[Closed] What sleeping mat?

I use an Exped Synmat HL7 all year. The UL is near identical, but rectangular and comes in a long version that is just under 2.0m.

https://www.outdoorgb.com/p/Exped_SynMat_Ultralite_7_Sleeping_Mat_with_UL_Schnozzel_Pumpbag/

Go on the exped site and search/filter for which mats they do in LW (long wide) size, then you know what to search for when you're googling shopping

Great, thanks chaps

I've got a Thermarest somethingorother Lite which has served me well. That packs down to a can of beans as you say and weighs nowt. Comes in a few different sizes IIRC, whether it goes to 6'4" I'm not sure. RRP is over £100 but I got mine on offer in Decathlon for much less.

... NeoAir XLite, according to Google.

Decathlon do a cheaper one at £50, but the pack size is greater.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/venture-inflatable-camping-sleeping-mat-id_8305122.html

Watching....

I saw that Decathlon one (I get most of my outdoor gear there these days) but the R value is 1.8 which I thought, perhaps wrongly, would be too low for around freezing.

Also have Neo Air Xlite, astonishingly light and compact but the high volume once inflated means it's pretty good for heat retention.

Thanks said, the first time I used mine some in the internal baffles gave way and it basically developed big inflated 'tumours' all over it. I got it replaced under warranty, haven't used the replacement yet, we'll see, most seem to have nothing but good things to say about them, which is what you'd expect at the price.

Aye, that Decathlon one says -"ideal for warm environments (>10°).R-Value 1.8"

A cheap closed cell foam mat under your summer mat would work for insulation but maybe not easy to carry if you're bikepacking.

Thermarest XTherm for the win

Thermarest XTherm for the win

Do this. Save up as they’re more than you said you’re prepared to pay but they are fantastic, super warm for bivvying.

We’ve got a couple of these Mountain Equipment mats, really good:

https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/p/mountain-equipment-helium-3-8-warm-zone-sleeping-mat-D2424300.html

Send the 15 year old thermarest back to Thermarest. They'll likely replace it under their lifetime warranty. Replacement will likely be smaller and lighter than the old mat but just as warm.

Worth spending on sleeping equipment

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15901533/oex-fulcrum-ev-inflatable-sleeping-mat-15901533

Lots of good advice, maybe you should sleep on it.....

IGMC

It ended up going down on me

I'd buy one of those then.

Exped as above. And do you actually sleep fully laid out? I always curl my knees up so missing a little at the bottom wouldn’t be a problem for me, but save some weight.

I have both the HL and UL Exped versions that Scotroutes references.

I’ve used them throughout the year including this jan to -4 and been fine.

The expeds are pretty low pack volume (UL especially) and with the schnozel bag really easy to inflate and exponentially more comfortable than the thermarest ‘ultralite’ it replaced. Both reasons that justify the high purchase cost for me.

The LW versions should fit the bill but an inflatable pillow off the end of an M might also work? I find that my clothes filled stuff sack pillow invariably slips off the UL and this happens by default for me (6’).

Good point on the sending back under lifetime warranty.

I've the thermarest neoair xlite myself. Really packable but not square.

I recommend exped synmat winter hl long wide. I’m 6’3 and it is big enough. It’s reasonably light, nice and thick, warm and packs small. The non winter version is a bit thinner and lighter and has less insulation, but for me the weight penalty doesn’t outweigh the comfort benefits of the winter one. The ul version is similar but square rather then tapered in shape - I don’t tapered fits better in my tapering tent.

I've the Exped Synmat Winterlite and my wife has the Synmat Hyperlite, both MW length/width. Used them at -16C or so in the Arctic with no problem even though the Hyperlite isn't rated to that temperature.

The other "standard" answer over on Bearbones would be the Thermarest NeoAir.

Unlike sleeping bags, sleeping mats don't have an upper comfort limit so just go for one that is close to or meets your lowest temperature requirements.

One point to note is that if you inflate them to maximum pressure then you can cause the internal RF welding to fail resulting in two of the baffles becoming one = not easy to sleep on. Inflate until firm then let a little air out. This gives a bit of leeway for the air to move when you kneel or sit on the mat. For similar reasons don't jump/fall/flop onto the mat and create a sharp increase in internal pressure. They are light for a reason.

I paid £85 for mine a few years ago which seemed expensive at the time but so far have used it for 84 nights (uber geek who keeps a record of what gear he uses when!) so a quid per night.

I use the Exped Synmat UL. Others have already recommended them.
All I will add is that I use a silk, rectangular, bag liner to put the mat and inflatable pillow in which definitely adds comfort, and I think, a little extra R value?

