Most Comfortable Backpacking Pad

Benjblt

WKR
Joined
Dec 1, 2016
Messages
1,412
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Western Oregon
I'm looking for suggestions on a really comfortable sleeping pad. I have one that's decent at about 1 lb. I don't mind going to just over 2lbs. It does need to be 25" wide. I'm only going back 2 miles. Any suggestions. I often sleep on my side.

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Honestly I’m a fan of the good old thermarest self inflating pads with a bit of foam in them. There are smaller and lighter pads but that’s what gets my vote.
 
Check this dude out good rating and solid
 

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I have the Nemo Tensor and it is great. I am a side sleeper.
I also looked hard at the sea to summit ether xt (light and extreme models) but have not used one. It’s a 4” pad. The Nemo is 3”.
Very happy with the Nemo.
 
Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Insulated - I just replaced a Thermarest XLite with one. 4" thick, I just have the regular, but it is 21.5" wide and 18 oz with awesome stuff sack/inflation sack combo. The large (25" wide) is only 22 oz. Also has their pillow lock system that is crazy nice after years of knocking my pillow off my pad.
 
Sea to Summit comfort plus if you dont mind packing a little extra weight. Mine is the long version so it is a little heavy but it is so comfortable I will pack it every time.

 
Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Insulated - I just replaced a Thermarest XLite with one. 4" thick, I just have the regular, but it is 21.5" wide and 18 oz with awesome stuff sack/inflation sack combo. The large (25" wide) is only 22 oz. Also has their pillow lock system that is crazy nice after years of knocking my pillow off my pad.
I just ordered this one. Looking forward to trying it out. Is yours the Extreme? I have one of the thinner s to s pads but the r value isn't there. Hope this ether Extreme is warm.
 
I just ordered this one. Looking forward to trying it out. Is yours the Extreme? I have one of the thinner s to s pads but the r value isn't there. Hope this ether Extreme is warm.

Mine is not the extreme, I never felt cold on my Neoair even in some extreme cold that I’m unlikely to ask this Ether Lite to endure. Don’t foresee myself having issues with the R-value of the Ether Lite XT. I run pretty warm in general.
 
I use an Exped Synmat UL 5, its about 14oz, 2" thick and while its not as warm and comfortable as my old Thermarest, it feels great to sleep on.

Exped also make an ultralight pillow, I'm a sidesleeper and find even an inflatable pillow is better than a rolled up jacket and well worth the slight weight penalty
 
Everything has a trade off. I still like the neoair xtherm max for its weight, r value and comfort. People say they’re loud but mine just isn’t.
that thing is really warm, light, and Thick enough to get sleep on.
If I were car camping I’d probably buy something that weighed 5 pounds and was 6” thick.
 
Since switching to exped, I won’t use anything else. The design is the game changers for me, can’t see myself going back to horizontal baffles.
 
Exped SynMat UL (Winter)
Inflatable Sleeping Pad LW
29 oz.

Exped Down Pillow
 
From a purely comfort perspective, I would look for a pad that is more “quilted”. Pads that have baffles running in only one direction (Thermarest = horizontal baffles and Exped = vertical baffles) are not quite as comfortable. Pads like the Big Agnes Q-Core SLX and the S2S Ether Light are more the type I like in terms of pure comfort. I still use my Thermarest Xtherm and my Exped Downmat 7. They are great pads. But, when my main consideration is comfort, I go with the BA Q-Core.
 
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