ZENBIVY CORE BED – iReviewGear.com

Materials
Down (quilt): RDS-compliant 650-fill down
Synthetic (hood): 240g 1d/3d XD Synthetic
Liner: 50d Polyester Pongee, coating-free, 300T, cire, 62g/m2
Shell: 30d Nylon Taffeta, coating-free, 380T, cire, fluorocarbon-free DWR, 36g/m2
Clips: Nifco HND5L, HND7

My Story:

I spend too much time indoors for work. I absolutely love getting outdoors and unplugging as often as I can. Something about being in nature hits the reset button and allows me stay sane during the times I am not out in my happy place. Camping has been one of my favorite things to do to just get away from it all. Whether it is packing my camp on my back, in my truck or on my boat getting away from the daily grind is what I seek. Most times I go with family or friends, but sometimes I prefer it to just be me or enjoy the companionship of my dog. No matter where I go or who I go with, the first thing that gets packed is my sleep system.

A good night sleep is the most important thing to me when camping. Without it, I return from my trip needing another day just to recover from what was supposed to be a relaxing get away. ZENBIVY has taken comfort and convenience to the next level to make sure you get the most out of your trip. The new ZENBIVY Core Bed has taken comfort, adaptability, and accessibility to the next level. I wanted a sleep system that would be compatible with different sleeping mats depending on the type of camping I was intending to do and found exactly what I needed in the Core Bed. I’ve had the privilege of taking this sleep system on multiple camping trips now and I can tell you, it has become my go to sleep system for the majority of my excursions. 

When the Core Bed arrived, I was excited to get out and try it out. With an abundance of work lined up I unfortunately had to wait for the weekend to get outdoors. Friday evening finally arrived. I grabbed my new Core Bed, my teepee, and my black lab. Threw them all in the truck and headed to the mountains before another email or phone call could attempt to distract me from the relaxation I craved.

I got to the campsite where a little bit of snow still covered portions of the ground in the shaded areas. I found a flat, dry spot and set up my teepee. As soon as it was standing, I went to work setting up the Core Bed. I used the inflation drysack to inflate the base mattress. It was a treat to not be winded or lightheaded blowing up my mattress. The inflation drysack worked wonders! I connected the sack to the mattress by the valve at the bottom of the sack, opened the top wide and quickly closed it trapping air in the drysack. With very little effort I squeezed the air trapped inside into the base mattress.  Within a minute or two I had the mattress fully inflated.

Next, I slipped the sheet over the mattress. ZENBIVY took some time to think this through. They placed corner pockets in all four corners for your mattress to slip into and they included a strap at the midpoint to keep the sheet from slipping off. Next was to secure the quilt to the sheet. They made this portion incredibly easy for a first-time user by color coding the hook and loop system to make sure you connect the quilt and the sheet in the right locations. I blew up my quilt pillow and went off for a quick hike with my dog before dark.

After winding down around a fire for a little bit when I got back from my hike, I was ready for bed. Slipping into the Core Bed was one of the simplest systems I have ever used. The hook and loop system allows for very quick and convenient access to the bed. Knowing that it was supposed to get below freezing that night I had the Fast Footbox set up in the mummy mode expecting to need as much warmth as I could get. I secured the hook and loops all the way up, made sure the sides of the quilt were pulled down around me, tucked my pillow into the hood, pulled the hood over my head and quickly went to sleep.

Never having used a system like this before I was a little skeptical that I would stay warm throughout the night. I mean how good can a quilt draped over you not even zipped up really work. I planned for the worst. I brought an extra sleeping bag that I could throw over myself in the middle of the night if needed and went to bed wearing pajama pants, socks, and a sweatshirt. My typical experience with most sleep systems is, you will survive at the rating it has, but to be comfortable you are typically about 20° F above the rating. ZENBIVY claims a comfort level of 20° F on the 10° F quilt, so I was fully expecting that I might get a little chilly that night. To my great surprise I was warm, a little too warm, so I applaud the rating for this system.

First thing I did was slip my feet out of the foot box to cool down a bit. This is perhaps my favorite part of the Core Bed. The ability to take your feet in and out of the insulated portion at ease without ever having to zip or unzip anything is great! I fully understand why they are created this way, but my top complaints about most sleeping bags now days are; not being able to move your feet, and having your feet get way too hot while not being able to do anything about it. I can only guess the designers at ZENBIVY have had this same issue and set out to fix it. With adjustment of one hook and loop the core bed is transformed into a roomy foot box rather than the snugger fitting mummy mode.

After a few minutes of letting my feet cool down outside the foot box, I adjusted the hook and loop on the foot box to make the box roomier. It was obvious the warmth was there, and I was not in need of the warmer mummy mode. I then took off my sweatshirt, rolled over and went back to sleep. I awoke a few times that night to toss and turn a little looking for more comfortable sleeping positions. Each time I did I had to adjust the quilt at little by pulling down the sides to ensure they were not trying to let the cool air in. with a quick tug it was back in place, and I was off to slumber land once again.

The next morning, I awoke rested and warm. I lay there for a while not wanting to leave the comfort of the Core Bed. I quickly fell in love with my new sleep system, and I knew right then this was going to be my go-to sleeping system for my three-season adventures.

Since that initial trip I have used the Core Bed in multiple situations and in multiple different configurations. I have used the fitted sheet and quilt with a thicker memory foam mattress on a cot wit great success as well. Lastly, I used the system with the ZENBIVY base mattress on top of a much bigger air mattress when car camping, and I have used the same system in a hammock. The versatility of the Core Bed is vast. No matter what the situation, ZENBIVY has created a sleep system that will provide you maximum comfort to ensure you can get the best sleep possible to get the most out of your adventure.

Find it Here:

Core Bed 25°

What can be done better?

There really is not much that could be done to improve the Core Bed. I honestly have no complaints. It was comfortable, warm, lightweight, and adaptable. I am incredibly happy with it just the way it is!