Ursa: Is it worth it?

Posted by: Kammok • Friday, March 17 2023

Since launching the Ursa Sleep System on Kickstarter, the most common question we've received has been the rhetorical "$600?!" So we thought we'd break down how we landed on what some folks are considering an above average price tag. With everything that's included, we'll show you how we're actually beating the competition on comfort and on price. By a lot.

Now that we’ve shown you the price comparison, let’s get into the main differences between Ursa and the competition.

Complete Integration

When you buy five different products from five different brands, you end up with a Frankenstein sleep system that was never intended to work together. And no one wants to go to sleep with Frankenstein in their tent. Ursa’s asymmetrical zippers combine each component into one cohesive sleep system intentionally designed for the best night’s sleep.

Premium Foam

With six total inches of premium foam, including a 4” self-inflating base pad and a premium 2” memory foam topper, Ursa offers double the amount of separation between you and the ground when compared to other complete sleep systems (ones that offer an integrated quilt and hood) on the market.

Easy Setup

No one wants to bring a bulky pump to camp, and with Ursa, you don’t have to. The self-inflating base pad makes setup a breeze, needing only 3-5 breaths to top it off to your desired level of firmness. If you’re looking for memory foam comfort at camp and a simple setup, Ursa is the only option on the market.

Single vs. Double

You shouldn’t have to choose between a single and double camp bed. Ursa allows you to have solo trips and overnights with your partner alike—the only sleep system on the market that can be combined with a second to make a complete bed for two.

Oversized Camp Pillow

The camp pillow has been long overdue for a revamp, and the Ursa pillow is just that—designed to be as comfy as your pillow from home but packable enough for any adventure. Soft-touch fabrics combined with two inches of premium foam separate it from the crowd of camp pillows that make you feel like you’re sleeping on a balloon. Plus, the adjustable air core means you can fine tune it for your specific sleep style.

Summary

We started dreaming this product up over a year ago when tent camping in Big Bend National Park. When we looked at what was offered in the marketplace, we saw huge gaps that we wanted to address. Ursa combines premium foam, super soft fabrics, and intuitive integration to guarantee your best sleep under the stars. Plus, Ursa is backed by our Adventure Grade lifetime guarantee. To take advantage of Early Bird pricing on Kickstarter, back now! You’ll score a discounted price and a FREE Ursa Pillow.

Learn more about the Ursa on Kickstarter now!

Back to The Outpost

Written by Dr. Felicia Wong. Dr. Felicia Wong is a physician, outdoor enthusiast, and wellness blogger based in Southern California. Between her and her husband (also a physician)'s busy work schedules, raising two young sons, and running her popular Instagram account Everyday Adventure Fam and blog on adventure tips, she exemplifies what it means to live intentionally and joyfully with her family. The Wong family can be found hiking, biking, enjoying a day at the beach, or skiing in the nearby mountains on any given weekend. However, one of their favorite activities is camping. In this blog post, Dr. Felicia Wong shares ideas to help you celebrate National Camp At Home Day! Our family loves to camp - at home, close to home, in state and national parks, or off grid. We started glamping as a family 6 years ago, and have gradually worked our way from glamping to car camping, to boondocking and backpacking! One of my favorite things to do, aside from planning our own camping trips, is to encourage more people to give camping a try. National Camp at Home Day - March 27 - is a great time for new campers to do a practice run, and for seasoned campers to test out and inventory gear in preparation for the spring/ summer camping season! To help you get ready for this fun weekend, we have come up with some ways to enhance your camp at home experience: Turn off your electronics and set them aside. Consider turning off your wifi. Unplug. If weather and space permits, consider camping outdoors on your patio or in your yard. If you have one, get cozy around an outdoor firepit with some camp blankets! If camping inside, you can create a nice camp ambience by moving some houseplants around your tent. If you have a fireplace, set up your Swiftlet hammock stand and hammock nearby. Play “camp games” . Our kids love card games like War and Go Fish! When it gets dark out, turn off the lights and use your camp lanterns, flashlights, headlamps. Treat yourself to classic camp treats like s’mores and hot chocolate with mini marshmallows No campfire at home… No worries! Here are 3 methods to make S’mores at home! S’mores on the Stovetop: If you have a gas stovetop, you can roast marshmallows just as you would over a campfire. Put a marshmallow on a skewer and set the stovetop burner on low heat. Use care while slowly turning the marshmallow over the heat to your desired doneness. We recommend this method for adults, as it involves an open flame. S’mores in the Oven: Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F. Break the graham crackers into halves, and place half of them on a baking sheet. Top each graham cracker with chocolate, and then a marshmallow. Bake until the marshmallows are puffed and golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Top with the remaining graham cracker halves and press to flatten. If you prefer your marshmallows extra toasty, you can also use the broiler following the same steps, but will need to watch them very closely, because they can burn quickly. Serve immediately while the S’mores are still warm! S’mores in the microwave: Place chocolate and marshmallows on up to four graham cracker halves and put on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high for 15 to 20 seconds, or until the marshmallows puff. Top with the remaining graham cracker halves. Learn more about how to participate in this year's National Camp at Home Day here. Happy camping!

