Big Agnes On Sale Now!

Hallelujah! We're now offering discounts on our 2015 Big Agnes Gear!

Big Agnes Sale is On! Now Thru May 18th.

One of our favorite brands, Big Agnes is relatively new in the backpacking and camping world. With that said, they've quickly proved themselves to be a trusted and rugged brand for adventurers. When it comes to compact tents for backpacking, or lightweight tents for biking, Big Agnes has cemented their brand as one of the most dependable out there. Based in Steamboat Springs, CO, Big Agnes' products get tested right in their burly Rocky Mountain backyard.

On a recent cycling trip, my buddy and I relied on our Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 as a tent to stand up to conditions, retain heat, and pack well -- for a few hundred days. From that experience, I learned Big Agnes is a brand that can keep up. We were stoked with our tent and frequently showed it off to gear-heads like us. It has sensible stashing areas, a sizable front vestibule, and the tent only weighs about three pounds, pole included.

Big Agnes Fly Creek UL in action in Louisiana 

There are plenty of things to be aware of when you're on a trip, but with gear, there should be nothing to worry about. That's just how I felt using Big Agnes, worry-free. Big Agnes deals with the necessities, and they come in clutch for adventurers like me.

Now can you see why we're so jazzed up to be offering discounts? Big Agnes rocks. Check out our full line of products, like Big Agnes sleeping pads, Big Agnes sleeping bags, or the Outside Magazine Editor's Choice Big Agnes Helinox Camp Chair.

Are you ready for an upgrade?

Fly Creek UL2 in West Texas

"Should I Buy a Sleeping Pad with Horizontal or Vertical Baffles?"

That's a great question, and to answer it accurately, we have to ask you one more question. Will you be sleeping in a tent or hammock?  If you predominantly sleep in a tent, according to the research and testing I recently completed, I don't think you can make a wrong decision here. If you answered "hammock," skip the next two paragraphs (What is this, a choose your own adventure blog?).

It's true that in the past vertical-baffled sleeping pads were known to "taco," leaving the wannabe sleeper wedged or worse, too close to the edge and rolling off the pad. Big Agnes has taken that feedback to make improvements upon their popular Air Core and Insulated Air Core sleeping pads. I literally just got off of one, and the new design features a berm around the pad's perimeter which effectively cradles sleepers and largely reduces any issues with tex-mex cuisine. It also felt as if the vertical baffles gave alignment to my body as I laid on my back.  Plus, vertical baffles allow the pad to slide into Big Agnes sleeping bag sleeves better than pads with horizontal baffles.  .

Sleeping on ground with a horizontal-baffled pad is also a go. A few moments ago, I was atop Nemo's new Astro Air (nearly identical to the Astro Air Lite and Astro Air Insulated), and I enjoyed the level of comfort achieved from the contouring feeling which horizontal baffles give. The big benefit of this type of construction is its side-to-side stability.  The top baffle is also enlarged, to provide sleepers with a instant pillow.

If you mostly like to sleep in a hammock, that settles it; you want a sleeping pad with horizontal baffles. It alleviates any feeling of constriction by spreading out the material horizontally, rather than being wrapped up like an eggroll. Hammocks alone are rather comfortable, but when a sleeping pad featuring horizontal baffles is brought into the equation, the comfort level skyrockets (IMHO). It morphs regular hammocks from a floating coffin-esque sleep station to a hovering cocoon of cushion.

All in all, technology and gear companies are advancing at a rate which gives benefits to backpackers and campers they could've never dreamed of decades ago. You really can't go wrong nowadays.

But you can still come by and test them out for yourself :)