Sleep in the Elements: ‘Space Cowboy’ Sleeping Bag Review

Cowboy campers rejoice, Therm-a-Rest’s upcoming sleeping bag is light enough for a knapsack and built to shed morning dew – perfect for sleeping outside.

Sleeping under the stars, away from the tent, is a gratifying experience. But a wet sleeping bag can range from uncomfortable to unsafe. So having a bag that keeps you dry is crucial, and that’s where Therm-a-Rest’s latest offering excels.

For 2018, Therm-a-Rest launches the Space Cowboy, one of the lightest bags in the category at just 1 pound 1 ounce (size small). Rated to 45 degrees Fahrneheit, it’s great for most summer adventures and durable enough to take on a lot of use.

Plus, the water-resistant synthetic fill keeps cowboy campers dry through morning dew. So I took a Space Cowboy on a late-season packrafting trip to Chiapas, Mexico, to see how it handled humidity, cool nights, and quick naps in the airport.

In short: Therm-a-Rest’s new featherweight Space Cowboy sleeping bag is small and light enough to be pack virtually anywhere – making it perfect for summer alpine trips, thru-hiking, or stashing in your trunk as a backup.

Therm-a-Rest Space Cowboy Review

As with almost all new Therm-a-Rest bags, the Space Cowboy includes connectors to strap into your mattress. These help you avoid ending up at the bottom of the tent if you sleep on uneven ground.

I’ve never been a huge fan of pad-and-bag integrations, but I found the Space Cowboy’s connectors to be easy to use and remove.

The Space Cowboy uses zoned insulation, adding more fill to the front area than the rear. Ostensibly, this adds warmth where you need it most. But it also trims weight from the bag by assuming you’ll use a pad below you to keep you warm.

While in Mexico, we slept on sand and rock, woke up in mist, and enjoyed full nights of sleep in all of these varied conditions.

Space Cowboy Specs

The entire Space Cowboy line weighs under 1.5 pounds. A short weighs 1 pound 1 ounce, medium 1 pound 3 ounces, and long 1 pound 5 ounces. Depending on the size, the bag ranges in price from $140 to $160.

It’s filled with eraLoft Synthetic and lined with ThermaCapture. That liner is built to reflect radiant heat back to the body, amplifying warmth without adding bulk or weight.

Meanwhile, the insulation uses microfiber polyester with hollow fibers that increase heat-trapping capabilities. These fibers are compressible and retain warmth when wet.

Final Take: Therm-a-Rest Ultralight Sleeping Bag

The Space Cowboy was the ideal sleeping bag for our five-day river trip, never getting too hot and almost always staying dry inside.

It’s a great bag for any fast-and-light endeavor. Plus, using the built-in loop attachments, it can integrate with a warmer sleep system – including Therm-a-Rest’s tech blankets, helping you use the Space Cowboy for more months each year.

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Even with careful planning and liberal use of spare dry bags, river trips have a way of getting stuff wet. We knew a light synthetic bag would handle dampness better than down and chose to test the Space Cowboy on our adventure. Frankly, we couldn’t have made a better selection.