I finally pulled the trigger on a Big Agnes Insulated AXL pad yesterday. I wanted to try it out at REI, but they didn’t have a display and wouldn’t open the box so I could inflate it. So I bought it to try it out at home. My first impressions are:
- It’s quite thick–about 3.5″ in thickness–noticeably thicker than my Exped UL 7
- It is reasonably wide at around 21.75″ measured width (this is for the 20×72 version), although not quite as wide as my UL7
- I’m not sure if I like the quilted design yet. My Exped UL 7 has always been supremely comfortable for me. This design is…well, different
- The thickness of the pad makes the drop from your elbows to the ground noticeably apparent. I had some trouble getting my elbows to rest comfortably on the floor…had to resort to placing my shoes on either side as “elbow rests” (Mike Clelland’s old trick)
Does anyone know of any adapter (DIY or commercial) for the Schnozzel pump sack to this pad? I know that BA sells their own pump sack, but it is both heavier and smaller than the Schnozzel–too small to be used as a pack liner. The Big Agnes valve is slightly wider (measured around 1 1/8″ in diameter) than the Exped valve (measured around 7/8″ in diameter).
Thoughts?
