REASONS TO BUY
Super lightweight
Water-resistant down
Nice fabric
REASONS TO AVOID
Could use a second attachment strap
Snap sometimes comes undone
Therm-a-Rest Vesper 32 Review
A comfortable, lightweight, and water-resistant quilt for summer hiking adventures
Credit: Backcountry
RELATED: Best Ultralight Sleeping Bag of 2024
Our Verdict
The Therm-a-Rest Vesper 32 is a lightweight quilt that is functional without many frills. Therm-a-Rest has been getting more into the sleeping bag game in the past few years, and we think they're getting better. The Vesper is really lightweight and really packable. It's a bit warmer than the bags of similar weight since it doesn't have to spread the down around as much. The hydrophobic down is a nice plus as well and is showing up more and more in new bags. While it's not the warmest bag, it is a quality, lightweight quilt that works well for what it is.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Therm-a-Rest Vesper 32 | |||||
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| Awards |  | |  | | |
| Price | $269.25 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $449 List $429.00 at Feathered Friends | $469 List $469.00 at Feathered Friends | $270 List | $200 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | This quilt maintains comfort while still being the lightest quilt in the review | The only mummy bag that uses more down fill in the foot box and less around the torso, to take advantage of the clothing you have with you | An awesome set of features allows you to use this bagin a surprising amount of different temperatures and situations | A functional, versatile, and well-featured quilt well worth the low price | Your best bet for an ultralight quilt if down fill just doesn't work for you |
| Rating Categories | Therm-a-Rest Vesper 32 | Feathered Friends V... | Feathered Friends F... | Hammock Gear Econom... | Enlightened Equipme... |
| Warmth (30%) | |||||
| Weight (25%) | |||||
| Comfort (20%) | |||||
| Versatility (15%) | |||||
| Features (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Therm-a-Rest Vesper 32 | Feathered Friends V... | Feathered Friends F... | Hammock Gear Econom... | Enlightened Equipme... |
| Manufacturer Stated Temperature Rating | 32°F | 25°F lower half, 45°F upper half | 40°F | 20°F | 30°F |
| Measured Weight (bag only) | 15.0 oz | 16.2 oz | 19.2 oz | 25.8 oz | 24.6 oz |
| Stuff Sack Weight | 1.7 oz | 0.8 oz | 0.8 oz | 0.6 oz | 0.6 oz |
| Stuffed Size | 5" x 6" | 7" x 10" | 7" x 10" | 6" x 10" | 8" x 17.5" |
| Manufacturer Claimed Weight | 15.0 oz | 16.7 oz | 20.0 oz | 22.2 oz | 23.8 oz |
| Fill Weight | 9.0 oz | 9.4 oz | 8.4 oz | 13.2 oz | 20.4 oz |
| Shell Material | 10D ripstop nylon | Pertex Endurance UL | Pertex Endurance UL | 20D nylon taffeta | 10d Ultralight nylon fabric, DWR finish |
| Fill Power | 900 fill Nikwax hydrophobic down | 950+ fill goose down | 950+ goose down | 850 fill duck down | 4oz/yd² Climashield Apex synthetic insulation |
| Style | Quilt | Hoodless, zipperless mummy | Center zip mummy bag or unzip for quilt | Quilt | Quilt |
| Construction | No hood, no zipper | No hood, no zipper and a variable fill | Continuous baffles | Box baffle consruction | Baffle-less, no sewn-through seams |
| Shoulder Girth | 58" | 64" | 62" | 55" | 54" |
| Hip Girth | 51" | 48" | 48" | 50" | 47" |
| Foot Girth | 38" | 38" | 39" | 45" | 40" |
| Zipper Length | No zipper | No zipper | Full-length center zip | 1/3-length at bottom | 1/4-length at footbox |
| Sizes | Regular, long | 62", 68", and 74" | Regular, long, and wide | Short, standard, long, short wide, standard wide, long wide | Short, regular, regular wide, long wide |
| Temp Options (degrees Fahrenheit) | 32, 20°F | 25, 45°F | 20, 30, 40°F | 0, 10, 20, 30, 40°F | 20, 30, 40, 50°F |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
In general, we like the Vesper. The construction is well thought out, and we liked the hydrophobic down. Make no mistake, though, this is an ultralight quilt, and we had to plan accordingly for a clothing system to match. Nine ounces of down isn't a lot for a 32-degree bag, and while it is distributed smartly, there are warmer quilts in the review.
