Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated Review

The Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated strikes a strong and compelling balance between light weight insulation and comfort, making it a great choice for three-season camping.

Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated Sleeping Pad, Regular (20x72)

Good to know: this sleeping pad is unisex

Pros / Reasons to Buy

  • High R-Value
  • Thicker than competitors when inflated means more cushioning

Cons / Reasons to Avoid

  • Expensive
  • There are lighter alternatives with higher R-Values

Big Agnes have a reputation for making quality gear and the Rapide SL Insulated ticks a lot of the right boxes. Whilst it isn’t the lightest or best insulated pad in our round up, it still manages to strike a very appealing balance of specifications and is only beaten in these by much more expensive alternatives.  If you hike through the year in changeable weather conditions, then this pad is a very attractive option – only really falling short for those who camp out in extreme cold (and even here it can be supplemented with a foam pad to boost insulation).

Compare to similar products: 

Nemo Switchback
Nemo Tensor All-Season
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite NXT
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT
Rab Stratosphere 4
Sea to Summit Comfort Plus Insulated
Big Agnes Divide Insulated
Nemo Quasar 3D
Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Insulated
Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated
Exped Ultra 7R
Klymit Static V
Sleepingo Large
Tame Lands
Therm-A-Rest Z Lite Sol
NEMO Equipment Switchback Foam Sleeping Pad - Regular - Sunset Orange
NEMO Tensor All-Season Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Pad, Regular Wide
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite NXT Ultralight Camping and Backpacking Sleeping Pad, Solar Flare, Regular Wide
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT Ultralight Camping and Backpacking Sleeping Pad, Neptune, Regular
Rab Stratosphere 4 Lightweight Insulated Sleeping Pad for Camping & Backpacking - Graphene - Regular
Sea to Summit Comfort Plus Insulated Camping Air Mattress, Large (79 x 25 x 2.5 inches)
Big Agnes Divide Insulated | Lightweight, Compact, 3-Season Air Chamber Sleeping Pad, Wide Regular, Warm Olive
NEMO Equipment Quasar 3D Lightweight Sleeping Pad - Insulated Regular (72'x20') - Bluebird
Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Extra-Thick Insulated Sleeping Pad, Rectangular - Regular (72 x 25 x 4 inches)
Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated Sleeping Pad, Regular (20x72)
Exped Ultra 7R | Lightweight Backpacking Mat | Packable and Comfortable | -20 Degree 4-Season Sleeping Pad, Charcoal, Medium
KLYMIT Static V Lightweight Inflatable Sleeping Pad | Comfortable, Lightweight, Easy to Inflate Portable Air Bed Mattress for Camping, Backpacking and Hiking — Orange
Sleeping Pad for Camping - Ultralight Sleeping Mat for Camping, Backpacking, Hiking - Lightweight, Inflatable Air Mattress - Compact Camping Mats for Sleeping- Green, 1pk
Tame Lands Sleeping Pad for Camping Ultralight Backpacking, Sleeping Mat for Hiking, Traveling & Outdoor Activities 17 OZ (Olive Green)
Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol Camping and Backpacking Sleeping Pad, Limon/Silver, Regular - 20 x 72 Inches
Buying Options
Our Rating
Best Foam Sleeping Pad
Best Air Sleeping Pad
Best for Comfort and Ultralight
Best for Winter and Best Mummy Shaped Sleeping Pad
Best for Summer
Best for Side Sleepers
Best for Back Sleepers
Best Budget Air Pad
Best Rectangular Sleeping Pad
Type and Shape
Folding, closed-cell foam
Rectangular or Mummy Inflatable
Mummy Inflatable
Mummy Inflatable
Rectangular Inflatable
Mummy Inflatable
Rectangular Inflatable
Rectangular Inflatable
Rectangular or Mummy Inflatable
Rectangular Inflatable
Rectangular or Mummy Inflatable
Rectangular Inflatable
Mummy Inflatable
Rectangular Inflatable
Folding, closed-cell foam
Comfort
Low
Excellent
Excellent
Very Good
Excellent
Excellent
Very Good
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Good
Average
Average
Low
Warmth/R-Value
Average (R-Value = 2)
Excellent (R-Value = 5.4)
Very Good (R-Value = 4.5)
Excellent (R-Value = 7.3)
Very Good (R-Value = 3.8)
Very Good (R-Value = 4)
Very Good (R-Value = 4)
Low (R-Value = 1.8)
Very Good (R-Value = 3.2)
Very Good (R-Value = 4.8)
Excellent (R-Value = 7)
Low (R-Value = 1.3)
Low - Average (No ASTM FF3340 rated  R-Value, but likely around 2)
Low - Average (No ASTM FF3340 rated  R-Value, but likely around 2)
Average (R-Value = 2)
Weight
Regular Version - 415g/14.5oz 
Regular Version - 522g/1lb 2oz
Regular Version - 368g/13 oz
Regular Version - 453g/1lb
Regular Version - 695g/1lb 9oz
Regular Version - 845g/29.8oz

