User Review: Exped Airmat 7.5

Exped Airmat 7.5
Above: The current Airmat 7.5, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed April 8, 2008 by Andrew Wood

Rating:
Price Paid: $40

My wife and I got two of these pads as wedding gifts at the beginning of last summer. We have used them on quite a few outings since then.

Pros:
- very affordable
- extremely lightweight
- excellent compressability (fits into a very small stuff sack)as compared to the Therm-a-rests which take up quite a bit more room in your pack
- elevates you 3 inches or so off the ground and keeps you from sliding off the pad because of the grooves

Cons:
- not very durable. My wife's developed two pin sized holes when she used it outside the tent to read (granted this may have been some rough grass). But I used a Therm-a-rest for years even on dirt, pebbles, and roots and it stayed pretty much impenetrable. I have since used the patch kit for repair and we'll see how long it lasts.
- the design makes you feel like you're on a pool float which is kind of annoying when you turn over - a little noisy and shaky. It definitely feels different if you are used to sleeping on flatter surfaces.
- takes quite a bit longer to inflate because of the larger volume of air needed to fill it.

Conclusion:
If you pack light and small, are very careful with your equipment, and don't mind sleeping on something comparable to a pool float, this may be the perfect pad for you. I am now considering the Therm-a-rest Prolite3 and 4, but I may just stick with this one since I have a pretty small pack (GG Vapor Trail).