Best sleeping pad

K

krax

Adventurer
I just watched the video for it.

Looks kinda like the MegaMat, but doesn't pack up as small. $60 cheaper though.
 
ramatl73

ramatl73

Observer
6daze said:
I received mine today!

That sale is over but the 20% sale started.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalnk
Click to expand...

Bought a REI Camp 3.5 yesterday, smokey grey XL. Can't wait to get in the woods. With my member 20% plus my leftover dividend it was $59!! Can't beat it.
 
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ETAV8R

ETAV8R

Founder of D.E.R.P.
I just tried out the Klymit V at home that I picked up with the last REI sale. Much more comfortable than my old (1999) Thermarest. I do like my insulated Kelty better due to the large side baffles but the Klymit packs much smaller and is lighter too. For $35 I'm happy.

I also came across this video to make an inexpensive inflator.
 
F

fiddypal

Adventurer
I just picked up two "Teton Sports Adventurer" sleeping pads: http://www.amazon.com/TETON-Sports-...00GV3YSV2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

You have to let them sit unrolled for a day or two so the foam will come back to shape, they ship rolled up and are clearly from massive pallets coming from china.

They are 25" wide so 2 of them fit perfectly between the wheel wells in the bed of my truck, and they also roll up so i can take them backpacking if we want to do a short day adventure. Not the lighest at 4lbs a piece but 99% of the time they will be in the truck and i'm not trying to win any lightweight backpacking awards.

Will see how they hold up, this was the only solid foam pad i could find around the size i wanted. All of them seem to be foam/air hybrid and i dont want to bother with something that can pop.
 
grogie

grogie

Like to Camp
Exped Syncellmat 5

I thought I'd add the Exped Syncellmat 5 pad to this thread. I have a Tepui Ayer RTT and the stock pad it comes with is okay, but for added comfort, I added a 1-1/2" gel topper to it. It's super conformable, however when I close up the RTT, the gel topper has to come out (only two sleeping bags and blankets can stay inside the RTT), and the gel topper takes up too much room inside my trailer to store.

So I got the idea to get some air pads. In the past, I had several backpacker style Termarest pads which I didn't like as my heaviest spots tended to touch the ground due to being one big air chamber. I gave those away to a younger guy, and I then upgraded to thicker pads that were even self inflating. However they were a bear to deflate and roll up, plus they were larger then many tents when rolled up! So I saw these Exped Syncelmats that have a quilt-like top, and with the individual air pockets, they really do a nice job supporting! I can't tell that I'm on the ground actually when laying on the pad. Plus the top side is a fabric instead of being plastic so their quieter when laying on.

Exped also sells a pump bag which is super quick to use! The pump bag plugs right on to the pad and blows it up easy, and then the pad as quickly deflates as the valve has a deflating "pin". Very nice design! So yeah! I think these are going to add just the extra padding that I want to my RTT, and then I'll be able to leave them inside. I'll note that these are their narrowest version of the Syncellmat 5 (medium size), as my RTT is small and two of these will fit side by side.

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More information, including a video that shows the pumpbag in action: http://www.exped.com/usa/en/product-category/mats/syncellmat-5-m
 
P

PirateMcGee

Expedition Leader
Picked up a pair of neoair campers from Thermarest. Made in the US with a great warranty, not self inflating but they pack snall for being 3" thick. Also much quieter than the rest of the neoair line.
 
P

PlacidWaters

Adventurer
grogie said:
I thought I'd add the Exped Syncellmat 5 pad to this thread.
Click to expand...

It would be interesting to hear what folks consider to be a minimum size for comfort. For me it's 3.5" x 25" x 72". The Syncellmat 5 is 2" x 20.6" x 72". For me personally that's not even adequate for backpacking. With a 2" mattress I can feel my hip bones on the ground. Less than 25" wide your arms fall off the sides. Even staying in the backpacking category, for just 13 oz. more than the Syncellmat you can get the Synmat 7, which I think would be quite a bit more comfortable.

For car camping I expect something significantly more comfortable. Comfort can be a factor of user age, size and weight.
 
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Z

zelatore

Explorer
For a couple years I've been using an REI 2.5" "self inflating" mat. Note the quotes - it's anything but self inflating. It also roles up huge and takes up a lot of room, but was fairly comfortable once you winded yourself trying to get it firm. (extra fun at elevation!)

I decided I wanted something more compact to store and looked hard at the Exped Synmat with their built-in hand pump but 2 problems came up- first, although the hand pump works it takes longer than I'd like and 2nd, they're too wide to fit in the sleeve of my lighter Big Agnes 15* bag that calls for a 20" wide pad.

