Hi,
I love my Exped Synmat UL 9 for backpacking but looking for something wider and more comfortable for trips where weight is not a concern.
Any recommendations?
Thanks,
Topic
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Hi,
I love my Exped Synmat UL 9 for backpacking but looking for something wider and more comfortable for trips where weight is not a concern.
Any recommendations?
Thanks,
Hi folks,
Ordered an Exped Megat mat 10.
Thanks,
For me, Thermarest XTherm (large) with a 1/4” evazote pad on top.
Thanks Brad,
Nice setup :-)
Most comfy I ever used was an Exped Downmat 9 at 8R.

They are nice mats indeed Tipi.
I can’t wait to try out the Megamat.
Brad, closed cell foam on top of the X-therm? What do you suppose are the pluses and minuses between putting it on top, or beneath the X-therm?
Ordered an Exped Megat mat 10.
This is what my wife uses for car camping. It is incredibly comfortable. You are going to love it.
That’s great to know David, I was just telling my wife about it. I will get her one if she likes it.
Stephenson’s Warmlite down filled air mattress.
I used to say my Downmat 9 was the most comfortable, but it has to take 2nd to a newly acquired Exped Megamat. OMG, it is more comfortable than my bed at home, and works equally well on the ground or in a truck bed. Not inexpensive, but worth every penny!
Thanks both,
I have heard things about warmlite pads.
I was able to use a 20% coupon for the pad so it was less than 200$
Brad, closed cell foam on top of the X-therm? What do you suppose are the pluses and minuses between putting it on top, or beneath the X-therm?
The air is colder than the ground. While the ground cold drives in from underneath the inflatable, the colder air drives in from the sides of the inflatable… the cc pad on top helps limit both from finding its way to your body. If you put the cc pad under the inflatable, you’re only inhibiting the ground cold rather than both the air and ground.
bradmacmt, your explanation makes sense. I may try your method this winter.
I use a 10-year old Therm-o-Rest Dream Time pad. It’s long and wide and about 4″ thick. Bulky and heavy, but great to throw out on my buddy’s floor to get a great night’s sleep. I pair that with a plush pillow and a custom top bag made from a couple of Costco down quilts. Good sleeping in my pal’s mountain house…
Hi Gary,
I have two of those down quilts myself. They are very nice.
thermarest neoair dreamtime XL
The air is colder than the ground. While the ground cold drives in from underneath the inflatable, the colder air drives in from the sides of the inflatable… the cc pad on top helps limit both from finding its way to your body. If you put the cc pad under the inflatable, you’re only inhibiting the ground cold rather than both the air and ground.
This is an interesting subject to me, and a nice explanation. I’ve read in numerous posts that the r-value of the pads is cumulative, and it does not matter which pad is on top. But my own personal experience mirrors yours. Closed cell foam on top is definitely warmer, in my experience.
Hi Stephen,
Yeah the Costco down throws are a great deal. My buddy’s lady had a sewing machine and knew how to use it (totally unlike me…). I hand-sewed a blue one, but it was about 6″ too short, so I bought another one, and we scavenged a piece to sew onto the top. It turned out perfect.
Then I also bought a gray one to which she sewed a perfect size swatch of Pertex Quantum that a guy here on BPL was selling. Although this quilt is a bit short for me, I figured the Pertex would resist a mild rain reasonably well and allow me to use it for cowboy camping.
The extended blue one weighs 17.6 ounces, and the shorter gray one with the Pertex is 18.1 ounces. I figure when I need more warmth I could sleep in both, with the Pertex quilt on the outside. Not a bad setup for only 35.7 ounces, which is about the weight of my Marmot 15-degree Marmot Helium bag.
I have a Megamat that I use for car camping. I find that I can let a fair amount of air out of it (I like my hips to sink in to the mat) and it is still supportive and still warm…it’s a great mat.
Although I have an REI FLASH All Season R 5.3 air mattress I now would rather have the new SEA TO SUMMIT Large mummy ETHER LIGHT XT EXTREME winter air mattress.
33.5 oz. 25 in. shoulder width, 6 ft. 6inches long, 4 inches thick (Stuff sack is inflation sack)
At R 6.2 is likely omits the need for adding a closed cell mat in extreme cold temps.
I lay my clothes like pants and shirts under my mattress in winter. Seems to help.
Rei camp bed xl , that thing is more comfortable then my home bed
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