Air Pad Question

[Josiah]

I'm looking at getting a new sleeping pad for early spring, late fall and winter. I already have a neo air small for warmer conditions. I'd like the pad to keep me warm down to about 15 deg and to be able to use it on snow with no more than a 1/8" CCF pad.

I'm a side/ stomach sleeper so comfort is important. I'm trying to keep it under 20 oz or so. I'm willing to sacrifice a little weight for durability. The pads I'm looking at currently are:

Neo air all season: Is it too loud?

Exped synmat ul: is it warm enough?

Neo air x-therm: Not sure about durability, noise.

Q core SL: I've heard a lot of complaints about size, but I do like the idea of 3.5" of air, decent R value and weight.

Downmat ul: don't really want to deal with feathers.

I've though about ordering them all and returning the ones I don't like, but I was going to try to get one during the REI members' sale, (if one happens this year).

Are there any I'm missing that I should consider?

Any suggestions?

[EndoftheTrail]

I'm very happy with my Neoair X-Therm. Noticeably warming than the original Neoair. Not noiseless when tossing and turning, but hardly noisy at all. Seems well made — but I haven't had it long enough to really comment on durability. My expectation is that with common sense care, it should last as long as the next air pad.

[Travis Leanna]

+1 on Ben's comments. It does have a 70D bottom which is better than some other air pads.

[Josiah]

Does the mummy shape bother you at all? I've only used rectangular pads before.

[Travis Leanna]

Not if it's a full length pad, which mine is. It does bother some people, however.

[Josiah]

Well, I'm going to try the x-therm and all season out. Zappos has them for about 20% off and gave me free overnight shipping. They have free returns so I can try them both out for free.

[EndoftheTrail]

"Does the mummy shape bother you at all? I've only used rectangular pads before."

Subjective, as Travis stated. But I am guessing that most people either don't find it bothersome or can adapt reasonably. Thinking about it, except for traditional car camping style rectangular bags –it's not like you can really spread out your feet all that much anyway. YMMV, of course.

EDIT: Just read that you are ready to buy. Good move — esp. given the free return option! Best of luck — and let us know how feel about mummy pads.

[Josiah]

Thanks again for the info!

I figure with the free returns I can spend a few nights indoors on them and get a feel for which one I prefer. It may be neither, but it doesn't hurt to try!

[Josiah]

I got the neo airs in today. I'm pretty impressed with the x-therm. Noisy, but seems warm. I tried both a large and regular and the large is pretty nice to lay on, but I don't think I need the extra size.

The All season has a tougher/ nicer feeling fabric, but for 4 oz more…

Also the mummy shape seems to not make any difference for me. I'm going to try it out tonight and see.

[Jan S]

My NeoAir stopped being noisy after about a week – at least while lying on it, packing and unpacking is a different matter. I could also sleep on the edges of the mat without slipping down. I have the regular length.

Not completely sure about durability, but as far as lightweight things with a lot of air in them go, it seems durable enough. I wouldn't sleep with the mat directly on the ground though and always take a (lightweight) backup in winter that would at least keep me alive if my mat gave up on me completely.

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