Regular Version - 652g/23oz
Non-Insulated Regular Version - 650g/1lb 7oz
Mummy Regular - 490g/17.3oz
Regular Version - 510g/18oz

Rectangular Medium Version - 650g/23oz

Regular Version - 530g/18.7oz
408g/14oz
600g/21oz
Regular Version - 410g/14oz
Packed Size
Regular Version - 51x13x14cm/20x5x5.5in
Regular Version - 25.5x10cm/10x4in
Regular Version - 10.4x22.86cm/4.1x9in
Regular Version - 11.3x22.86cm/4.5x9in
Regular Version - 24cmx12cm/9.4inx4.7in
Regular Version - 12x23cm/5x9in
Regular Version - 20x13cm/8x5in
Non-Insulated Regular Version - 20x10cm/8x4in
Mummy Regular - 24x11cm/9.5x4.5in
Regular Version - 18x10cm/7x4in

Rectangular Medium Version - 23x14cm/9x5.5in

Regular Version - 20x8cm/8x3in
27x8cm/10.5x3in
23x10cm/9x4in
Regular Version - 51x13x14cm/20x5x5.5in
Open Size
Regular Version - 183x51x2.3cm/72x20x0.9in
Regular Version - 183x51x9cm/72x20x3.5in
Regular Version - 182x50.8x7.62cm/72x20x3in
Regular Version - 177.8x50.8x7.62cm/72x20x3in
Regular Version - 183x51x8cm/72x20x3in
Regular Version - 184x55cm/72x21.5in
Regular Version - 183x51x8.25cm/72x20x3.25in
Non-Insulated Regular Version - 183x51x9cm/72x20x3.5in
Mummy Regular - 183x55-42x10cm/72x21.5-16.5x4in
Regular Version - 51x183x11cm/20x72x4.25in
Rectangular Medium Version - 183x52x9cm/72x20.4x3.5in

Regular Version - 183x58x6cm/72x23x2.5in
187x54.6x5cm/73.5x21x2in
188x56x5cm/74x22x2in
Regular Version - 183x51x2cm/72x20x0.75in
Materials
Polyethylene foam backed with metalized foil
20D and 40D Nylon with two layers of metalized film
30D Ripstop Nylon
30D and 70D Ripstop Nylon with Thermacapture Reflective Film
75D Polyester with 100% recycled polyester 'Stratus R' insulation
30D/40D Nylon withThermolite insulation and Exkin Platinum film
Ripstop nylon with Thermalite insulaiton and heat-reflecting film  layer
100% Recycled Polyester
30D/40D Nylon withThermolite insulation and Exkin Platinum film
Ripstop nylon with two layers of metalized film
20D Ripstop polyester with down insulation
75D Polyester
Ripstop Nylon
40D Ripstop Nylon
Polyethylene foam backed with Thermacapture Reflective Film
Durability
Excellent - will still work even if torn or damaged
Good - supplied with repair patches
Good - supplied with repair patches
Good - supplied with repair patches
Good - supplied with repair patches
Very Good - supplied with repair patches and spare valve parts
Good - supplied with repair patches
Good - Supplied with repair patches
Very Good - supplied with repair patches and spare valve parts
Good - Supplied with repair patches
Good - Supplied with repair patches
Good - Supplied with repair patches
Good - supplied with repair patches
Good - supplied with repair patches
Excellent - will still work even if torn or damaged

Analysis and Test Results

There are other products in our best sleeping pads for camping round up that beat the Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated in terms of weight, R-Value (eg. Insulation) and cost, but the balance big Agnes strikes between these factors with this product is very compelling and for this reason, I think that this is going to be a very attractive choice for a lot of hikers.

I was also very interested to see the wide range of size options this pad is offered in – six in total. This is great to see, especially in a product that is marketed as a light weight option – as it means you can pick a size that best suits you and not have to carry more sleeping pad than you need. All this coupled with Big Agnes’ well-respected name and reputation for making top-notch gear just adds to the appeal of this pad in my opinion.

Performance Comparison

Type and Shape

The Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated is the company’s warmest ultralight sleeping pad. It’s a rectangular inflatable design and I’m focusing on the regular sized version that unfolds to 183x51cm/72x20in in this review. This pad is offered in an extensive range of six sizes which include, aside from the Regular version, Petite, Tall, Regular Wide, Tall Wide and Double.

