Went for comfort on my pad. REI AirRail.

If it weren't for cold, I'd sleep on gravel. A cut-down torso Z-lite will have to do…

if you are comfortable and not sore from sleeping the next day after that, then by all means. i wanna sleep well and comfortably. i cut weight in other areas to afford a few luxuries, like a comfy sleeping pad and the occasional special meal.

Exped Synmat UL7 LW is 530g, and at 7cm is double the thickness of the REI Air Rail. We found the Synmat gave excellent comfort on a 3 month kayak trip last year. At 5'1" I had a lot of spare real estate, but we were after wide mats for a long trip. The Schnozzle took the drudgery out of inflation.

If the mat is going in a pack or a cycle pannier rather than a kayak hatch, I use a cut down Thermarest X-Lite LW – width and very light weight (270g from memory) and excellent comfort seeing I'm happy with a torso length mat on shorter trips.

Ultimate luxury if car camping calls for the Exped Downmat 9 LW – awesome!!

true. it's 4oz lighter and twice as thick. i may order it on the REI website, then just return the one i won't like. i like the non-bouncy kind of padding on the air rails. it's like the prolite. we'll see what i end up with.

I'm with you that comfort for sleeping is worth a little extra weight. I upgraded this year to the BA Q Core SL Wide version. I sleep a lot better. I'm too old to sleep straight on the ground or on a little thin pad. I like having a pad wide enough that I don't feel constantly like I'm about to fall off, and thick enough that I can sleep on my side comfortably.

Sometimes, ya just gotta go for the cush. I just upgraded to an even thicker BA Air Core, thanks to a great deal at Kittredge Sports in Mammoth Lakes. Sure, it weighs more than the z-folder (but less than my previous air core), but I sleep well and smile more.

Here's hoping you do, too.

Hello, new member, great place

I bought the REI side rail pad and ended up returning it without using it. Thought the thickness was pretty minimal for the weight. I ended up with a BA Q-core, love the thickness even thought it's bit heavy.

REI is having a 20% BA sale next month, so I might get a wide Q-core SL

I also opted for comfort regarding my sleep system.
Most of the time I bring my kooka bay 72x24in mummy R5.9 with apex insulation and the exped pillow for around 22 ounces.
I wish they made pads a bit wider but keep the same length.

For car camping in cold weather I love the big exped downmat, sleep like a baby in it.

It's been too hit or miss with torso length pads.

I would say the sleeping pads are the #1 area of divergence from UL orthodoxy. I'm of a mind that any good UL gear list can survive *one* heavier item without turning into a boat anchor contest.

IMHO, backpacking is supposed to be recreation and not sleeping well can take the fun out of a backcountry trip. My solution was to go to a hammock, which is about like throwing a heavy pad into the mix.

I really liked my BA Air core but the big brass valve is insanely heavy. Upgraded to the Neoair.. more R value and lighter.

fill up full.. let it naturally deflate a bit from temp change. no bounce. exped air pillow and i'm out like a light.

i just ordered the UL7 and backordered the BA Q-Core, both in long/wide versions. lighter than the AirRails and at least double the thickness. i'll return whatever i don't like. gotta love REI's return policies.

If you are happy, then you are happy. But I feel quite refreshed when sleeping on a NeoAir combined with a 1/8 inch foam mattress underneath. I think I would be refreshed without the foam, but I may never know. The NeoAir (along with many of the other mattresses) come in "Large" sizes, which are 25 inches wide. It seems a shame that they don't make "wide" unless you get "large" (which is 77 inches long). Even so, at one pound even, you could add a quarter inch (or more) extra foam underneath and still come out lighter (in gear as well as your wallet). Or, get a really cushy pillow (which is where lots of folks add weight to their ultralight setup).