Last September, we hada brief write-upabout ZenBivy, manufacturer of a camping system that’s not quite a sleeping bag, but also not quite a quilt. Back then, some of you were quite interested in the promise of the sleep system, when you saw the reasoning behind it:
Mummy bags are restrictive. They twist and tangle, grabbing you as you move. They’re unnatural, claustrophobic, and cause you to easily slide off the mattress. The Zenbivy Bed solves these issues. By attaching the convertible top quilt to the hinged “wings” of the fitted sheet, the Zenbivy Bed is instantly free to get wider where and when you need it to, allowing you to change sleeping positions with ease. No more constriction, no more twisting, and NO more sliding off your mattress.
From tent to hammock, hostel to van, the Zenbivy Bed’s separate top quilt adds incredible versatility and allows you to take comfort with you wherever you roam. The fitted sheet gives you the option to fully “tuck in” the quilt when temperatures dip. Its integrated hood insulates your head and doubles as a cubby to hold your pillow in place.
Combined, the quilt and sheet create a complete sleeping “bag” system that’s just as warm and light as a mummy bag but a WHOLE lot more comfortable.
We just had a press release come in from ZenBivy about a new Core Bed sleep system, which is a refined version of their previous offerings. Here’s how the website describes the system:
The all-new Core Bed is Zenbivy’s simplest, softest, and most affordable backpacking bed. Without zippers or a complex convertible footbox, the Core Bed’s simple patent-pending Fast Footbox™ utilizes just one hook to quickly transform the footbox from “mummy mode” for maximum warmth to “wide mode” for maximum space. The proven draft-free clip system keeps things minimal and lightweight while the soft 50d Pongee liner and supple new 30d Nylon Taffeta shell provide maximum home-like comfort.
In other words: the Core Bed is supposed to keep you warm when you need it, but also allow you to thrash around and throw off the covers when you heat up. It’s quite similar to sleeping bags from Big Agnes, but in two pieces for more comfort. You can see the system demo’d in the YouTube video above.
It’s available with either synthetic insulation or down, and comes in a version for either 25 degrees Fahrenheit, or 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Pricing ranges from $119 to $249 for the “quilt” part of the sleep system, and $70 or $90 for the uninsulated or insulated sheets, respectively. That doesn’t include the price of your mattress/sleeping pad, which is not included with the system. More detailshere.
Gimmick, or ADV must-have?
所以问题是:这是另一个野营gimmick, or is it a must-have for campers who hate the restrictions of sleeping bags but also don’t want the drawbacks of using a quilt?
Early reviews on YouTube look promising, but the only way to say for sure is to try it for yourself. I do hope to test one of these for ADVrider this season; if that happens, I’ll let y’all know if it it’s an improvement over other sleep systems. If you can’t wait until then, we do have a few posts in the forum mentioning inmates’ experiences with these beds.