6 Ways to Enjoy National Camp at Home Day

National Camp at Home Day was started two years ago as a way to experience camp when travel restrictions were in place, but it lives on today as a reminder to pause wherever you are and take a step outside. Sounds pretty simple, right? That’s because it is! On March 27th, we celebrate outdoor restoration at home. Whether you’re too busy to plan your next camping trip, you’ve got little ones at home that aren’t quite ready for the backcountry, or you’re just looking for a reason to set up your tent and roast some marshmallows, this day is for you. Take a break from the weekly hustle and bustle and experience the magic of basecamp. 1. Prep your gear for spring adventures. The backyard and the living room are great places to double and triple check that all your gear is still in tip top shape and that no crucial pieces are missing. Maybe your bugnet has a hole that you didn’t notice before (shoot!), or you accidentally left an apple core in your sleeping bag and it’s been developing a special kind of funk (tarnation!). We get it. Sometimes when you get home from a long weekend, you just wanna shove your gear in the closet and move on. Hopefully you won’t find any surprises in your gear box, but if so, the 27th offers an opportunity to sort things out ahead of time. 2. Explore a new local park. We all have that one local spot that we’ve yet to explore. It’s been on our list for over a year, and we’ve still yet to go. Hopefully National Camp at Home Day is just the motivation you need to stop making excuses and go check it out. Go find a new hammock spot, hike on a new trail, or play a round of disc golf. Take a cold beer along, and you really can’t lose. 3. Have an adventure themed movie night. The best way to get amped about your next big adventure? Settle in and have a low-key adventure movie night! Sure, we’d all rather be out exploring our favorite national park for days on end, but when all you have is a Sunday night, it can be pretty restorative to live vicariously through someone else for an hour and a half. We’ve put together a list of our favorite films to stream right now, and we hope you’ll find them just as inspiring as we did. 4. Enjoy a cocktail on your balcony. Again, the goal here is to just get outside. Plain and simple. We really can’t think of anything better, especially as beautiful spring weather rolls into the Lone Star State, than taking an hour or two to decompress outside with a book and a cocktail. The bar is low, people. Like low low. But we believe the restoration these moments can provide is huge. Take a deep breath, shut the laptop, set down your phone, and crank some tunes on your outdoor patio. This is the fresh air, and the delicious cold beverage, you deserve. Plus, we've got the perfect cocktail recipe for ya! 5. Invite friends over for a cookout. Honestly if we could just get rid of kitchens, we would. Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true, but man…cooking over an open fire? There’s really nothing better. Not only do you have the benefit of outdoor cooking, but once the fire is piping hot, you’ve also just created the perfect place to gather for you and your friends. Cook some steaks, bust out the marshmallows, maybe even pass a bottle of whiskey around the fire if you’re feeling extra frisky. National Camp at Home Day only comes once a year, so you might as well enjoy it the right way! 6. Plan your next far flung adventure. We’re calling on the crazy adventure planners of the group with this one. There’s no better place than fireside with a bottle of your favorite spirit to get your best buds to commit to the next big camping trip. We even have a cool segue that’s sure to win the crowd over: “Wow, camping at home is so fun! You know what would also be fun? Going camping in Montana!” Talk about a seamless transition. Now you’re ready to pitch your next big backpacking or river trip. Want to get more out of National Camp at Home Day? Discover amazing deals, a gear giveaway like no other, and much more here.

A Guide to Hammock Camping in Cold Weather

Don’t let your hammock collect dust all winter. Here are five tips for staying warm and elevated all winter long: 1. Get out of the wind. One of the biggest favors you can do for yourself when hammock camping in cold weather is to find a campsite with natural wind protection. For example: Instead of camping on the edge of a tree line, walk twenty paces in or so to allow denser foliage to act as a natural wind barrier. The addition of a rainfly hung snug over the top of your hammock can also work wonders on extra gusty evenings, plus a proper rainfly will trap in some of your body heat as it rises to escape. If you’re looking for a complete setup, the Mantis all-in-one hammock tent offers a hammock body, bug net, and rainfly in a convenient, packable stuff sack. 2. Pack an Underquilt Sleeping bags are a must when camping in cold weather, but the pro move for hammock camping is to attach an underquilt beneath your hammock. Since insulated materials need loft to work properly, using a sleeping bag in your hammock makes for less effective insulation because your body is compressing the underside of the bag. Instead, opt for an underquilt that hangs snug to your hammock with maximum loft and effectiveness. Depending on where you camp and the temps you usually experience, we offer three trail quilts with varying temperature ratings. 3. Consider a Sleeping Pad We designed our Insulated Pongo Pad to fit perfectly in your camping hammock and shield you from the bitter cold. Our sleeping pad does double duty, acting both as an insulator and the deliverer of ultimate hammock comfort. Cloud nine, here we come! The Insulated Pongo Pad works great in any season, but you’ll definitely never want to leave home without it when the weather turns south. 4. Add Warmth With a Top Quilt Now that you have a wind-free spot, a cozy underquilt, and the comfiest sleeping pad in the woods, it’s time to lie down for a toasty snooze under the stars. But what about your top quilt? Both our Mountain and Field Blankets make great basecamp options, each offering snaps along the edge that allow complete integration with your Roo hammock. For packing light and heading into the backcountry, our lighter and more packable trail quilts offer a huge advantage. However, depending on the weather, your underquilt might be cozy enough of a cocoon that all you need are your base layers to stay warm. 5. Final Tips Here’s a sneaky tip that lots of cold weather campers know well: Boil water over your stove before bed, fill up a Nalgene, and slip it in your hammock to warm the top quilt and underquilt. If you have an extra sock or two, slip them over your water bottle and leave it at your feet. This way you stay warm, but the bottle doesn’t burn your skin. If you’re not wearing your jacket to sleep, keep it at your feet as well so it’s warm when you’re ready to wear it in the morning. Lastly, test your setup before setting off in extreme conditions and know your limits. Everyone has different sleep preferences, so there’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to hammock camping in cold weather. The better you know your gear and your sleeping preferences, the more you’ll be prepared when those ultra-cold temps hit. And of course, if you ever feel uncertain with extreme temperatures in the forecast, be safe and maybe plan for a night indoors.