Comfort, crinkling, coldness, and cloudlike characteristics! Let’s talk pads!

I am on an uninsulated AXL at the moment, ground sleeper. I have my Q-Core SL as a cold weather pad. It seems you have those too(insulated AXL likely not that much warmer!); are you not satisfied with their performance? What is it that you are trying to fix? I’d start by answering those questions.
Nemo Tensor and Thermarest Neoair Xlite seem to be the crowd favorites – I have nothing against my pads and will continue to buy BA until they let me down.

Looking for a warmer pad than the AXL Insulated.  My Q-Core SL is a 20″ wide pad and I’m looking for a 25″ wide pad for better coverage in the hammock.  I’m a back sleeper and I hate it when my arms dangle off the sides of my pad…

Thermarest Xtherm is the go-to high insulation pad. I’m happy with mine, and don’t find it unduly noisy. R6.9 vs R3.0 for Insulated AXL.

Thermarest Xtherm is the go-to high insulation pad. I’m happy with mine, and don’t find it unduly noisy. R6.9 vs R3.0 for Insulated AXL.

no need to look further imo; light AND warm- no crinkle with mine

I have yet to find a warmer pad than the X-th erm. My go to 3-season pad is a StS pad, which is the most comfortable pad (to me) I have, but when it gets cold, I always opt for the X-th erm.

My go-to pads are the XLite and XTherm. No problems with either. Size Regular for the XLite, Size Large for the XTherm. I still have the original NeoAir and never found that objectionable either.

Sounds like the Xtherm is the way to go.  Now to find one…

the new ones are better too, the valve is much improved- makes inflating/deflating much easier!

I have also read the X-therms are good. The specs show they don’t pack up as small – there are only two xtherm options, large and small. The large is 25”x77”, while many other brands offer wide pads with a shorter length. This seems to translate into smaller packed sizes if that is important to you. The q-core SLX is over an inch thicker, as well, if that is important to you. I found my q-core SL to be more comfortable than my AXL due to the thickness difference, and there is only .5” difference. A 1” difference (1.5” on the edges when compared to the xtherm) maybe even more noticeable to you if you plan to use the pad on the ground. I advocate for the thickest pad which takes up the least space in my pack and meets my thermal needs.

Easy enough to chop off as much length as you want from the foot, then reseal with an iron 😁.

The Xtherm MAX comes in a regular/wide.  I’d prefer the rectangular shape for how it fits into a bridge hammock.  The thinner profile, yet still providing superior warmth, is probably better for the hammock as it keeps it from raising the center of gravity and getting tippy.  On the ground it’s a different story though.

If you don’t mind the lower thickness, and the warmth is sufficient (maybe it might be too warm? Is that a thing for pads?), then it sounds like the Xtherm is a winner for you. There are anecdotal stories about the support you get (or don’t) from the respective manufacturers, but I’ve not ever allowed that to put me off, and it may not for you either.

As long as we are talking about pads, I had a recent mini-insight: With a thicker pillow most of any shoulder discomfort (when side sleeping) has disappeared. So, the side-sleeping discomfort I attributed to my pad was due to the combination of pad and pillow, not just the pads fault. Anyhow, just food for thought.

+1 on thick enough pillows! The headrest of my dreams is currently the S2S Aeros Ultralight, size large. But I have big shoulders.

Much better than random clothing squished under my noggin. That I should have worn to sleep warmer.

— Rex

The headrest of my dreams is currently the S2S Aeros Ultralight, size large.

Amen brother! Same one I have. Won’t leave home without  it.

^^ Especially when paired with their pillow lock system for their pads (though it could be used with any pad). No more pillow slip slidin’ away…

+1 re S2S Aeros UL L. Not perfect – I find it hard on my ear, or too balloony if I deflate a bit – but better than anything else I’ve tried.

Pillows are definitely good

For the Aeros, I find that a layer of something soft on top makes a big difference to the hardness and protects my ear – I’m currently using a hooded bag and the down hood does the job just fine.

If I switch to something hoodless I may make a case with a little down or Apex in it. Wouldn’t weigh much. Or switch to a puffy with a hood.

If I switch to something hoodless I may make a case with a little down or Apex in it. Wouldn’t weigh much.

That’s exactly what I did – made a small (10″x8″) cotton case with 8 layers of Climashield Apex 2.5. Weighs 1.9 oz (case 0.7 oz, batting 1.2 oz), which is sorta heavy considering the Aeros weights 2.9 oz, but the softness is nice, as is having a washable, pleasant fabric against my face. Aeros still needs to be deflated slightly though. Considering trying pairing my MYOG pillow with a Klymit X pillow, which is meant to be kinder on ears. I love the shape and thickness of the Aeros, though.