That range of sizes is particularly noteworthy, I think, because this pad is marketed as ultra-light, so you can buy the size that best suits your height and body shape and doesn’t leave you carrying more pad than you actually need.

Comfort

Inflatable sleeping pads are essentially thin air mattresses and they are, I think it’s fair to say, always going to improve your sleeping comfort relative to a thin foam sleeping pad, or just setting up your sleeping bag straight on your tent’s floor. As we’ll expand on more elsewhere in this review, this pad has a high R Value and part of the way it achieves this by being thicker than average – it’s 11cm/4.25in thick when inflated.

By contrast, most of the other sleeping pads we’ve assessed – even those with high R Values comparable to the Rapide SL – inflate to around 7.5-9cm/3-3.5in thick. That extra thickness equates to extra cushioning, so the Rapide SL scores well in terms of comfort. In use, I found the extra air volume that comes from the extra thick design means that you are less likely to feel the ground through the pad when you roll over or prop yourself up. 

Warmth

The Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated has an R Value of 4.8 – putting it at the better insulated end of the products we’ve assessed. The R Value is an industry standard way of measuring the heat insulation provided by a sleeping pad. Higher values equate to better insulation, though you should keep in mind that having a well-insulated pad alone won’t be enough to keep you warm on a cold night.

You’ll need to pair the pad with a sleeping bag with an appropriate temperature rating for the ambient temperature, and these ratings in turn often assume that you’ll be wearing a certain amount of clothing in the bag. The flip side of this is that a well-insulated pad won’t make you overheat in warm weather provided the rest of your sleeping system is appropriately rated. 

The upshot of all this is that if you sleep outdoors in a range of different temperatures and only want to own one sleeping pad, then one with a higher R Value makes more sense.

Big Agnes say this bag is suited for three season use, but this pad will do well in milder winter conditions and, as R values are culminative, it can always be combined with a relatively cheap and light closed-cell foam pad like the Nemo Switchback to boost its insulation if you want to sleep out in more extreme cold conditions.

Ease of Use

Inflatable sleeping pads like this Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated are always going to be more involved to set up than closed-cell foam pads which can typically be unrolled or unfolded in a matter of seconds. By contrast, an inflatable pad takes minutes to set up, though with practice, it can be unpacked and ready to go in well under five minutes without you needing to break a sweat doing so.

This sleeping pad comes with an inflation tool – Big Agnes call this the ‘Pumphouse High Volume Inflation Sack’ – and this is basically a variant on the inflation tools I’ve seen with every other inflatable pad I’ve reviewed. The inflation tool looks a bit like a roll-top dry bag with a valve at the non-open end that connects to the pad. You connect the bag to the pad, breath lightly into the open end to expand the bag and then start rolling it shut.

This compresses the air in the bag and forces it into the pad as you continue to roll. The process sounds involved – and it’s worth practicing a few times before you head out onto the trail if you’ve never done it before – but once you’ve got your head around it, it’s easy enough and doesn’t require much physical exertion. 

Of course, you can also inflate the pad using your breath alone – though this is much more laborious and, having done this myself a few times in the past, I’d say that the inflation tool is well-worth the small amount of weight it’ll add to your pack for the effort and time it will save!

Weight

As I mentioned at the outset, the Big Agness Rapide SL Insulated comes in a number of different sizes and, as you’d expect, the different sizes all have different weights. Given that this product is targeted at the superlight backpacking crowd, I think this wide range of sizes is a great thing: you can buy the pad that’s most appropriate for your height and body shape, potentially saving some unnecessary weight in the process.

The regular sized Rapide SL weighs in at 510g/1lb 2oz. Compared to the other premium ultra lightweight pads in our round up, that’s the same weight as the regular version of the Nemo Tensor All Season, and slightly heavier than the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT, which weighs in at an impressive 453g/1lb for the Regular version. Both these pads have a higher R Value than the Rapide SL. Taking things to the extreme, the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir X Lite has the same R Value as the Big Agnes and weighs in at 368g/13oz. All these pads are more expensive than the Rapide SL.

If you always hike with your partner, you might be tempted by the double version of this pad as it offers the same sleeping area as two of the regular sized pads. Whilst the double does work out lighter than two regulars, the weight saving is modest at only 50g/1.76oz and it actually has a slightly higher packed volume than two regular pads too. 

Version
Weight
Petite
482g/17oz
Regular
510g/18oz
Tall
539g/19oz
Regular Wide
652g/23g
Tall Wide
709g/25g
Double
1005g/37oz

Packed Size

The regular sized variant of the big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated packs down to 18x10cm/7x4in – that’s amongst the smallest packed size of the products in our round up – and is particularly notable when you consider the extra thickness of this pad.  The small packed size meant I had no issues fitting this into my pack around other camping gear. 

