Thermarest self-inflating, or insulated air-core types?

i use an exped synmat 7 deluxe (insulated air core), best nights sleep ive ever had on a canoe trip. pack size- 6"x12". weight- 2 lbs. 6 ounces. and i dont slide off it during the night.

Exped synmat 7, very comfortable.

Just got this based on good reviews.

http://www.rei.com/product/722785

Another Exped fan here. I have owned a dozen Thermarests, but if you don't mind the clunky inflation process, there is nothing more comfortable than an Exped. I have both down and synmat.

Exped synmat 9 deluxe insulated, warm and comfortable, packing to the size of a football.

I use a Thermarest Prolite 4 short. It weighs 1 lb 1 ounce and packed size of 4X11. It's 20 X 47 and 1.5 inches thick. Some may want to opt for the large Prolite 4 which is 25X77 ( a lb more and 5X13 pack size), but I really like the size and I have found it plenty comfortable for me.

I use the Exped downmat 9 Dlx and my wife uses the synmat 7 dlx.

Both are 26 inches wide, 76" long---the down mat is 3.5 inches thick, and the synmat is 2.8 inches thick.

The insulation is excellent for these mats. I have the older versions which take some getting used to to inflate. The new ones are a lot easier.

I can sleep as good on these mats as I can at home.

Tim

Recently changed from top line older style thermarest (luxury LE model) to Big Agnes Air core insulated. Mostly changed for weight savings and package size for backpacking trip, but sleep better too. Negative trade offs are IMO, blowing it up, and not as thermally efficient in cooler/cold weather, not close in this aspect. But as a side sleeper, the BA is definitely more comfy.

I just switched to exped synmat 7 for the reasons metioned earlier. Lightweight, small pack size, but very thick when blown up.

Anybody had any experience with Gander Mountains "grizzly" sleeping pad, its 25" wide, full length, and 3" thick. There seem to be a number of them with cosmetic blems available online pretty reasonable (under $50)...

Anyone who has the Exped ever compare it to the rei pad I posted above? I got the REI pad on sale for $60. Thanks.


http://www.rei.com/product/722785

You'll have to decide what is best for you. I have a Big Agnes Insulated Air Core Primaloft and a Pacific Outdoor Equipment (POE) InsulMat. I sleep great on either of them. Both are lightweight and have are very small to pack. The downside is that it takes 2 minutes to blow up by mouth. For me it is worth the trade-off.

Bearman,
The Exped 7 DLX is half the weight and packed size of the REI mat you purchased.
I got my Exped as an upgrade after a few years of using a Thermarest that is roughly the equivalent of the one you posted. I'm sure you'll do just fine with the mat you got.

Exped 7 DLX specs

I got the thermarest as a gift, the Exped is a gift I got myself... I always slept well on the thermarest. Now I expect to sleep just as well while carrying half as much mat.

Big Agnes Insulated Air Core Primaloft for me. I'll take the 2 minutes to inflate it knowing the comfort it will bring after a long day.

I have Thermarests and I have an Exped Deluxe Down and I have a Thermarest Z-Rest. Unless there are special circumstances, like very cold weather or something, I think I will probably go with the hassle-free Thermarest 90% of the time.

Bearman,

I have the Downmat 9 Dlx--basically the same specs as your REI pad for length, width, thickness. .

With the downmat you save almost 2.5# of weight, packs down to half the size, and the Downmat does have a little better R-Value.

Comfort wise I am not sure there is any difference. You will be very comfortable with your pad. I am just a single portaging fool that shaves every ounce off his packs, but still wants to sleep good--so the size/weight ratio is importnat to me.

Tim

We have a couple of 2" Thermarest Trail Comfort pads. Mine is the large size, my wife's is the womens version. 2" is the minimum in a foam pad for comfort. The first ones we bought were backpacker models, 1.5". Less than half the size and weight of our Thermarests but not worth it.

Thicker = more comfortable but adds substantial size/weight. That's where I could see the insulated air pads show an advantage.

I've never tried the insulated air pads. I'd heard they don't insulate as well but the manufacturers are claiming decent (5 or greater is decent) R values so perhaps that's a thing of the past (or a problem with cheap versions).

If I were in the market for a new pad, I would do what I did when we decided on our Thermarests. Pick out a few candidates and go to REI and lay on them. Let you body be the judge.

I'm using the Big Agnes insulated air core (long). It is 20" x 78" x 2.5" fully inflated, is 1 lb., 11 oz, and packs to 5"x9" . That along with the encampment bag is an excellent system, one I would highly recommend for anyone in the market for a new bag/pad.

For me the down mat9 by OR Exped. I will never go back to any style foam pad ever again. I sleep as good or better than at home with this mat.

dan Cooke

listen to dan. the exped insulated mats (non self inflating) are top of the line.

