Any recommendations on sleeping mat for a 6'2 220lb guy?

[thewarthog]

I seem to soak right through all of the pads I have tried. I'm a pretty muscular guy so a lot of my weight is carried around my shoulders. I wake up most mornings with a come felt dead shoulder from sleeping on it. Running out of options, help please!

 

[1leglance]

Make sure to reply with your location as there might be cool expo folks nearby that will let you borrow a pad to try.

The pad I like best of all that I have owned is my Exped MegaMat 10....it is thick, you can control the firmness and the square sides mean wide folks won't feel like they are gonna roll off.
I would also recommend a foam pad under the MegaMat if you can just to add that final bit of cushion...not a must but might help.

 

[dnellans]

car camping or backpacking? I'm 511 215lbs and recently upgraded 15 year old pads for use on overnight drift boat trips plus others for backpacking. boy have things gotten better!

 

[nwoods]

For car camping, hard to best the REI 3.5 XL pad. The 2.5 is much more compact in storage mode, but for inexplicable reasons REI discontinued the 2.5 XL

 

[thewarthog]

Mostly car camping, little bit of backpacking... But I take my hammock for backpacking

 

[skates04]

I believe I have the exped 7 and it's great. Im 200lbs/ side sleeper

 

[dnellans]

I am a big fan of the new therm-a-rest neoair series. I was a bit dubious about how they would hold up to wear and tear cause they seem "thin" but I haven't had any issues with them so I'm now a believer. They have r-values that are as good or better than any of the self inflating foam ones and pack down way tighter/lighter. The only downside is that you end up doing a fair bit of huffing and puffing to fill them up. For car camping I'd recommend getting the widest 25in version in a long 77 inches (assuming it fits in your tent/car) - even the biggest one is barely heavier than my old thermarest pro-lite with 3x the r-rating and waaaaay more comfortable. the smaller form fitting ones are much lighter but also make a kreeky/crunchy sound when you lay on them due to the yet lighter material they use. fine for backpacking but annoying when doing overnights on the river where a little more weight/comfort is fine.

http://www.rei.com/product/863095/therm-a-rest-neoair-all-season-sleeping-pad

 

[mattiep11]

pocco pads.... floatable cumfy, river raft material...all around bad ***

 

[mattiep11]

oh i also rock a therma rest 40th anniv. and i am 6' 200lbs

 

[concretejungle]

I really like the thermarest pads too, but i will say that there is hardly a camping mat that i have used that i don't get a sore shoulder when sleeping on my side. I don't know why that is, but i just have a hard time sleeping on my side.

 

[brentbba]

Car camping, if your tent is large enough, have you considered a cot? Cot with a thin thermarest is very comfortable. Slumberjack makes an XL cot.

 

[thewarthog]

Car camping, if your tent is large enough, have you considered a cot? Cot with a thin thermarest is very comfortable. Slumberjack makes an XL cot.

I've thought about the cot, but want to go with a sleeping pad just in case I feel like taking it backpacking.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I'm 6'1" and about 225, and I use the XL standard pad from Cabela's. I'm a side sleeper, and it works great for me. Thick enough, plenty of width, and it's longer than I need. You can also get a taller version.

Best thing is the price. Mine cost $70 if I recall correctly, about $20 less than the similar Therm-a-rest.

Only downside is it doesn't pack as small as others, but it does get smaller than the Mega Mat I think.

 

[wyoming07]

I'm 6'1 and around 200.
I absolutely love the Exped Megamat I got a couple months ago, especially the square sides...makes it feel so much like a bed.
Only real drawback is it folds up more like a bedroll, so ya probably won't pack it in too far.
I also have a Big Agnes Q-Core in my red bag for fire assignments. It packs down a touch smaller than a two liter bottle, and is pretty dang comfy esp considering the packability. The quilted baffles really help support you, no matter how you sleep, though the MegaMat is still heads and shoulders above.

 

[cdthiker]

The exPed is really nice but also expensive its light so thats nice.... so if you want a do it all sort of pad thats the way to go.

For car camping check out a Paco Pad. Google Jack's Plastic Welding and get the real deal you cant kill them and they float! they are pricy but will last a life time