Therm-a-Rest Slacker Snuggler

The Slacker Snuggler is a great little underquilt. I think it’s a perfect fit for hanging in summer, late spring, and early fall. Retailing at $79.95, it is much more expensive than CCF pads and a bit heavier, but much more comfortable.

The Snuggler is about half the cost of similarly rated down quilts, but easier to use and maintain. The Slacker Snuggler came without any instructions, and there are no instructions for use or care on the Therm-a-Rest website; an insert of some variety showing different methods of setup would be helpful.

Best For: Backpackers, thru-hikers, and really anyone that wants to try something more comfortable than a pad.

The Snuggler is a lightweight summer underquilt (UQ) that will beat the night time chill. It is much more comfortable and breathable than a closed cell foam (CCF) or inflatable pad. Most down quilt manufacturers don’t make anything lighter than 40°F quilts, so the Snuggler fills a nice niche, and works particularly well when the weather heats up, but it's too chilly to hammock without something underneath:

Ease of Use

The Slacker Snuggler is attached with a simple system consisting of two shock cord loops on each end. The loops are independent and not channeled through the quilt sides as with most UQs. You could affix the quilt to your hammock in a variety of ways. I simply ran the suspension through the loops and knotted the loop over the ends of the hammock, very little adjustment required.

Photo below showing easy setup:

In the temperature ranges this UQ should be used in, it’s possible you may want to slip the quilt off your body entirely in order to cool down. This is very easy to do with the Slacker, and repositioning the quilt is a breeze from inside the hammock.

Here the quilt is off the hammock, ready to be easily pulled down and slid around the hammock for warmth:

Features and Construction and Durability

The Snuggler blocks wind well and has good breathability. I experienced no pooling of moisture on the inside of the quilt, even during the warmest nights.

The insulation is listed as 100% eraLoft polyester hollow microfiber, as described on the Therm-a-Rest website:

“eraLoft™ is a highly efficient and compressible synthetic insulation. Comprised of microfiber polyester, the core of each individual fiber is hollow, greatly boosting its heat-trapping capabilities while also shedding weight. Short-staple fibers also maximize loft and compressibility, while the inherently water-resistant fibers maintain warmth when wet, and dry faster than even treated down, making eraLoft™ an outstanding alternative.”

I can’t speak as to how warm the material is when wet, in my experience nothing is warm when wet. I think it would be more accurate to describe products as “slightly less cold when wet!” But this attests to the Slacker's shell water resistance.

One warm June night I hung my tarp high to allow airflow, which exposed the bottom and sides of the quilt to a late-night thunderstorm. The wind and rain blew in from the sides but the 20D shed the rain easily. I’ve had down quilts in similar conditions take on a bit of water.

Noteworthy as well is that in my experience with this quilt and its beefier companion piece, the TaR Slacker Super Snuggler (see my review), which also uses eraLoft, is that these quilts don’t become noticeable heavier like down quilts do after several days on the trail.

Shell material, 20D inner and outer:

The quilt stuffs into its own pocket with room to spare, the pocket is the same dimensions as the Super Snuggler’s, which has twice the insulation, so the Snuggler could be compressed to half the size you see below. Using a compression bag or rubber bands it could be folded in half at roughly similar thickness for the volume conscious. 

Stitching is quality with no noted loose threads, the smoothness of the outer, DWR treated 20D polyester rip stop and inherent qualities of the synthetic insulation make for smooth packing.

Packed in its pocket, Nalgene on left and packed NanoPuff on right for scale:

The material and stitching is showing no signs of wear.  Unlike down, a small tear wouldn’t be an issue, and it doesn’t snag and catch like my down quilts in underbrush.  

Drafts: With the Slacker Snuggler I experienced no unintended drafts. The shockcord attachments were sufficient keeping it snug against the hammock.

Coverage: The Snuggler is lacking in coverage due to the tapering at the ends, and it may be possible for some users to experience cold arms or extremities not covered by the quilt. At the temperature ranges this quilt was designed for, this could also be viewed as a positive.

The contoured cut reduces weight while keeping the core warm and arms and/or legs cool:

Temp Rating: Therm-a-Rest supplies no temperature rating. I’ve slept down to a low of 58°F in the Snuggler, and would be confident taking it down to 50°F in light baselayers. 

Conditions: This underquilt was tested in Southern Illinois and Missouri from mid-October 2016 to the present for 14 nights, in temperatures ranging from the 58 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit.