Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting your favorite sleeping pad?

I'm in the market for a new one. Looking for decent insulation and quite, needs to pack down pretty small...what one do you guys like?

For me, I like a CCF like ridgrest or zrest combined with a torso pro lite. Not the smallest by any means but quick and reliable. Otherwise, I have a couple exped pads I really like, but I have trust issues with inflatable pads and they can slide a lot at times as well

I like the Thermarest Neoairs, on top of a ridge rest. The Neoairs pack down really small, on the order of a 1-liter Nalgene bottle. The ridgerest doesn't but it can ride outside the pack, on the side or underneath. Underneath is good in that it protects the bottom of your pack when you sit down.

NeoAir series, or Exped Synmat UL 7.

Exped downmat is pretty small for how good the R value is. Spensive though.

+1

I like the Thermarest NoeAir best for backpacking. I also own a RidgeRest. However, most of the time I carry a cheap closed cell foam mat in lieu of the Ridge Rest. The closed cell foam pad is so cheap that I don't mind if it gets damaged on the outside of my pack. But I would hate to destroy a $40 RidgeRest.

You have to blow up a NeoAir and that takes about 15-20 minutes. There are several self inflating pads that look interesting and the Thermarest Trail Pro is one example. But all of them weigh about twice as much as a NeoAir. Self inflating pads aren't really self inflating but they fill up in less than half the time of a true air mattress.

KC

Neoair as long as you don't have to worry about punctures. Otherwise, a Ridge Rest. Sometimes, both, if weight isn't too much of an issue.

^^^^ Yep.

>> Exped Synmat UL 7

This may be a good option as well. I picked one up after my summer hiking ended so I haven't tested it yet.

Tom

C'mon KC, live a little!!




Dang, what Neoair do you have, mine takes a few minutes at most?

I bought the 2 ounce air pump for the NeoAir. Turn the little fugger on, go start dinner, keep an eye on it or an ear out for the change of pitch as it starts to "work" as the mattress gets full.

The expeds blow up in a couple minutes with the inflation stuff sack .

I use to be full of hot air. But now I'm deflated.

I have been using a few different models of inflatable pads. They have been 2.5 to 3 inches thick. That makes my sleep so much more more possible since I am comfortable. Big Agnes brand mostly.

I have tried the thin ones and my aches start right away.

I'll bet you could blow it up in 10 seconds or less if we could come up with some sort of fart funnel for you to use!

I've got a NeoAir All Season, and am tickled with it. It's a lot more comfortable to me than even those thick cot pads from Cabela's, though it is a bit noisy.

True, but then you wouldn't have the pleasure of smelling my farts.

For truck camping I love my Exped Downmat 9. For backpacking, the NeoAir Xtherm gets the nod. If using a floorless shelter, I usually also bring a CCF pad to put underneath.

For truck camping I have a Sealy Posturepedic, single width. My buddies always give me crap when I pull it out of the truck, but then they change their minds when I'm the first one sawing logs at night. They gaze longingly, but I just tell 'em I'm not CFVA so bug off.

Sea-to-Summit Comfort Light. The little Jet Stream Pump Sack is fast and easy, and pumps up my pillow too.

For truck camping, I use the REI Coop Camp Bed 3.5 Sleeping Pad. It is very comfortable but too bulky for backpacking. For backpacking, I have a Thermarest RidgeRest but need to pair it with an inflatable. Haven't decided on which one yet. I don't like noisy pads. Had an inflatable pillow that was noisy and didn't even use it an entire night before tossing it aside.