. Inside the pad are these little hard plastic blocks—they almost feel like Legos—used to reinforce wherever the stabilizing strips connect the top and bottom of the pad. These plastic bits are imperceptible while lying on the pad, but there are dozens of them there, and when one rolls the pad up to store it, the edges of these bits press against the face fabric. As one can imagine, there are places where these blocks smash against one another when packed, and there will be face fabric between the blocks. So, after many hundreds of nights stuffed in a backpack, I can imagine little pinhole leaks might all of a sudden start popping up.
Moreover, though these blocks do take up very little volume, they somehow prevent the pad from packing down as small as I think it should. Though it will weigh less than a comparably-sized foam-core inflatable pad, choosing the Double Z won’t free up much pack space. Double Z packed up, with mechanical pencil for scale... For the exterior, fill a bathtub with a few inches of water, add dish soap, drop in a deflated and sealed Double Z, and go to town. Use a nylon brush if you like; the Double Z can handle it. Clean the valve with running water and an old toothbrush. Clean the inside by sloshing diluted vinegar around in it, rinsing it out a time or two, and then hanging it up for a few days, valve open and pointing to the ground. The vinegar will also take care of any building funk. For patching holes, I like Tenacious Tape or Kenyon K Tape. No waiting for epoxy to dry or wondering if you cut your patch large enough. Put on a piece of the tape, rub it on for 10-20 seconds, fill your pad up with air and go back to sleep.
The Big Agnes Double Z is a well-designed niche product. If you’re looking for a supremely comfortable pad for strictly warm-weather use, take a gander at the Double Z. It is very durable, comfortable, generously-sized, and pretty darn light. Did I mention it’s comfortable? Spike camp @ 7200', looking forward to the Double Z... Hiawatha National Forest, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Trail, in Michigan’s incomparable Upper Peninsula: Spring/summer temps ranging between 70-40°F in the day and 55-30°F at night. The Caribou, Bitterroot, and St. Joe National Forests, Idaho. Late summer, in the high mountains; up to 100°F in the day, and down to freezing at night. Vince Contreras has been working as a professional Forester and Ranger for various federal land management agencies since graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Forestry from Southern Illinois University in 2010. He currently resides in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a Forester and Wildland Firefighter for the US Forest Service.