"The other “standard” answer over on Bearbones would be the Thermarest NeoAir."

Is that the one that sounds like your sleeping on a bunch of crisp packets? I've had the (dis)pleasure of camping near a chap using one 2 years ago. Every couple of minutes / every time he moved - CRUNCH......CRINKLE..........CRUNCH

He was camped about 10m away as well!

@scruff9252 - yes, though apparently the newer ones are better and the crinkling softens over time.

@jobro - the silk liner *may* add a little R-value but only when used as a liner in your bag not as a wrapper to the mat.

One point to note is that if you inflate them to maximum pressure then you can cause the internal RF welding to fail resulting in two of the baffles becoming one = not easy to sleep on. Inflate until firm then let a little air out.

Also, if you're leaving it in a warm tent all day, or even for a few hours on a hot morning, let some more air out, otherwise you'll pop the welding when the air inside expands - owner of a fancy but next to useless down filled Exped mat. Got a lot of use out of it before it went. but there was plenty of use left to go.

Also, driving up mountains: If you're driving to the mountains with it in the back of the car/van for a nap on the way, don't forget to let the air out before you start going up. Or you'll pop it. Luckily, I realised this in the opposite direction - blew it up before I left the alps, went to the back to sleep on in halfway back and didn't know what could possibly have punctured it...

I love my exped Synmat UL. Chose it at the time to avoid the crinkly Thermarest option, but now value the quick and easy inflation with the schnozzle bag the most.

I also sent my old thermarest back under warranty but the super-light thing they sent back was a bit thin and small for me. It works well as an extra mat when we're car camping though

I saw that Decathlon one (I get most of my outdoor gear there these days) but the R value is 1.8 which I thought, perhaps wrongly, would be too low for around freezing.

There's two different R value systems, I think European R values are lower?

But the comfort limit implies it's the imperial number.

I'm guessing it's a heavier more durable skin but not insulated.

@thisisnotaspoon - there's the US R-value system and the SI version. It's complicated by the fact that the US rating has changed its testing protocol to ASTM F3340-18 which gives a slightly different number. The SI value is roughly 20% of the US one.

A bit of searching finds:

From 2020, there is a new industry standard for measuring the R-value (level of insulation) of sleeping mats – ASTM F3340-18. This new standard is the sleeping mat equivalent to the EN rating for sleeping bags.

You can now directly compare the R-value of mats rated using the ASTM F3340-18 with confidence that is a fair and accurate comparison between mats. In simple terms, the higher the R-value, the warmer the mat.

In general terms, an R-value below 2.0 is for summer use, 2.0 to 4.0 is for cooler 3 season use and 4.0+ is for winter temperatures. This will be also be dependent on your sleeping bag, how cold you sleep etc.

There's a bit more here - https://seatosummit.com/blog/understanding-the-new-astm-standard-r-values/

From the graph lower down on that page it looks like there's a difference of about 0.5 between cold and warm sleepers to be comfortable.

As far as I can tell it's a US standards test in the same way that EN13537 is a European sleeping bag test but likely to become internationally accepted in the same way that EN13537 is being used by American manufacturers for their bags. Proper standards reduce confusion - who knew?

Any recommendations for a similar but for car-camping...? Weight and pack down - not quite so important.

Exped MegaMat? Not megacheap though!

Any recommendations for a similar but for car-camping…? Weight and pack down – not quite so important.

How cold?

Just get an air bed for summer use and chuck something underneath for insulation (sleep on a duvet, or get some "double bubble" foil backed bubble wrap to use as a groundsheet which has an R value of 1.7 IIRC, I think that's SI, and it's actually better than that when used as a groundsheet as the foil acts as a radiant barrier when used under an airbed (but useless under something solid like a foam mat).

otherwise you’ll pop the welding when the air inside expands – owner of a fancy but next to useless down filled Exped mat

Mine popped its internal seam while sleeping on it on a cold night. That was my second Exped Downmat - the first pushed all the down into one tube, I think due to the path the air takes when deflating. Exped weren't interested; good products while they last, but (unlike Thermarest) no long term interest from the manufacturer. I've bought a Thermarest, but admit I'm slightly concerned about the crisp packet noise.

How cold?

Just get an air bed for summer use and chuck something underneath for insulation (sleep on a duvet, or get some “double bubble” foil backed bubble wrap to use as a groundsheet which has an R value of 1.7 IIRC, I think that’s SI, and it’s actually better than that when used as a groundsheet as the foil acts as a radiant barrier when used under an airbed (but useless under something solid like a foam mat).

Late spring - summer only. Hopefully warm weather!