Nemo Quasar 3D Insulated Review

The Quasar 3D is an excellent all-around pad that toes the line between lightweight packability for backpacking and camping in established campsites. It's not the lightest, nor is it the warmest, but it's well-priced and comfortable. This is a great option for someone looking for something that will work for both car camping and the occasional backpacking trip.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

The Quasar 3D inflates to 3.5 inches thick in the center. This is one of the coziest sleeping pads we tested. The face material is soft, so if you're sleeping directly on this material with a blanket or quilt, you won't get that sticky feeling. We never felt any rocks or lumps in the ground beneath us, even though we often set this pad on top of rocks to test it.

The Quasar has higher sides to cradle you in the middle of the pad. While some might not like how this feels, all our testers thought it made the pad more comfortable since we were less likely to roll off the side when moving about throughout the night.

The Quasar also has a raised area at the top to give your pillow a slight boost. Most camping pillows aren't quite as thick as our favorite pillow at home, so this provides some lift to align it closer to what you may be used to. This larger baffle also helps hold your pillow in place since it's less likely to get pushed over the end of the pad while you sleep.

The polyester ripstop fabric is quite soft to the touch and noticeably quieter than other sleeping pads we tested. This material feels more like cotton than most ultralight sleeping pads, and all our testers loved the feeling.

The Quasar has some bounce, especially when moving around in a cramped tent. But compared with ultralight versions, this thing is downright cozy. We were most comfortable with a slightly lower level of inflation, and at 3.5 inches thick, we found you can let a good amount of air out before you start to feel the ground underneath you.

Weight

The Quasar weighs over a pound and a half. This is relatively heavy compared to an ultralight model. However, we still find this an acceptable weight for occasional recreational backpacking. If you're trying to crush miles, there are more lightweight pads, but this one is light enough for the rest of us.

Warmth

The Quasar 3D has an R-value of 3.3. This pad isn't intended for cold weather, but it will be adequately warm for most summer conditions. If you're sleeping at high altitudes or during shoulder season, you might want to add a closed-cell foam pad underneath to ensure you stay warm through the night.

There is some Primaloft insulation inside the Quasar to help with warmth. Again, its R-value is more than adequate for most chilly nights in a tent or spread out under the stars, but there are certainly warmer models out there. But coupled with a top quality sleeping bag, the Quasar will lead to a comfortably warm sleeping experience in mild conditions.

Packed Size

The Quasar packs down to a very small size considering its weight. While it doesn't pack down into as small of a package as some other pads, it still won't take up too much space in your pack.

The Quasar rolls down into a similarly-sized stuff sack as some of the lightest models we tested. It also has a velcro strap to compress the pad further before fitting it into its stuff sack. If packability is your top priority, this is an excellent option. Considering its thickness when fully inflated, we're pretty impressed with how small it packs down.

Quality of Construction

The Quasar 3D is a very well-made sleeping pad overall. It's made of thick and burly materials that won't easily leak air or puncture. We never felt like we needed to baby this sleeping pad while using it. After extended use, it's still going strong.

Some sleeping pads feel thin and flimsy, but that's not the case with the Quasar. This pad feels substantial in your hands, and more than once, we accidentally dropped it on the ground in areas with cactuses, rocks, and other sharp plants. While we still recommend using it in tandem with a ground sheet of some sort, we never had a problem with it getting punctured from brief (unweighted) encounters with sharp objects.

The Quasar is incredibly easy to inflate. It comes with an inflation bag that fills the pad with just four bags of air. This is one of the easiest and most efficient inflation bags we've used. The valve also seems very durable. It's made of a firm and slightly pliable rubber, and we don't see much that can go wrong with it. It's essentially a simple plug, and since this plug has virtually no moving parts, we don't see it failing anytime soon. You can set the valve to one-way for inflation, and this setting also has a micro-adjustment nozzle to let small amounts of air out of the pad. This lets you quickly find that perfect level of inflation after you've fully inflated. When you're ready to pack up, the one-way valve pulls out to reveal a quarter-sized opening that rapidly lets all the air out of the pad.

The inflation bag is the star of the show here, though. This bag works incredibly well compared to other inflation bags we tested. It has a small enough opening to let you quickly fill the bag by blowing into it, and it securely attaches to the valve so all the air from the bag flows into the pad as you roll it down. It tapers where it attaches to the valve, helping efficiently channel air into the pad.

Should You Buy the Nemo Quasar 3D?

The Quasar 3D is an excellent value for a cozy sleeping pad that can be used for backpacking and other types of camping too. It's less expensive than many models and has tons of features that make it stand out for comfort and ease of use. We think this is a great option if you need one pad for camping and backpacking and don't want to spend as much money as the premium options.

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