Performance Comparison
Testing out the Vesper 32 while cowboy-camping in the Southwest Utah desert.
Credit: Ethan Newman
Warmth
For what it is, the Vesper 32 ain't bad when it comes to warmth. It's certainly not as warm as similar quilts we tested, but it does well with the nine ounces of down it has. On the inside of the Vesper 32 is a small tag listing the "comfort" and "limit" ratings, as per the EN ratings. Many manufacturers list their bags as the "limit" rating being the primary rating to pay attention to, whereas most users think in terms of "comfort". Going off this understanding, we think the Vesper 32 would more accurately list its comfort rating at 41 degrees.
The down is thicker in the top of the quilt and a bit thinner on the sides so as to insulate where heat is lost the most. Between the differential down and the pad attachment, it actually makes a passable seal between the pad and quilt, unless you flop around a lot at night. With a second pad attachment strap, the seal would be a touch better and warmer.
The Vesper 32 fills the center of the quilt more fully than the sides, so as to maximize the down's effectiveness and minimize weight.
Credit: Ethan Newman
Weight
At 15 ounces, the Vesper 32 is one of the lighter bags in the review. Most of the weight is also in the down fill, which is 9 out of the fifteen ounces, which means there isn't a lot of excessive fabric. It also packs down pretty small, and for the packing-obsessed ultralight hikers who want overnights with a daypack, you could probably get there with the Vesper.
The Vesper 32 is impressively light and packable at 15 ounces, but the compression sack made concerning ripping noises when we tightened it down. Not an issue if you simply stuff this bag into the bottom of your pack sans sack.
Credit: Ethan Newman
Comfort
For how light this thing is, it's quite comfy. The 10D nylon fabric is plenty soft, and the slipperiness of it doesn't catch on fleece clothing. The Synergylink Connector strap and the snap at the collar are both low profile enough that we didn't notice when we were laying on them. We wished the foot box was a bit wider, but it was satisfactorily deep so our feet didn't slide out when rolling around at night.
The Therm-a-Rest Vesper has two different places where the Syngergylink Connector can be attached to strap the pad to the quilt, but only one connector. With a second connector the seal between the two would be better.
Credit: Ethan Newman
Versatility
The Vesper does well but not in a ton of situations. It's really more of a summer quilt, where the nights won't dip down below about 40°F. We wouldn't be too thrilled about taking this out for nights around freezing, although you could probably make it work if motivated. However, this probably wouldn't be our first choice for a trip with really variable conditions or longer trips like a through hike.
The Vesper 32 dried out fairly quickly after a wet night in a single wall tent, where our testers dealt with a lot of condensation.
Credit: Ethan Newman
Features
The Vesper 32 is a mixed bag when it comes to features. The pad attachment system was easy to use, but it would have been better if it came with two Synergylink Connectors, as there are two places to attach them. They also can't be cinched for chillier nights. Also, the snap on the back of the collar came undone occasionally during the night.
We liked the connection system for the Synergylink Connectors, but we wished there was a second one, and that they were adjustable.
Credit: Ethan Newman
The draft collar and drawstring work pretty well and stayed put all night, and the hydrophobic down is a nice touch. We liked that it came with a compression stuff sack, but it felt really flimsy and we could hear the stitching pop a bit when we tightened it down.
The Vesper 32 fabric didn't seem to have as strong a DWR coating as some of the other bags we tested, but it did dry out fast.
Credit: Ethan Newman
Value
The price is midrange for our review. And for that price, this is a pretty good deal for the weight savings, though at the cost of some warmth. We think it's hard to beat some of the other options in our full lineup in regards to value, but if weight savings is an absolute must, the Vesper might be worth looking into.
Conclusion
There's a lot of good things about the Therm-a-Rest Vesper 32. It's really light, and we liked the differential fill with hydrophobic down. We wish it was a little warmer (or better labeled), and a few minor design tweaks would have raised the score. Still, if your main concern is weight and you're looking for a summer quilt, the Vesper is a pretty good option.
Letting the down uncompress before a night out in the Utah Hills. We recommend unpacking your bag well before crawling into it so that it has time to regain its loft (and therefore maximize its warmth).
Credit: Ethan Newman
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Ethan Newman
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