What sleeping pad you using

I've been curious about the BA Q core SL but haven't used one.

I have used a therma-rest pro lite which I liked and seemed well built. I upgraded to a therma rest neo-air xlite and I used it last season with no issues except sliding off of it on occasion.

I double up. Was a 3/4 therma rest with a full ridge rest for ever. Now a neo air. A bit more noise and pia to set up but way more comfortable. The ridge rest doubles as a shooting mat, camp seat, sled, floaty or what ever. If I want to go really light I ditch one or the other but I sleep best with both.

I use an xtherm and am very happy with it. I was worried about the noise, but I don't find it to be a problem at all. It is very comfortable and I have no problem sleeping on my side. A little expensive, but buy once and end up saving money. Just watch for end of the year sales on the internet this time of year.

Alternative to check out - Klymit Insulated Static V... 1/3 the price of the X-Therm, quality construction, 70d fabric seems real durable. In case it matters to you, the ridges make it blow up using 1/2 the breaths compared to others. A little heavier by comparison, used mine a few times and so far I find it pretty comfy.

Q-core, been going strong for 3 seasons now. I'll never buy another Exped again, mine failed on my first night out with it.

gmulford said:

Alternative to check out - Klymit Insulated Static V... 1/3 the price of the X-Therm, quality construction, 70d fabric seems real durable. In case it matters to you, the ridges make it blow up using 1/2 the breaths compared to others. A little heavier by comparison, used mine a few times and so far I find it pretty comfy.

Click to expand...

I use an uninsulated static v in the summer and it is a nice pad. It blows up so much faster than my xlite.

I'm going to pick up the Neo-Air All Season to replace my X-Lite. Only 2 oz heavier than the X-Therm in the large, full rectangle and considerably cheaper.

+ 1 on the klymit pads

Nemo equipment tents and pads get overlooked time and time again. I use a Nemo Air Lite 25", best pad I've ever used.

Anyone have the xtherm in regular size, but rectangular? Wondering if the corners keep you more stable on the pad...(as you can see i'm going back and forth between mummy shape vs rectangle - both regular size)

I borrowed a klymit static v last elk season. Happy enough with it I put it on my xmas list,....and santa pulled through!!!

ended up going with the Sea to Summit Ultra light insulated.

That pad looks incredibly comfortable. I have an Xtherm, which is hard to fault, but if the wife wants a new pad, I will have to look at these.

Cheap exped pads on Sierra trading post right now. Their down ones are around $55 with a 30 percent off coupon.

G5Archer said:

ended up going with the Sea to Summit Ultra light insulated.

Click to expand...

yes! you wont be dissapointed

Last fall I purchased the Sea to Summit Comfort Plus and the Exped Downmat Winterlite in Long/Wide. I was looking to replace a Theramrest NeoAir Xlite that I had been using but slept horribly on. My lower back and hips would dig through the Thermarest and cause tossing and turning all night resulting in a sore back the next day. After using these two multiple nights in my house, I felt the Exped won in comfort and brought it to CO last Elk Season 2nd Rifle and got some of the best rest I have ever had in the back country. I really was expecting the Sea to Summit to win the contest before I tried the two, but found that my lower back and hips would dig in ever so slightly even with both sides fully filled. I used the Exped Downma Winterlite with a EE Quilt (0 Degree) and slept like a baby every night. I have not seen much on here for reviews for the Exped Winterlite but it gets my vote. The only downside to the Exped is its size (it does feel like a long/wide), the Long/Wide is smaller compared to the Sea to Summit Plus but it still fits me fine- im 6'1'' and 180#.

So I bought both xtherms: Regular Mummy and Regular Rectangular. R-value of 5.7

After all my back and forth, I expected to go with the mummy (15oz). However, the rectangular (2oz heavier at 17oz) was just such a treat to sleep on it was an easy winner. I slept a full night on both and it was so obvious which one I slept better on that I didn't need to extend the test. The rectangular seems way bigger and I stayed on no problem. I applied my dividend and 20% off at REI today. Can't wait to actually get good sleep in the hills. Have always woken up sore and chilled in the past haha.

I own 3 modern pads right now: Nemo Cosmo Air w/ Memory Foam Top 25L, Big Agnes Q-Core 20"L and my newly acquired Exped Synmat UL9 LW.


Nemo Cosmo Air:
I love the Nemo Cosmo for comfort, but it's not insulated unless I bring the bulky memory foam and the R-value of any of their pads is lower than competitors for the weight; they also refuse to provide the actual R-value. I did learn one lesson from this pad: the integrated pumps are a waste of space and weight as they don't work very well and I would rather have something like the Big Agnes Pumphouse or Exped Schnozzle Pumpbag. The integrated pillow baffle and horizontal baffles are my favorite features.


Big Agnes Q-Core:
This one was an experiment for me as it was my first ever 20" pad. I am ready to sell this one, but for the narrow reason alone. I found out that I just have to have a 25" pad as any insulation provided by the pad is useless if my shoulders are too wide and my arms naturally rest on the ground. That being said, this is a very good option. I have read about some issues with leaking primarily with the UL version, so I went with the original. The baffle design is very comfortable for those that are annoyed by either vertical or horizontal baffles.


Exped Synmat UL9:
I wanted a 25" pad to replace my Q-Core with a very high R-value for later season and high altitude use. I was also considering the Exped Winterlite but when a deal popped up I couldn't pass this up. Can't talk to it yet as it just arrived a few weeks ago. Only complaint so far is that it's about a half inch under spec on length which is about an inch under competitors which may not be a big deal to most, but I'm 6'5" which is the exact 77" spec length.


Worth mentioning, but I don't own any of them:
The Therm-a-rest Xtherm is probably the most popular pad out there and gives the best warmth/weight ratio. There are essentially a couple space blankets embedded in the pad and these can be quite loud which has also discouraged me from trying this one out. The newer versions are supposed to be quieter than the older ones I tried out though.


There are some guys that have tried the new Sea2Summit pads and say they are the most comfortable thing they's ever tried. The issue for me here is thickness as a side sleeper. The next time I'm in REI I'm going to give them a try, but I'm not sure I'll like them. The nice features here are the egg carton design which will eliminate slippage and the 2 chamber design to allow you to fill the bottom and lower the pressure in the top to give you a less firm feeling without bottoming out or effecting the R-value too much.


Exped Downmat UL7/9 provides the highest warmth/weight ratio of any of them. Major downsides here include price and the pain of having to store uncompressed.

COlineman78 said:

The Therm-a-rest Xtherm is probably the most popular pad out there and gives the best warmth/weight ratio. There are essentially a couple space blankets embedded in the pad and these can be quite loud which has also discouraged me from trying this one out. The newer versions are supposed to be quieter than the older ones I tried out though

Click to expand...

Ah good, point. I should have mentioned this since it's often mentioned with the xTherm. I didn't notice any noise, so I wasn't thinking of it. I suppose it makes about as much noise as these other light inflatable pads in my experience (I'm holding it right now squishing it, etc). Guess it depends how sensitive your hunting partner is? I slept like a log.

Big Agnes double z insulated. However I haven't use it yet sows will see.