SylvanSport has a diverse lineup of camping products and accessories, ranging from tents and campers to its new Vast travel trailer, as well as camp kitchens and the SylvanSport Cloud Layer Sleep System, all of which have had their fair share of accolades. The company was founded in 2004, fueled by the impetus to create a pop-up trailer that could do it all (the Go), followed by continual expansion into other arenas. Ingenuity and quality are both attributes that SylvanSport’s products have no shortage of, and their self-proclaimed “homegrown” philosophy of sourcing local and keeping jobs within their HQ community of Brevard, North Carolina, serves them well. Eighty percent of materials sourcing for SylvanSport’s products come from within 150 miles of the Brevard factory, and 100 percent of manufacturing is performed in-house on North Carolina soil.
I’d never tested or used any SylvanSport products until recently, and it was a pleasure to discover the brand for myself.
Cloud Layer Single Sleeping Bag
SylvanSport is all about versatility, and this three-season (suitable for 20°F to 60°F) multi-layer bag does it all. While the polyester taffeta and flannel-lined exterior layer stuffed with poly-fill is soft and plush, it doesn’t necessarily stand out on its own. Layer number two is a removable quilt that also functions as a camp blanket; it attaches via snaps to the organic cotton sheets within that function as the first layer—a luxurious, natural cover within the cocoon. The company’s dominant thought behind the sheets is that this makes your setup feel more like home, in turn making you a happier camper. As a person who prefers natural fabrics whenever possible, I appreciate this feature. Despite the fasteners, I did find that the sheet and inner liner had a tendency to shift toward the bottom of the bag during sleep (just as they would at home), but on the plus side, the side baffles allow for plenty of room to move. I did find myself shedding a layer as the night went on, and the zippers were easy to use in half-asleep mode with no “stuck” incidents. If you prefer to pop your feet out the bottom instead of removing an entire layer, it’s only a quick zip away.
There is a handy inner pocket near the drawcord external pocket for small items that need to be kept close at hand, and the hood cinches around your pillow for a cozy tuck that provides additional warmth and stability—a simple yet effective feature that worked like a charm. Though SylvanSport recommends that only the sheets be washed on an as-needed basis, I wash anything and everything before first use and did not hold back here. I separated the layers and put the whole shebang in the machine with no issues. While it wasn’t Tetris to reassemble, it did take a minute to take stock of what went where, but the next time felt more intuitive. The bag has pockets that fit over the top and bottom ends of a sleeping pad to keep it in place. I first tested this bag on a few different pads I own, including my Nemo Cosmo and Exped MegaMat; there was too much play, and I ended up getting the matching CloudLayer Sleep Mattress for the perfect tight-as-a-glove fit I was seeking.
Cloud Layer Self-inflating Sleep Mattress, Large
The Cloud Layer mattress is a semi-self-inflating 80 x 34 x 4-inch pad with a 4-inch thickness, topped off by the included carry sack that functions as a dry bag, too, and serves as a makeshift pump. Using the “windmill effect” to fill the bag with air, it took me three pump sessions on the first setup before I considered the mattress filled. Double air valves and fast-fill foam contribute to speedy fill and deflate rates. The polyester fabric is soft and plush with heat-welded seams, while the logo on the bottom has a stickiness factor to help keep it in place on many surfaces, save the ground itself.
As a side sleeper, I am picky when it comes to sleeping pads, and fully admit I suffer from princess and the pea syndrome—rocks and uneven surfaces usually keep me tossing about the night through. When the pad is filled, the foam is very firm. It’s true you do not hit the ground, but I let the air out two to three times during the night to make it cushier, only to find I was nudging the ground when on my side. It took a few uses to find the sweet spot; the sheet and middle layer of the Cloud Layer sleeping bag can be reversed, though, for extra padding underneath to provide more loft in the interim or whenever you need it.
While the mattress is easy to deflate and roll tight, its storage footprint is large, typical of this type of foam-celled mat. The adjustability factor and synchronicity of function are what I liked best when using the combined system. I haven’t noted any serious downsides so far on either the sleeping mattress or bag. Although the two items together in the SylvanSport Cloud Layer Sleep System are somewhat spendy, the quality and supreme performance justifies the cost.
$230/bag, $230/mattress | sylvansport.com
Photography courtesy of SylvanSport
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