I loved my Insul-Mat on my trip. (insulated, blow-up) It takes less than 5 minutes to air up and the insulation is well worth it!

I just had my first trip with my new BA Air Core (non-insulated) the week of May 19th. I have used a 3/4 length Thermarest that is so old it has a metal valve on it, roughly 20+ years old and some ridge rest foam 3/4 pads in the past. The BA Aircore was like sleeping on a cloud! I splurged and took my coleman power inflater (does this count as a motorized device in the BWCA? My trip mates wanted to fine me for this "violation"!).

It's a little tricky to get all the air out to fit it back in its stuff sack, maybe I'll just use a rubber band and leave the stuff sack at home next time. One other trick I used was to put the BA inside of my REI bivy sack with my sleeping bag so that I didn't slide off of it (I slept out underneath the stars, no bugs).

I'm a side sleeper and I love this pad. Didn't get cold, temps were in the 30's every night, bag was a WM Alpinelite with coolmax liner and REI Bivy.

I took my wife for her first trips this year. She wanted a comfortable pad.

For the first trip, we used Thermarest base camps. I think they are 2.5 inches thick. They were more comfortable than typical Thermarests but my wife still had shoulder/back pain in the morning.

For the second trip, we used Exped Synmat 9's. Wow! Those mats are by far the most comfrtable mats that I have slept on. We also had a dog in the tent with us. I was pleased to find that the mats were tough enough to handle the toenails from the dog...

So, I would have to vote that the Exped Synmat 9 is the "best sleeping pad"

(Thermarest does have a great product and absolutely amazing customer service. They took back at 20 year old mat and replaced it with a brand new one...)

Question on the Exped mats. How do you inflate them? Some say they have an integral pump, How does it work? How long does it take to inflate them?

The pump is built in and is pretty slick. But it takes one try at home to get the hang of.

Basically, the pump is a thick tube of self-inflating foam within the mattress. With your hands, you squeeze the foam and force air into the mattress. When you release your hands, the foam sucks air in from the outside. You repeat the process for about a minute and the pad is full.

Here is link to their site that will explain it much better... Exped

I have 2 Exped Synmat 9 DLX and love them! They are the older model with seperate pillow pump, but tough,light and no complaints. 6'1" 240 lbs. , sleep on side. 3 1/2" thick is nice and keeps hip off ground! pack small too. Moab Sports has them now for $69 if you join club for a penny. free shipping free returns. They're not cheapest on everything, but on these.....

You must search item #15334 or you may not find it. Last year's model, no built-in pump. Rolls about 5x10 and near 2 1/2-3 lb. $69 3.5" thick.

http://www.backcountry.com/store/BAG0129/Big-Agnes-Clearview-Air-Pad-Mummy.html

$35 - $45 for a BA mummy air core.

Although by FAR the best sleeping pad is...... almost any of the shelter system hammocks. If you do some research you will find testimony after testimony of people with back problems being able to start camping again. Several people said that they have started sleeping in a hammock at home instead of $2,000 memory foam mattresses. Though they can be a little cold.

15334 is Out of Stock. I see it for 84.96.

Exped is the best, I have a BA and it seems good but appears to be of lighter construction than the Expeds. I converted to the air core pads this year and the sleep is much improved. I used therm-rest pads for 20 years and have had no problems, but the air core pads are much more comfortable and they pack to half the size. The packed size is what got me to convert. I am trying to get to the magical single portage with my solo boat and the air core pads save me some space.

Bearman, first join club (membership is currently one penny) shipping is free, and then the red power sale at $84 will come up " Club Price $69" I placed my order while out of stock, but clicked "notify me", went ahead and ordered. It took a month or two, but came through. I didn't need it right away and was worth the wait. Wasn't billed untill shipped to me. Worth the wait since I ordered in November. Exped has uninsulated aircore pads now too. Thermarest just came out with one as well. Exped's airpad has Rvalue of 0, Downmat9 is R8 and Synmat9 is R6.

I use the air-cores. They are super comfy, but I always have a spare on hand back home. I'm always sending one back in due to slow leakage. I think I'm on my fifth since the second year they came out. With thier 100% guarantee, which they honor well, I can always have a good one ready to go.

I'd like to think I can go back to a pro-lite Thermarest,or something like it, but the comfort of the BA keeps me from doing so.

Exped's built-in pump must be new this year; I got my Exped DLX Down mat last year, and it inflates via the stuff sack which acts as a pump. It takes awhile to get the hang of it and the first few times it took me a good 20 minutes to inflate the mat. I've since bought the separate pump which was recommended here, but haven't tried it out yet. But for most camping conditions, the 10 seconds it takes to inflate a Thermarest outweighs any comfort advantages of the Exped DLX Down (& its extended inflation time) for me.

