Exped Synmat UL 7/9 and Thermarest sleeping mats

Does anyone have any experience of these 2 mats?

The last few mats I have used over the years have been disappointing.

And from reading reviews and doing online research, people always seem to be pointing at either Exped or Thermarest brands.

I understand with some outdoor kit, you get what you pay for….so are they worth it?

Budget upto £100 approx.

I am a little older now, so a little more comfort would help! 😉

I’ve just bought a Synmat UL 7 but haven’t used it yet. I mainly wanted something which packs smaller than my old Thermarest prolite 4, which is a bit bulky when rolled up. It looks like it will be pretty good – the fact it is an air bed (with a little insulation inside) though makes it quite different to the foam filled self inflating mats. It’s big and rectangular (i.e. not tapered at the feet). The Sea to Summit range (maybe their lightweight insulated model is similar?) are possibly worth looking at too – they’re a bit newer though so possibly less people with experience of them.

I have an expired Sunday ul7. It’s thicker and WAY comfier that the foam filled self inflators. My one and only criticism is it’s fragility. It’s extremely light and very small, but as a result I’ve had to repair quite a few punctures on it.

I’ve had to repair quite a few punctures on it.

Eek! I’ve bought a very lightweight groundsheet I’m hoping will help prevent too much of this.

Eek! I’ve bought a very lightweight groundsheet I’m hoping will help prevent too much of this.

That’s what I have been reading upon, some people are using the light weight mats with a groundsheet.

Thermarest neoair user here.

I have the original in use for 7years mostly directly onto the ground.

I have 4 or 5 patches on tbe bottom.

My mate has the neoair xlite one and on second use pitched next to me a small stone punctured his ground sheet and the thermarest with a 5mm slash in the middle of the night.

Based on that I will probably replace mine with thermarest neoair venture when the time comes.

Sleeping mats is an area where buying cheap is silly. Cheap air mats tend to be heatsinks and cheap Sims are bulky and usually leaky

I have an exped airmat(LW) (with a slow leak), a synmat (LW) and a synmat ultralite (M)

The fabric on the ultralight feels a lot more fragile than the standard; it packs up to tiny size though.

The long+wide has a built in pump which adds to pack size. Not sure if they still do them, but Exped use to make a basic version with no built in pump (and different baffles).

The ultralight mat is also very slippy. I’ve had problems with the mat sliding within the tent and me sliding off the mat when camping on a bit of a slope.

I would go for the wider version if you can get a Medium+Wide

*LW – Long+Wide
M – Medium.