Need new airpad

NorthwestWanderer

NorthwestWanderer

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Joined
May 3, 2018
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291
As i stated in my last trip report old faithful done gotted killed dead. :(

However there has to be better, lighter and comfier options out there. What have you guys used in the past / prefer / reliability? I'd prefer it not to be too expensive (150+ dollars)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
 
NorthwestWanderer said:
As i stated in my last trip report old faithful done gotted killed dead. :(

However there has to be better, lighter and comfier options out there. What have you guys used in the past / prefer / reliability? I'd prefer it not to be too expensive (150+ dollars)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
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I mean, NeoAir is the gold standard in sleeping pads. Big Agnes recently came out with a competitor for the NeoAir, but I've had super negative experiences with BA pads popping. Until somebody busts the market, NeoAir is the unquestioned king for light/warm/comfortable. Without knowing your specific preferences, hard to give much more detail.
 
I don't know how anyone can sleep on a Z lite unless they are only like 100 pounds. And I did sleep on a ridgerest for a couple years. It seems like the consensus from all of the mattress threads over the years is that Big Agnes pads are highly unreliable but they have great customer service, and Theramrest X-series pads are bomber. And that's my experience as well.
 
Nick said:
I don't know how anyone can sleep on a Z lite unless they are only like 100 pounds. And I did sleep on a ridgerest for a couple years. It seems like the consensus from all of the mattress threads over the years is that Big Agnes pads are highly unreliable but they have great customer service, and Theramrest X-series pads are bomber. And that's my experience as well.
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Even for smaller people, Z-rests suck.
 
Nick said:
I don't know how anyone can sleep on a Z lite unless they are only like 100 pounds. And I did sleep on a ridgerest for a couple years. It seems like the consensus from all of the mattress threads over the years is that Big Agnes pads are highly unreliable but they have great customer service, and Theramrest X-series pads are bomber. And that's my experience as well.
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LarryBoy said:
Even for smaller people, Z-rests suck.
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i mistyped, i mean the xlite. i've used a z for years. they start out fine, but the problem i've found is that they compress over time, and just become terrible.
 
In the midst of my hardcore ultralight days, I went through a brief "cut down Ridgerest" stage. It kind of sucked, and I went back to blow up pads. I sleep so much better now. Just finally replaced my gray Neoair after about 200-250 nights on it. The valve was completely stripped and there was a small leak in it as well. But, to think about it, 250 nights is 5-10 years for most people, even those who get out quite a bit. I say it's worth it for better sleep.

Edit - actually, you can see said cut down ridgerest in my profile picture.
 
I used to be able to sleep on a ridgerest or z-rest but no longer. Last summer I dropped $200 on one of the nice thermarests and while this made me feel pretty silly, I have never slept so comfortably in the backcountry. Much less of the changing position every 20 minutes and super asleep arms.
 
I had a bad experience with the previous generation of Big Agnes pads, but the replacement they sent me, which is their current generation Insulated Air Core Ultra has held up very well. It has a different, more convenient valve as well. I don't get quite as many nights per year as others on here, but it's been good for me for two years now.
 
Another happy thermarest air pad user here. I use the neoair xlite. One caveat is that their material makes them very loud. It doesn't bother me, but some don't like it. I have a larger and heavier exped pad that is quiet as you could ask for, and is backpackable, but too heavy for my taste so I only use it while car camping.
 
I have a BA wide insulated Q core. Is it light no. Warm yes. With room to sleep. Why the hell anyone wants skinny pad your arms fall off of when you sleep I will never understand. I have had it for 3 years now and never had a problem with the valve and I sleep better on this pad than others I have tried.



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blueeyes said:
I have a BA wide insulated Q core. Is it light no. Warm yes. With room to sleep. Why the hell anyone wants skinny pad your arms fall off of when you sleep I will never understand. I have had it for 3 years now and never had a problem with the valve and I sleep better on this pad than others I have tried.



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x2 for the big pads! Well worth the extra weight regardless of brand.
 
I use the NeoAir xtherm. The extra weight is worth it for me, I need all the warmth I can get.
Definitely loud, and I take extra steps to camp away from others. My rolling around has disturbed myself and others, but I sleep with earplugs. :)
 
After using a 3/4” 1” inflatable for decades (no leaks!), I started trying more comfy pads. Late this summer I got a NeoAir from Massdrop. It’s wide and long, but still light, and probably the most magnificent piece of backpacking equipment I own. It’s long enough that it touches the tent front to back, so my pillow isn’t constantly squirting into the gap between the top of the mattress and the door of the tent, and it’s wide enough that I don’t slide off the pad. And it’s thick enough that it’s comfy, and it rolls up relatively tightly so it doesn’t take up all the space in the pack, AND it weighs about a pound.

I’ve just named mine Magnificent. It fits.
 
We bought one of the early Neoairs about eight years ago for my wife. She loved it. I stuck with my Zrest---until one day in camp she suggested I try out her Neoair for a nap.

Sold.

Since then we used those two mattresses for at least 150 nights in the woods. Finally, despite the fact that I am a serious cyclist and an expert at finding and fixing leaks, I couldn't figure out why they were losing air over the course of a night. I called Neoair. They offered to fix both mattresses for $20 apiece.

That was too good a deal to pass up. I sent in the two mattresses. About a week later we had to of the new Neoairs arrive in the mail, no charge, and no further questions asked.

You would have a hard time convincing me I should switch to something besides a Neoair...
 
LarryBoy said:
In the midst of my hardcore ultralight days, I went through a brief "cut down Ridgerest" stage. It kind of sucked, and I went back to blow up pads. I sleep so much better now. Just finally replaced my gray Neoair after about 200-250 nights on it. The valve was completely stripped and there was a small leak in it as well. But, to think about it, 250 nights is 5-10 years for most people, even those who get out quite a bit. I say it's worth it for better sleep.

Edit - actually, you can see said cut down ridgerest in my profile picture.
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I've had a valve replaced no questions asked on a Neoair. Their customer service is great.

I usually use an Xtherm year round (the higher denier bottom is nice) but I often take an XS Thermarest prolite on trips that involve packrafting. Makes a great seat and still plenty comfy.
 
Weber had their rec center gear swap today. KLYMIT was there and I tried out their sleep pad. I am impressed enough that I may end up buying the Insulated Static V Luxe. I sleep on my back and on my side. On my side I have pressure points on the Big Agnes pad. Didn't notice them on the KLYMIT. I did buy a pillow.

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Costco sells a Klymit pad for around $70. With their return policy you can probably sleep on a cactus and bring it back for a new one.

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tennistime99 said:
Costco sells a Klymit pad for around $70. With their return policy you can probably sleep on a cactus and bring it back for a new one.
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Yeah, but the warranty doesn't help you when you are out in the middle of the wilderness on a multi-night trip with a sleeping pad that won't hold air. I'll spend more money for better reliability in the field. I'm happy with my Thermarest Xtherm and NeoAir.
 
The only thing I don't like about the NeoAir pads or any horizontal baffle pad in that style is that they are much harder to get all the air out to pack them back up into their little stuff sacks and takes me a lot more time and effort, unless anyone else here has more tips for making that an efficient process. My Klymit, is much easier to roll out all the air and pack up. This is true even more so with straight vertical baffle pads. Of course, anything like a Z-lite will be the most efficient at packing up, but as others stated, those closed cell foam pads offer almost no comfort at all, only insulation. Back to air pads, it is interesting how some do find the baffle orientation to make a huge difference in comfort.
 
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