REASONS TO BUY
Super lightweight
Water-resistant down
Nice fabric
REASONS TO AVOID
Could use a second attachment strap
Snap sometimes comes undone
Therm-a-Rest Vesper 32 Review
Comfortable, lightweight, and water-resistant, this is a quilt made for summer hiking adventures
Letting the down uncompress before a night out in the Utah Hills. We recommend unpacking your bag well before crawling into it so that it has time to regain its loft (and therefore maximize its warmth).
Credit: Ethan Newman
By Ethan Newman ⋅ Review Editor ⋅ July 2, 2025
Contributions From: Justin Simoni
RELATED: The Best Ultralight Sleeping Bag
Our Verdict
The Therm-a-Rest Vesper 32 is a lightweight quilt that is functional yet understated. Therm-a-Rest has been expanding its presence in the sleeping bag market over the past few years, and we think they're improving. The Vesper is really lightweight and really packable. It's a bit warmer than the bags of similar weight since it doesn't have to spread the down around as much. The hydrophobic down is a nice addition as well and is becoming increasingly prevalent in new bags. While it's not the warmest bag, it's a quality, lightweight quilt that serves its purpose well. To better understand where it fits into the scheme of things, check out our complete ultralight sleeping bag review.
Our Analysis and Test Results
In general, we like the Vesper. The construction is well thought out, and we liked the hydrophobic down. Make no mistake, though, this is an ultralight quilt, and we had to plan accordingly for a clothing system to match. Nine ounces of down isn't a lot for a 32-degree bag, and while it is distributed smartly, there are warmer quilts in the review.
Testing out the Vesper 32 while cowboy-camping in the Southwest Utah desert.
Credit: Ethan Newman
Warmth
For what it is, the Vesper 32 ain't bad when it comes to warmth. It's certainly not as warm as similar quilts we've tested, but it performs well considering its nine ounces of down. On the inside of the Vesper 32 is a small tag listing the “comfort” and “limit” ratings, as per the EN ratings. Many manufacturers list their bags as having a “limit” rating, which is the primary rating to pay attention to, whereas most users think in terms of “comfort”. Based on this understanding, we believe the Vesper 32 would more accurately list its comfort rating at 41 degrees.
The down is thicker at the top of the quilt and a bit thinner on the sides, allowing for insulation where heat is lost most. Between the differential down and the pad attachment, it actually makes a passable seal between the pad and quilt, unless you flop around a lot at night. With a second pad attachment strap, the seal would be a touch better and warmer.
The Vesper 32 fills the center of the quilt more fully than the sides, so as to maximize the down's effectiveness and minimize weight.
Credit: Ethan Newman
Weight
At 15 ounces, the Vesper 32 is one of the lighter bags in this review. Most of the weight is also in the down fill, which accounts for 9 out of the 15 ounces, meaning there isn't a lot of excessive fabric. It also packs down quite small, and for the packing-obsessed ultralight hikers who want overnight trips with a daypack, you could probably get there with the Vesper.
The Vesper 32 is impressively light and packable at 15 ounces, but the compression sack made concerning ripping noises when we tightened it down. Not an issue if you simply stuff this bag into the bottom of your pack sans sack.
Credit: Ethan Newman
Comfort
Considering its light weight, it's quite comfortable. The 10D nylon fabric is quite soft, and its slipperiness doesn't catch on fleece clothing. The Synergylink Connector strap and the snap at the collar are both low-profile enough that we didn't notice them when we were lying on them. We wished the foot box was a bit wider, but it was satisfactorily deep, so our feet didn't slide out when rolling around at night.
The Therm-a-Rest Vesper has two different places where the Syngergylink Connector can be attached to strap the pad to the quilt, but only one connector. With a second connector the seal between the two would be better.
Credit: Ethan Newman
Versatility
The Vesper performs well, but not in all situations. It's really more of a summer quilt, where the nights won't dip below about 40°F. We wouldn't be too thrilled about taking this out for nights around freezing, although you could probably make it work if motivated. However, this probably wouldn't be our first choice for a trip with highly variable conditions or longer trips, such as a through-hike.
The Vesper 32 dried out fairly quickly after a wet night in a single wall tent, where our testers dealt with a lot of condensation.
Credit: Ethan Newman
Features
The Vesper 32 is a mixed bag when it comes to features. The pad attachment system was easy to use, but it would have been better if it came with two Synergylink Connectors, as there are two places to attach them. They also can't be cinched for chillier nights, and we found the snap on the back of the collar came undone occasionally during the night.
We liked the connection system for the Synergylink Connectors, but we wished there was a second one, and that they were adjustable.
Credit: Ethan Newman
The draft collar and drawstring work well and stayed in place all night, and the hydrophobic down is a nice touch. We liked that it came with a compression stuff sack, but it felt really flimsy, and we could hear the stitching pop a bit when we tightened it down.
The Vesper 32 fabric didn't seem to have as strong a DWR coating as some of the other bags we tested, but it did dry out fast.
Credit: Ethan Newman
Should You Buy the Therm-a-Rest Vesper 32?
There are many good things about the Therm-a-Rest Vesper 32. It's really light, and we liked the differential fill with hydrophobic down. We wish it were a little warmer (or better labeled), and a few minor design tweaks would have raised the score. Still, if your main concern is weight and you're looking for a summer quilt, the Vesper is a pretty good option.
The price is midrange for our review. For that price, this is a pretty good deal considering the weight savings, albeit at the cost of some warmth. We think it's hard to beat some of the other options in our full lineup in terms of value, but if weight savings is an absolute must, the Vesper might be worth considering.
Sleeping under the stars on a warm summer evening is all the better when you've got a cozy quilt to dive into.
Credit: Ethan Newman
What Other Ultralight Sleeping Bags Should You Consider?
For those looking for a lightweight package that packs small, look seriously into the Sea to Summit Spark 30 sleeping bag. It has a similar amount of down fill. The Western Mountaineering AstraLite is another super-minimal, yet solid quilt. If you want to go even lighter and warmer, the Western Mountaineering HighLite could also be attractive.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Therm-a-Rest Vesper 32 versus top competing products:
—Ethan Newman and Justin Simoni
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