Air-Filled Sleeping Pads

Recent Air-Filled Sleeping Pad Reviews

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite

Sooooo light!!! Not very warm, but also not terribly crinkly loud. Holy moly is this thing shockingly light and tiny. That is so great for solo travelers and ultra light folk. It's amazing. And I'm OK with using a lighter R value with a warmer bag and if needed a Z Lite or emergency blanket under me for cooler hikes/travel. It takes more to get it inflated, but the weight savings!!! Wow.  Full review

Klymit Static V

A medium light sleeping pad that fills easily. I bought this to use exclusively on a short cycle tour (30 days). I really like it's light weight and minimal packed space. I felt secure and comfortable on this pad. Its air chamber design does a good job keeping you in place and I'm a pretty active sleeper, switching between sides. My bag was the lighter Sierra Design's Zissou. A good system for moderate low temps. About midway through my tour I noticed that it was not holding air completely through… Full review

MEC Kelvin 3.8 Sleeping Pad

When inflated, it's three times thicker and up to twice as warm as a 1/2" closed-cell foam pad. And when rolled up, this pad takes half to a third the space (volume) of that same closed-cell foam pad. Size - rolled: 30 x 16 cm (12" x 6")Size - inflated: 183 x 51 x 3.8 cm (72" x 20" x 1.5")Weight: 775 g (1 lb 11 oz) Thickness - 3.8cm (1.5"):This is pretty average for these "self-inflating" type sleeping pads. They called it a "Medium-Thickness" pad in the literature. For a side-sleeper like me,… Full review

Sea to Summit UltraLight Insulated

Lightweight, insulated pad that weighs a little over a pound. A 17-ounce pad, good for all but the coldest weather.  Air sprung cells add comfort, but hold small amounts of dirt carried into a tent. Also they will make you feel small bumps (rocks, ridges) when set up on. The fabric is solid, 40D nylon.  The Sea to Summit valve was revolutionary when it debuted, and is still the best I believe. It allows for the pad's firmness to be adjusted while atop it in a sleeping bag. Above the pad in its… Full review

Sea to Summit Comfort Plus

Supremely comfortable. Comfort: This is with no doubt the most comfortable pad I have ever used. It simply feels like a nice mattress. Size: I have the Regular Tapered and at my 172 cm (5'8") with relatively wide shoulders it is plenty wide enough to easily lie on my back with my arms to my sides and roll around (I am a side sleeper). Inflation: The pad has two independent air chambers and this offers two main advantages. First, you can adjust the pad very easily, and second, it has a lot of built-in… Full review

Therm-a-Rest Men's NeoAir XLite

Light, but fragile and uncomfortable. It is a relatively light pad, but you get what you ... ask for. My pad had a leak on the first night. Just luck of the draw but it brought home the problem with this type of design: one tiny leak means your sleeping night is over. I am 172 cm (5'8"), relatively broad shouldered, and the pad was not large enough for my arms if I slept on my back; it is thin, and it has a very narrow range of inflation that somewhat works for comfort. Too little and you hit the… Full review

REI Flash Insulated Air Pad

The REI Flash is a compact ultralight pad that performs well. It’s comfortable at 2" (5 cm), insulated (3.7 R-Value), and easy to inflate—all at 15 oz. The drawbacks are that it’s loud, the welds may fail, and it has a tendency to slide around at night. I found the Flash at a co-op garage sale and picked it up for a measly $10. The tag said that it leaked. Leaked it did! There were several micro perforations. I found the leaks with some soapy water; they were all at where the pad and welds… Full review

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir All Season

A comfortable and reliable insulated air mattress, good on cold ground down to about 0˚C. Our pair has served us well over the last five years. We (my wife and I) purchased a pair of these from a Norwegian retailer in the run-up to our 2014 two-family hike on the John Muir Trail. We used them on that 25-day journey and every backpacking trip we have done since, and for a lot of frontcountry camping as well. I would guess that it all adds up to six months of nights out over nearly five years now. Full review

Klymit Massdrop x Klymit Ultralight V

This pad was specially made for Massdrop, and was an excellent deal at $60. Although it has a lot of good qualities (high R-value, light, easy inflation/deflation), ultimately it was just not comfortable enough for my backpacking sleep needs. It may work well for back sleepers, but was not comfortable for me, a slender built side and stomach sleeper. I was searching for a sleeping pad for my backpacking trips that was light, had a high R-value, was comfortable and packed down tight. The Klymit Ultralight… Full review