Sleeping Pads

Recent Sleeping Pad Reviews

Therm-a-Rest Men's ProLite

Compact and comfortable mat for backpacking. Almost self-inflating, but requires a few puffs to fully inflate. Provides superb insulation, even on cold ground. My backpacking tent only has around 80 centimeters of head height and this mat does not reduce this by much. I have used this mat for three years now and it has proved to be well made and reliable. 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

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Dream

Great comfort in a relatively packable size. I'm a Venture Advisor with Scouts Canada, so I'm under canvas about 30 nights of the year in all seasons. This pad is my main go-to pad when I'm at a static camp. It's a pain to blow up, but comfort is king. This pad coupled with my Woods Arctic 5 Star sleeping bag is great once the temp drops in November and doesn't rise again until April. Also, even when blown up it fits nicely into all my two-man tents I use throughout the four seasons I'm scouting… Full review

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Camper Duo

Comfort is king (according to my wife), and this sleeping pad delivers! For three-season camping, it works great and allows us to sleep together (unless she zips up her sleeping bag and shuts me out, that is). Weight and Size:The overall dimensions are: Length = 77" (1.9m) Width = 50" (1.3m) Height = 3.5" (8.9cm) (stated 3") Weight = 4lbs. 5oz. (stated 4lbs. 2oz.)   Comfort and Maneuverability:With the two independent chambers and nearly 3.5 inches of comfort, the NeoAir Camper Duo is among the… Full review

REI AirRail 1.5 Self-Inflating Pad

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… Full review