Sleep Systems

A sleep system is the bag, pad, pillow and liner that work together to keep you warm. Most cold nights on the track come from the ground, not the air, so we start with the pad. Shop Nemo sleeping bags and quilts, Nemo sleeping pads from R 1.5 to R 8.5, Fillo pillows, a cotton liner and emergency bivvy bags.

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Sleeping Pads

Down & Hiking Sleeping Bags

Camping Pillows

Emergency Blankets & Bivvy Bags

Frequently Asked Questions

It is the combination of gear that keeps you warm and rested at night: a sleeping pad that insulates you from the ground, a sleeping bag or quilt, a pillow and, if you like, a liner. Each part matters. A warm bag on a thin summer pad still leaves you cold, because the ground draws heat out of you.

As a rough guide, choose under 2 for summer, 2 to 4 for three-season walking, 4 to 6 for frosty nights and above 6 for snow. R-values add up, so a closed-cell foam pad under an air pad adds warmth. Cold sleepers should go one step higher.

It is optional. A liner keeps body oil and sweat off the inside of your sleeping bag, so the bag needs washing less often, and on a hot night you can sleep in the liner alone. Our XTM Dreamliner is 100% cotton and weighs 220 g.

How to build a sleep system

• Pad: match the R-value to the coldest night. As a rough guide: under 2 for summer, 2 to 4 for three seasons, 4 to 6 for frost, and above that for snow. Shop

How to build a sleep system

• Pad: match the R-value to the coldest night. As a rough guide: under 2 for summer, 2 to 4 for three seasons, 4 to 6 for frost, and above that for snow. Shop sleeping pads.

• Bag or quilt: buy on the ISO comfort rating, the temperature a cold sleeper stays warm through the night. Down packs smaller for hiking; synthetic costs less and copes with damp. Shop down and hiking sleeping bags.

• Pillow: an inflatable pillow like the Nemo Fillo Elite Wide weighs 112 g and saves your neck. Shop camping pillows.

• Liner: a liner keeps the bag clean between washes and works alone on a hot night. We stock the XTM Dreamliner cotton sleeping bag liner, 220 g.

Shop by brand and use

• Nemo sleep systems: Tensor, Eclipse, Flyer and Roamer pads, Disco, Riff and Tempo bags, the Pulse quilt and Fillo pillows.

• Emergency blankets and bivvy bags: Arva and Bob Cooper gear for the night you did not plan. Not a substitute for a sleeping bag.

Sleep systems for Australian trips

Summer on the Bibbulmun or the Cape to Cape needs little more than a light pad and a quilt or liner. Winter in the Snowy Mountains or on Tasmania's Overland Track calls for a pad around R 5 and a bag rated for frost. Couples can look at the Nemo Roamer Double and Double Wide, and the Jazz double sleeping bag.

Why buy from Oz Backcountry

Free shipping Australia-wide over $150 (T&Cs apply). Arva and Bob Cooper emergency gear and most Nemo and XTM sleep gear go out from our Helensvale warehouse on the Gold Coast; Nemo Tempo bags, and any size we are out of, ship direct from the supplier, so allow a little longer.

Sleep Systems

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Frequently Asked Questions

How to build a sleep system

How to build a sleep system

Shop by brand and use

Sleep systems for Australian trips

Why buy from Oz Backcountry

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