Read a thread recently where the Xlite is debated, and got me thinking about how I like mine–which then got me thinking about comfort in general for sleeping pads.
So I'm curious about how other people would rate their own personal, subjective experience with all the pads they have tried and in different conditions. I'll go first.
Rate them from 1-10, with 1 being most uncomfortable and 10 being the "best" sleep experience. Note that this is not a "pass-fail" grade, but a general comfort scale, i.e. you can still get a good night's sleep with a score of say a 2-3, just not a very comfy one, and might be stiff in the morning, etc. A score of less than 2 I'd say would mean a good night's rest is/was not possible. For me a score of 1 would be trying to sleep on concrete or asphalt without any pad or cover.
For reference, and as an example to start with, I would give the bed I sleep on at home an 8.5 or so. It's pretty comfy, but not as comfy as some other fancy beds I have slept on. Long story, but one time in Atlantic City I went out gambling, won a nice bit of walkin' around money, and because it was off-season I got luck again and I was given a free upgrade to one of the deluxe rooms. The bed there could easily have fit 4 people, was super-fancy, and that was one of the best night's sleeps I ever got (9.8 or so).
Anyhow, on to sleeping pads. In no order, and for me trail shelter (TS) means on wooden boards, and on the ground (OTG) means a general "good" spot in nature (e.g. forest floor, grassy clearing, etc.). Also assumes that I am warm given the conditions–I'd never and have never slept directly on the ground in winter, for instance.
Neoair Xlite regular – In trail shelters 7.5, on the ground also a 7.5. Noise does not bother me.
Nemo Zor short (2014 model) – TS 6.3, OTG 7.
"Normal" foam pad – TS 5, OTG 6.5.
Thin foam pad – TS 4, OTG 6.5.
Thick foam pad (TAR Ridge Rest) – TS 5.8, OTG 7.
Big Agnes Insulated Air Core regular (2010 model) – TS 7, OTG 7.
POE Peak Oyl Lite regular (2011 model)- TS 6.5, OTG 7.
Nothing/no pad/nada – TS 2.5, OTG 5 …However if I find an *ideal* spot to sleep (big patch of thick, dry moss), and have the time/energy to use natural materials to make a nest to sleep on, I can and have pushed this up to a 7 and even an 8. But this is rare and takes a lot of prep work, and only in warm weather in woodsy terrain.
