After you’ve been camping for a few years, most people find something to complain about with sleeping bags or camping quilts, the two common “sleep systems” (a pretentious term, but we’ll have to use it in this case). So, when the Zenbivy system started appearing in the occasional mention from other moto-campers, as well as Internet pop-up ads, I was curious. Zenbivy’s system appeared to have the best features of both quilts and sleeping bags, and many users seemed happy. I reached out to the company, and they sent me one of the new-for-2023 Core Bed models for a test—the 20-inch-wide Core Sheet Uninsulated and Core Bed 25, with down insulation. Pricing for those components at time of writing is $70 USD and $189 USD respectively (they also threw in some accessories, such as stuff sacks and a pillow).

I’ve been using it on-and-off for three months now, in a wide variety of conditions, to see if performed as well as I hoped, and as other users reported.

What’s the Zenbivy design all about?

Zenbivy’s sleep systems use three pieces—a mattress, the sheet, and the quilt.

First, the air mattress; Zenbivy offers its own branded versions, but you can use a mattress from other manufacturers, as long as it fits Zenbivy’s required dimensions. You can see Zenbivy’s sizing guide here, but basically, you can order a system for widths from 20 to 30 inches, lengths from 68 through 85 inches. Mattresses up to four inches thick are usable, although thicker mattresses require rounded sides to fit the system.

Then, there’s the sheet. This is a fitted sheet with holes in the corners for mattress edges to poke out, locking it in place, as you can see in the photo above. There are clips along the sheet’s edge to clip the quilt in place. At the top of the sheet, there is a sort of “hood” which functions much the same as the wraparound hooded section of a mummy bag.

Then, clip the quilt into the loops on the side of the sheet. Thankfully, Zenbivy color-coded these for us! Photo: Zac Kurylyk

Last, we have the quilt. This looks like someone cut a sleeping bag in half, and then put clips along the side.

How you assemble the system depends on how you want to use it, but it boils down to this: The sheet fits around the mattress, securing underneath with a strap. The quilt attaches to the sheet. The mattress provides insulation from cold below (similar to a Big Agnes sleeping bag) and the quilt insulates you from the side and top. If you opt for an insulated sheet, that will provide warmth to your shoulders and head.

Zenbivy’s marketing material below will give you a video demo of how it works:

How well does it work?

I purposefully did not read the instructions that came with the Core Bed, because I wanted to see if it was simple and intuitive to use, or tricky. After looking at it for a couple of minutes, I had a basic setup figured out. That allowed me to sleep in it for a night of comfort, basically configured as a sleeping bag. Because the quilt clips to the sheet, which attaches to the mattress, it is basically impossible to roll off the mattress in your sleep. It’s a comfortable way to sleep, as it allows you to roll around on your sides, back or stomach while still staying warm… or cool.

The more I used it, the more I realized the Zenbivy’s value as a hybrid of a quilt and a sleeping bag.

The optional pillow is more comfortable than other camping pillows I’ve used, and packs down small. It looks a bit fragile when you take the air bladder out of the pillowcase, but it should be easy to patch if you mess up. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

Want to be warm as temperatures drop? The quilt has a footbox on the bottom that can be clipped together, essentially turning it into a mummy-style sleeping bag . Then, you can clip the rest of the quilt to the sides of the sheet. This keeps your feet and lower legs warm, and also allows your lower body plenty of movement while generally keeping you centered on the mattress. In this configuration, you’re as warm as you would be in any similar bag.

Want to cool off? You can unclip the sides of the quilt, or just unclip the footbox itself, to allow your lower body to slide out of the quilt. You can still keep other parts clipped in, to keep your torso warm if you wish.

Fully assembled, the Zenbivy Core bed keeps your torso on the sleeping pad while you can move your feet around with the Quilt closed up underneath (functioning as a sleeping bag) or open (functioning as a standard camp quilt). This allows you to adapt the sleep system to a wider range of temperatures than most sleeping bags, and also allows you to sleep in a wide range of positions while still staying comfortable. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

I used this across a wide variety of temperatures this spring/summer and always found I was able to adjust the Core Bed to match the thermometer. I was comfortable, able to move around plenty inside the quilt. It all packed up nice and small (about 5 liters, in a 10-liter compression sack). Zenbivy included some waterproof compression sacks, but you could also use your own if you have one already. It’s as easy to pack as any sleeping bag or quilt, but since it has no bottom insulation and can be configured with an uninsulated sheet, you can set it up with no wasted space in your luggage due to unused/unneeded insulation.

One potential disadvantage for some users is that the Core Bed’s small clips take a little longer to set up than just chucking your sleeping bag open. I think this is a non-issue, as we’re talking about a minute or so, but no doubt someone would complain.

The Core Bed isn’t cheap, but you can opt for different levels of insulation, or synthetic material. Zenbivy also has other beds which may offer more in-line what you want, if this doesn’t exactly suit your needs. Photo: Zenbivy

The final word

Based on my usage thus far this year, I think the Zenbivy Core Bed will mostly replace my sleeping bags for the years to come. With no zippers to break, and everything else looking easily repairable, this should be a very long-lasting piece of equipment. I don’t expect to be sleeping-bag-shopping for a long time. It’s comfortable, and it packs up small. The only change I could possibly see me making is changing out Zenbivy’s mattress for a thicker option.

Some potential buyers might not like the pricing. I expect most buyers would already have a suitable mattress, but at $259 for the Sheet and Core Bed I have, I do agree it’s not cheap. However, those prices are in-line with sleeping bags from Big Agnes rated for similar temperatures, which come with the fragility of a zipper, and less versatility. I’m not saying those are bad options (I’ve paid good money for Big Agnes in the past), but I do think Zenbivy offers an interesting and comfortable alternative. If you are in the market for a new sleep system, I would recommend you check it out.

For more deets, visit Zenbivy.com.