I was intrigued by the speed valve mats from Thermarest, but they don't yet have an insulated one and since my BA bags all rely on the pad for bottom insulation (and I sleep cold) I ruled them out. They also seemed loud and crinkly when I gave them a test-run.

I ended up going with a Sea to Summit Comfort Plus Insulated 'mummy' shape. It's actually a little over-size at the shoulders being 21.5w, but it still fits the BA bag well enough. It's a dual-layer, so you can make the bottom as firm as possible for side sleepers (I toss and turn so much I pretty well hit everything) and still adjust the top layer to suit. R5 as well, so that helps with the cold.

I just placed the order this week so I haven't put it to the test in the field yet but from playing with it in the store + very positive reviews I think it's the best choice for me.

<edit>
I should mention it has flat valves that deflate super fast and let you inflate it fast as well. I picked up a exped 'schnozle' and about 1.5 pumps gets it ready to go. I was really sick of messing with those crappy old round valves that don't have a check in them - trying to blow them up by holding your tongue over the valve between breaths gets old real fast, and they don't deflate very well either. No love for those things!
 
grogie

grogie

Like to Camp
PlacidWaters said:
It would be interesting to hear what folks consider to be a minimum size for comfort. For me it's 3.5" x 25" x 72". The Syncellmat 5 is 2" x 20.6" x 72". For me personally that's not even adequate for backpacking. With a 2" mattress is can feel my hip bones on the ground. Less than 25" wide your arms fall off the sides. Even staying in the backpacking category, for just 13 oz. more than the Syncellmat you can get the Synmat 7, which I think would be quite a bit more comfortable.

For car camping I expect something significantly more comfortable. Comfort can be a factor of user age, size and weight.
Click to expand...

The previous thermorests that I had were 2" and yes I as well felt my hips on the ground. I honestly don't with these (at 185 lbs.), which I think is because of the individual cells. Sure, 3-1/2" would be better... As said I'm putting these on top of the pad in my Tepui. These would also do well in a hammock.
 
Nanabijou

Nanabijou

Observer
zelatore said:
For a couple years I've been using an REI 2.5" "self inflating" mat. Note the quotes - it's anything but self inflating. It also roles up huge and takes up a lot of room, but was fairly comfortable once you winded yourself trying to get it firm. (extra fun at elevation!)

I decided I wanted something more compact to store and looked hard at the Exped Synmat with their built-in hand pump but 2 problems came up- first, although the hand pump works it takes longer than I'd like and 2nd, they're too wide to fit in the sleeve of my lighter Big Agnes 15* bag that calls for a 20" wide pad.

I was intrigued by the speed valve mats from Thermarest, but they don't yet have an insulated one and since my BA bags all rely on the pad for bottom insulation (and I sleep cold) I ruled them out. They also seemed loud and crinkly when I gave them a test-run.

I ended up going with a Sea to Summit Comfort Plus Insulated 'mummy' shape. It's actually a little over-size at the shoulders being 21.5w, but it still fits the BA bag well enough. It's a dual-layer, so you can make the bottom as firm as possible for side sleepers (I toss and turn so much I pretty well hit everything) and still adjust the top layer to suit. R5 as well, so that helps with the cold.

I just placed the order this week so I haven't put it to the test in the field yet but from playing with it in the store + very positive reviews I think it's the best choice for me.

<edit>
I should mention it has flat valves that deflate super fast and let you inflate it fast as well. I picked up a exped 'schnozle' and about 1.5 pumps gets it ready to go. I was really sick of messing with those crappy old round valves that don't have a check in them - trying to blow them up by holding your tongue over the valve between breaths gets old real fast, and they don't deflate very well either. No love for those things!
Click to expand...

The Thermarest SV (Speed Valve) mattresses ARE insulated. The Neo Air Alite Max (below) has an R value of 3.2.

http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/mattresses/fast-and-light/neoair-xlite-max-sv/product
 
P

PlacidWaters

Adventurer
The Exped website lists some new mattresses. In fact there are so many it's getting overwhelming. A couple I noticed in particular as improvements:

Synmat 3D 7 MW: Box sides should improve comfort over the previous model.

Synmat Mega 12 MW: Previously called just the Synmat 12 and was only available in LXW, now available in a shorter, narrower size (25.6 x 73.6) that should fit on a cot better. The Helinox Cot One is 26.5" wide. The Synmat 3D 7 MW would work well on the Cot One also. It's 2.8" thick and on a good cot you don't really need too much thickness.

So which would you prefer: A thick mattress like the Synmat Mega 12 (4.7") on the ground or a thinner mattress on a cot? The Synmat Mega 12 on the ground is simpler and cheaper, but a good cot has that nice suspended feel that's very comfortable. The answer in part depends on whether the ground is flat, and whether the cot is high enough to make it easier to get on and off it.
 
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