I would like to hear some input on sleeping pads. I currently use a Nemo quasar Uninsulated, I am really happy with it, but went out and bought a enlightened equipment quilt and am thinking about a insulated pad. I am mostly camping in the shoulder seasons so something in the r4 range is probably appropriate.

There are several good ones, but I’ve been very happy, repeat very happy, with my Exped air mattress. The model I have has been replaced (or renamed) the Dura 5 LW.

If you go this route, swallow hard and buy the Shnozzle for inflating the mat. It’s better that blowing moist air from your breath into the pad every time you inflate it. I sleep on that pad almost as comfortably as I do on our Sleep Number at home.

I also use an Enlightened Equipment quilt and I think you’ll stay a lot warmer with an insulated pad. I currently use a Thermarest Neo Air NXT, which has an R value of 4.5. The current NXT version of the Neo Air has been improved over the previous version and no longer makes loud crinkle noises all night long. I also have an older insulated Exped mat that I love. (It’s currently called the Dura 8, and seems to be the same as the Dura 5 but with a higher R value.) It beats the Thermarest for comfort but weighs more, so I tend to use it more for trips when I’m not carrying my gear much.

I have a Thermarest Neo-air Xtherm that I like. If I were looking again I'd also look at the Nemo Tensor. Here's a recent review. The site has much good information about sleeping pad r-values and comparisons. As mentioned there are many other good ones for comparison.

I think all of the top brands are pretty even and pad selection/comfort is a highly personal choice. Having said that, i recently went from a 20 inch to 25 inch pad and I cannot stress enough how much difference it made. I will never sleep on a 20 inch pad again.

I'll double down on the Exped and shnozzle. I have a dura5 and a downmat9. Both are everything I could hope for. I've also interacted with Exped customer support for a 2nd hand tent I bought and they were exceptionally awesome to me. I made it known I bought the tent was putchased used and was really looking to purchase replacement parts and they sent me what I needed and more for free. Now I'm an Exped guy for life

I have for 10+ years been using a Neoair XTherm, XLite and Uberlite. For about 5 years, those were paired with one of my Enlightened Equipment quilts.

Last year I decided to pay a weight penalty and went with the Big Agnes Rapide. Now have ~20 nights on it and it's way more comfortable. Thicker at the edges really makes a difference.

And 10000% agree that any wide pad is a huge improvement over the "regular" sized ones. I also get my quilts sized wide for similar reasons.

Santa left me the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite NXT but it was returned to the north pole. Still too much crinkly noise for my taste. outdoor gear lab reviews have been helpful for me in the past.

I currently use the Klymit Static V Luxe (R5) and just repaired a little pinhole after half a dozen years of use. It's the extra wide 30 inches so I'm all in on the added width! If I do get a new pad this year, I'm considering the big agnes boundary deluxe (R4.3) because it has the 30" width but it weighs 2.5 pounds and is expensive.

Hope you find a great pad that suits you well!

Thanks all for the input. I pulled the trigger on a Nemo tensor from REI outlet I liked the weight and never had any problems with other Nemo products. Probably should have gone with the wider version but the price was convincing. It looks like we will get some warmer weather here soon and I will try out the new sleep system and give a report here.

Thanks all for the input. I pulled the trigger on a Nemo tensor from REI outlet I liked the weight and never had any problems with other Nemo products. Probably should have gone with the wider version but the price was convincing. It looks like we will get some warmer weather here soon and I will try out the new sleep system and give a report here.

Ahahn366: "Thanks all for the input. I pulled the trigger on a Nemo tensor from REI outlet I liked the weight and never had any problems with other Nemo products. Probably should have gone with the wider version but the price was convincing. It looks like we will get some warmer weather here soon and I will try out the new sleep system and give a report here."

This was what I was going to recommend and then saw you already got one. Love my Nemo Tensor insulated.

Of note, Nemo just updated their Tensor lineup with an all-season pad. Seems to be getting high marks from the early reviewers: Nemo Tensor All Season

kenpark23: "I think all of the top brands are pretty even and pad selection/comfort is a highly personal choice. Having said that, i recently went from a 20 inch to 25 inch pad and I cannot stress enough how much difference it made. I will never sleep on a 20 inch pad again. "

+1

Over the past 20 years or so I've had a lot of different pads (for my family and myself). Thermarests, Neo Air, Big Agnes, and others. My favorites are the Exped pads that I still use now. I have several models, but prefer the a model that's no longer offered. I believe it's been updated as the Dura. They're great pads.

There are lots of others that work well like the Exped, but for whatever reasons, I always take my trusty Exped for myself.

I use a schnozzle to inflate it too, not my breath. Works great for me.

I have owned many expeds and big agnes pads in the past 5 years. I have had repairs needed on many expeds pads. But never on a big agnes pads. I prefer my big angels pads for comforts, insulation, durability, etc...

I bought five Exped pads for my family over the years - they are extremely comfortable. Baffles popped in 4 of them after several years of use. Exped replaced every one, even one that was 11 years old, no questions asked.

You can question the durability of their pads but Exped stands behind their products and their customer service is second to none.

Jim

I try to stick with Thermarest because they are still made in USA. Haven't let me down yet.

I also had an old Exped (Synmat7) that I used for years, but replaced with the Thermarest Neo-Air years ago for lighter weight/less bulk. People had trouble with the baffles blowing out on them many years ago. Last year I took it on a car camping trip and the baffles blew out first time I blew it up. That's not something that can be fixed with the included repair kit. Not a big problem on a car camping trip, but days deep in the wilderness . . . They may have fixed that problem so you may want to check more recent reviews. Nonetheless, as one old man said, the best warranty is the one you don't have to use.