Air pad…lighter or easier to inflate?

Buy both from REI sleep in your yard one night testing both send back the one that you dislike it costs you maybe $15 bucks in the whole experiment.
If you live close to REI it costs you nothing to return it. I have done this with sleeping bags and jackets.

IMHO Exped is very nice and 7 oz. for better trail sleep is a tuff decision.
I currently own several Exped products and all are superb.

That "instaflate" pool toy inflator that costs a couple of bucks from Leslie Pools and that folks here turned me on to will inflate any of the mattresses PDQ and weighs like a feather.

>which is more important lighter weight or easier to inflate

Only you can decide which is better suited for you! Trying them out as suggested is good.

>backpacker noted that it was tough to inflate

gave up on backpacker mag for several reasons. I trust forum reviews here more than that magazine. However, some pumps can be a pain.

You must use a pump with a downmat. You don't want the moisture from your breath collecting inside the mat as it can degrade the loft, making the pad not insulate as well. The REI pad is synthetic, so you can use your breath, although some will contend it is still better to use a pump. Many pumpsacks can be a pain in the butt, which is why I switched from a down mat to a Neoair model. No insulation to lose loft, so I can blow it up by mouth.

Thanks for the suggestion otrying he pads first. I didnt think of that and having an rei a little over an hr away returnin them to the store is totally doable.
I understand that weighing what is more important to me is on a case by case basis. I just have trouble making purchasing decisions and without any past personal experiences it makes it touher haha. These are both new products so their arent many reviews out there to help

…sorry about all the typing mistakes. Im using an iphone and my fingers feel like sausages with these tiny freakin keys

I cant vouch for the pump that comes with the downmat lite 5, but the schnozle bag that comes with the downmat ul7 is as easy as it can get. even when I'm being a bit lazy I have to fill the pump bag a maximum of 3 times to fill the pad. Plus the bag works as a dry bag and only weighs a couple of ounces.

Had a I known the lite 5 was coming I might have waited, but I'm not regretting my purchase of the ul7, it's awesome!

I don't think the lite 5 comes with the schnozzle bag. It's kind of a small whoopsie cushion looking pump. Regardless I appreciate the positive reviews of the exped products. I've never owned any of their stuff but I've heard a lot of good things. I have to say I feel like I'm leaning towards the exped but what about the rei flash? Rei's products have always served me well and this pad has an r value of 3.2 and weighs only 16oz at 99 bucks even. Seems like a pretty good deal?

+1 on the Instaflator. 99¢ and 1.5 oz.

You're right about which pump comes with which pad. That's why I said I couldn't vouch for the little pump that comes with the lite5. I do like that Exped gives plenty of inflation options for their pads. If you don't like the pump you could always invest in the schnozzle bag or even one of their pillows either of which are great dual use devices.

Given how much air goes into either pad, I think you'll want some kind of inflation device. I could see myself getting pretty light-headed if I ever had to inflate my downmat by mouth (which I know is a no-no). So while the Exped comes with and inflator, that would add extra cost to the REI pad. You may have also mentioned it, but insulation was a big factor in my decision. That's what swayed me from getting the Q-Core SL. the UL7 had significantly more insulation, which for my sleeping habits and locations will be much appreciated.

All that said, my opinion is that comfort is still the biggest determiner of which pad a person should buy. In my experience, I didn't need to bring anything home with me to know which would be more comfortable. I plopped the pads I was looking at on the floor of the rei and withing a few minutes I knew which ones would word and which wouldn't.

Thanks for your insight and I appreciate the feedback!