Self-Inflating Sleeping Pads

Featured review by Arson

This is a great 4-season sleeping pad.

From the Manufacturer: New for 2012: The XTherm mattress is the warmest mattress in the NeoAir collection, allowing you to go lighter than ever in winter conditions. Patent-pending Reflective Barriers give the XTherm mattress true 4-season warmth without the weight or bulk usually found in a winter-worthy mattress. The result is a mattress that weighs less than a pound, takes up less pack space than your water bottle, and provides serious comfort in extremely cold conditions. Pump sack and repair kit included.

Read more: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm reviews (9)

Featured review by Sheila Bergin Goss

This review is for the XL size of the air pads...bought as a bit of "giving-in" to the need for a more supportive sleeping pad. I originally thought I would use it for only car camping when we may sleep in a tent or in a wooden lean-to...however, despite its humongous size (30 x 77 x 3 ), it actually goes canoe camping with me as well! It certainly is too large for backpacking, but is a very comfortable pad, if you can manage to bring it along.

 Right after unrolling it...This is rather a luxury to take camping, but the more I use it, the more I appreciate it. It is 3 inches thick when inflated, is easily and quickly inflated with self-inflating valves (though I often add a bit more manually), and prevents many of the aches and pains that I previously felt with a more compact pad. The foam is a good dense, but still soft, open cell foam made of polyurethane. The pad is durable (I am on the second season of frequent camping with it), and is a rip-stop top, and an abrasion resistant bottom.

Read more: ALPS Mountaineering Lightweight Series Self Inflating Air Pads reviews (9)

Featured review by Richard Proulx

The Therm-a-Rest Women’s ProLite Plus is my dream four-season expedition sleeping surface. It is comfortable, durable, warm, and reasonably light and compact.

Therm-A-Rest Women's ProLite Plus What an incredible cornucopia of sleeping surfaces today’s climbers and trekkers have to choose from! Therm-a-Rest makes such a dizzying array of types and styles that this abundance often leads to confusion and difficulty when shopping. Sleep surfaces boil down to three basic types; all foam, all air, and a combination of air and foam. While it is impossible to strictly categorize type by price, one may generally observe that all foam tends to be the least expensive, all air the most expensive, and air and foam somewhere in-between.

Read more: Therm-a-Rest ProLite Plus reviews (13)

Featured review by Devil Dog

The Therm-a-Rest Lite Seat is a self-inflating seat that is great for taking a seat just about anywhere that needs a little cushion. It is a miniature version of the popular Therm-a-Rest ProLite mattress. It weighs only 3 oz and can seriously fit just about anywhere in your pack.

The Therm-a-Rest Lite Seat is a 3oz mini-mattress that can be used just about anywhere. I take it on day hikes, backpacking trips, tailgating, to sporting events, and I even use it as a cushion for the rocking chair on my front porch. Basically you can use it anytime that you don't have a dry, comfortable, warm place to sit. It is self-inflating, but can be inflated easily with two breaths. I have had mine for four years now and have taken it all over and never thought twice about the surface I put it on.

Read more: Therm-a-Rest Lite Seat reviews (2)

Featured review by Campn

Our family bought 4 of the 2"-thick Comfort Series Long size (25x77x2). Two of them do overlap a little in a 2-man tent, but my wife said she has never slept so well on a camping trip. The extra length was great for our 2 sons, both over 6'2". We used them for a 3-night/4-day kayak trip at Desolation Sound, BC, Canada. They fit just fine in the hatches of our kayaks, or strapped on top behind the cockpit. Deflating was no problem, only had to roll one time to slip easily back into the bags. Now back in Kansas planning where to use them again.

Read more: ALPS Mountaineering Comfort Series Self Inflating Air Pads reviews (2)

Reviewed by SC Ward

This self-inflating mat replaces a worn out Therm-a-Rest and so far it is doing the job well. This product is cheap enough and is very comfortable. It is used about 20 times throughout the last two years. Summer, winter, it doesn't matter.

This self-inflating mat is large. If you are after small and compact this is not for you. I had been using Therm-a-Rests over approximately 30 years and I finally needed something thicker and more comfortable and cheaper so I bought the Vango Comfort 7.5. This mat is definitely suitable for use in subzero temperatures and I combine it with a good down bag. There is no coldness coming through the mat. It has excellent thermal properties for the price. It has a large self-inflating valve that you unwind and leave till I'm ready to adjust to my weight.

Read more: Vango Comfort 7.5 Single review (1)

Featured review by Jerry Meagher

My best pad, period. Just attach it under the lid at the top of you pack or strap it to the sleeping bag compartment, and you are good to go.

A pad that keeps you warm down to 0° (1.5") or -25° (2.0") degrees. Comes with a repair kit in the stuff sack. Will need to blow a bit of air into the pad after it self inflates, especially if you've stored it in its stuff sack. Unlike other air pads, you will not feel like you're balanced on a pool float. I have the 1.5 inch model, and it is very trust worthy. I've had it for years, and have never had even the smallest leak. I store it rolled in its stuff sack (I don't have the space to store it inflated).

Read more: Big Agnes Two Track reviews (3)

Reviewed by Josephus

Generously thick and comfy for a foam/air sleeping pad, great for car camping or luxurious motorcycle camping if you have space to spare, too big and heavy for much else. But if it's a short hike, the extra weight might just be worth the supreme camping comfort it provides.

Though its 2.5" of thickness weighs in at about 5 lbs. hefty, the REI Camp Bed is the most comfortable of the foam self inflatables I've ever owned by far. It's also the thickest and heaviest of this kind I've owned by a good measure. Even though it is a bit bigger than more compact backpacking models, I make room for it on my motorcycle camping adventures because after years of beating up my body, ensuring I sleep comfortably provides unequaled quality of life returns the next day. Sure, there's room for even bulkier beds that consume the whole trunk if you're car camping, but this is a winner for me.

Read more: REI Camp Bed Self-Inflating Sleeping Pad review (1)

Featured review by Go Time! (Jesse Maloney)

The REI AirRail Self-Inflating pad really does help keep you centered and gives the user a slight edge on keeping out the cold with the concave design.

I picked up this model from the local Co-op garage sale. It was returned because the original owner said that it would not inflate. After examining the valve, I could see nothing wrong with it. I blew on it in the store and it seemed to work fine so I bought it for the $9.85 price tag. The valve is a quarter turner. To close the valve, you depress it and twist it a quarter turn. To open it you depress and untwist a quarter turn. In order to inflate the pad you must make sure that the valve is not depressed.

Read more: REI AirRail 1.5 Self-Inflating Pad reviews (5)

Featured review by JB Camper

I sleep more comfortably on this bed than I do on my bed at home.

I bought this pad for the purpose of sleeping on the snow should I ever want to. I tried it out one night in the snow in the backyard and I was toasy warm. For me, paying the extra bucks was worth the comfort. While very comfortable, it is a bit bulky for backpacking but it is great for kayaking or car camping. I bought the extra large size, not because I am large, but because I like to roll around and stretch out in my sleep. For kayak camping, stow it in the kayak cockpit underneath your legs if you have a larger kayak. If your kayak were to flip then it would provide about 65 pounds of floatation. In conclusion, this pad is so incredibly comfortable to sleep on; you'll never want to sleep on another bed.

Read more: REI Camp Bed 3.5 reviews (3)