Howard, FYI the new built in pump is on the synmats only not the downmats. The old downmats are a little difficult to get used to, I checked out this years model and it is quite a bit easier (they improved the design and the vavles fit together better so it doesn't keep popping off), but I still prefer the pillow pump. With the pillow pimp it still takes me 1-2 minutes to pump up my DLX 9 Downmat. Unlike you though I could never go back to a Thermarest and if I drug the thermarest out on a trip now my wife would mutiny after using the exped this year.

Tim

Yesterday I told my son I'd buy him an exped synmat for his birthday- he's a hiker, backpacker, river rafter type. He said, "NO...I want a Paco Pad" Being confident, due to this site, I told him he wanted an Exped Synmat. Damn, if I wasn't wrong again! He just spent 16 days on the Colorado River, sleeping on a Paco Pad and sleeping as well as he does on his bed. Also, I was informed, since they are waterproof, you can spread them on the coolers in the rafts, and lay on them during float times. AND.. says he, they are made in the USA and are "local"- he lives in Albuquerque and they are made in Bloomfield, New Mexico. For those of you who are interested in a comfy waterproof sleeping pad, check out: http://www.jpwinc.com/index.php?page=photo&photo_category=PACO+PADS
I still want an Exped Synmat.

Excluding the price, which one would you choose and why -

Exped DownMat 9 Deluxe Air Pad (specs is listed first)

Exped SynMat 9 Deluxe Air Pad (specs is the latter)

Price $116.00 $170.00
Dimensions 76 x 26 x 3.5 inches 76 x 26 x 3.5 inches
Dimensions - metric 193 x 66 x 9 centimeters 193 x 66 x 9 centimeters
Weight 2 lbs. 15 oz. 2 lbs. 12 oz.
Weight - metric 1.33 kilograms 1.25 kilograms
R-Value 6 8
Insulation Polyester fibers 700-fill goose down
Packed size 7 x 11 7 x 11 inches
Design type Inflatable Inflatable
Shape Rectangular Rectangular

synmat. i think you have the weights swapped though. and the R value.

Why synmat? What is the main reason? Per REI - downmat is lighter.

price. i got my synmat 7 dlx for 68 bucks. ive never seen it that cheap since. backcountry.com outlet. check them now and then. you posted that the down version was listed first in your specs. ifso...it heavier than the synmat. thats why i said that. for me....3 ounces isnt worth 54 bucks. :)

If price was not an issue, I would have bought the down mat. The only disadvantage is the price. Otherwise, the downmat is lighter and warmer.

Kanoes FYI the synmat was lighter than the downmat until this year they incorporated the pump into the synmat so it slightly increased the weight.

I own the downmat 9dlx and the synmat 7 DLX if I had to make the choice now (I know not exactly what you are asking sorry) I'd choose the synmat 7 delux. It is cheaper, lighter, still good at insulating---the only thing you give up is the thickness is 2.8" instead of 3.5"---otherwise the dimensions are the same---still quite comfortable though.

If price and weight are not a thought---go with the Downmat 9 DLX.

Tim

i stand corrected. thanks.

Big Agnes aircore for me. I'm a side-sleeper also & the BA lets me get up and still stand upright in the morning.

I use the Big Agnes insulated air core pad, but looking at most of the replys it looks like the Exped are favored more.

Question:

For those of you that may have used both pads, is the cushion comfort of the Exped pad any more comfortable than the BA ?

Question:

For those of you that may have used both pads, is the cushion comfort of the Exped pad any more comfortable than the BA ?

I think yes the exped is more comfortable, but I bet you could find people who think there is no difference. One factor I like better about the Exped is they have more offerings in the wider 26" without a big sacrifice in weight. 20" wide is just not enough for me.

i had them side by side and chose the exped primarily on the observation it seemed better made and more durable.

I'll join the chorus on this one. I have used ThermaRests of all types in the past, but am now a Exped man for life!

I have the DownMat 7 DLX. The DownMat is warmer and lighter than the SynMat, but you can't use your lungs to inflate the DownMat because the 700 fill down will loose its loft and insulation properties if you blow into it. The insulation in the SynMat is not effected negatively in the same way, so you can finish off the inflating by blowing.

The 7 is so thick, that I can't imagine why they even made a 9. The only real choice is whether or not you want the larger footprint of the DLX model. Sometimes in tight tent quarters the DLX takes up more than your fair share.

Buy it from MooseJaw. They are silly.

Exped DownMat_

I bought exped air mattresses - not insulated - very compact roll-up, very light, narrower than others but they provide decent padding - best price I found was 25.00 each

I have the 20" BA and it is narrow. Bought on accident in haste. It now belongs to the tiny wife. And built in pump is a must now i see too!