Version
Packed Size
Petite
18x9cm/7x3.5in
Regular
18x10cm/7x4in
Tall
19x10cm/7.5x4in
Regular Wide
20x10cm/8x4in
Tall Wide
20x11cm/8x4.5in
Double
27x14cm/10.5x5.5in

Open Size

As I’ve mentioned earlier in this review, the Big Agnes Rapide SL is offered in six different sizes ranging from the Petite all the way up to the Double Wide – and you can see a breakdown of the different sizes in the table below. The Regular version I’ve tested opens up to 183x51x11cm/72x20x4.25in.

Whilst it is thicker than most of the other inflatable pads we’ve assessed (which in turn makes it more padded). The surface area of the open pad is pretty much identical to competitor’s ‘Regular’ pads. I’m around 180cm/5ft 10in tall and what I’d consider ‘average’ build. I do roll around and stretch a lot in my sleep and it it’s not unusual for me to wake up having rolled off my sleeping pad, so whilst the regular version of the pad is adequate for me (and I’ve had plenty of great night’s sleep on regular pads), I do sometimes prefer a longer and/or wider sleeping pad if I don’t need to be super strict on the weight I’m carrying.

Version
Open Size
Petite
51x168x11cm/20x66x4.25in
Regular
51x183x11cm/20x72x4.25in
Tall
51x198x11cm/20x78x4.25in
Regular Wide
64x183x11cm/25x72x4.25in
Tall Wide
64x198x11cm/25x78x4.25in
Double
102x183x11cm/40x72x4.25in

Features

I think this pad offers a number of stand-out features. First of all, it’s thicker than most when inflated – and it achieves this without sacrificing light weight and small packed size. Whilst you could argue that a higher volume pad will take longer to inflate, the time difference here is small and the extra thickness does provide improved cushioning and therefore comfort.

Next up, and in common with the Big Agnes Divide Insulated pad we’ve also reviewed, the Rapide SL features and antimicrobial treatment on the inside. Given that you might well find yourself inflating this pad in damp conditions,  I think that’s a nice peace-of-mind feature.

Finally, the pad features thicker edges to help prevent you from rolling off in your sleep. 

Materials

The Big Agnes Rapide SL is, in common with most other lightweight inflatable sleeping pads I’ve reviewed, made from lightweight, ripstop nylon. The pad also uses two layers of metalized film internally to help improve insulation. 

Durability  

Closed-cell foam sleeping pads will always win out over inflatable pads when it comes to durability and the fact is that all inflatable pads are vulnerable to punctures.  What’s more, the lightweight nylon that this Big Agnes pad is made from feels very thin and insubstantial, however, I’ve seen this type of material used in enough outdoor products over the years to know that despite it’s thin feel, it is a strong and hard-wearing material that does not need delicate treatment.

In common with any inflatable sleeping pad, I wouldn’t use the Rapide SL directly on sharp rocks or rough or thorny foliage, and I certainly wouldn’t step on it without removing my boots first, but I think this is all common sense and in this regard, the Rapide SL is no less durable than other inflatable pads. Big Agnes supplies this pad with repair patches, so you can still use it should you suffer a puncture on the trail.

Sustainability

Big Agnes don’t publish any info on whether recycled materials are used in the Rapide SL. The nylon used in the pad’s main shell is recyclable once the pad reaches the end of its life, but the metalized film used internally may make the pad harder to recycle in some areas. 

As a company, big Agnes are actively adding more products to their range that feature recycled materials and which are designed with circularity in mind. If the sustainability of the products you buy is a priority for you, you may want to consider Big Agnes Divide Insulated pad as an alternative.

Price

At the time of writing, the Big Agnes Rapide SL costs $149.90 for the regular version of the pad, putting it at the more expensive end of the pads we’ve assessed (though still far from the most expensive). Given its light weight, high R-Value and the fact it comes from a well-respected brand, we think that many hikers won’t have an issue with the price. 

Conclusion

Big Agnes have a reputation for making top-quality gear and I’m pleased to report that the Rapide SL ticks a lot of the right boxes. It strikes what I think is a good balance between weight, high R-Value and comfort and I also particularly like that it is offered in a very wide range of sizes: Big Agnes is targeting this as a lightweight product, so being able to choose a pad that’s right for your body size and sleeping habits is a great way to ensure that you are not carrying more weight than necessary (this is a marginal gain for sue, but as many who value light weight gear will tell you, small savings can quickly add up).  

Whilst this pad is not the cheapest or best-featured pad we’ve assessed in this round up, I think it’s combination of features, plus a healthy dose of brand loyalty will make this a great choice for many hikers.

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