Sleeping mat recommendations

Any recommendations for a comfy sleeping mat for bikepacking/touring?

I have a Vango Escape Trek Compact self inflating sleeping mat, which I don’t really find comfortable. It was all I could afford when I bought it, but after several years of poor sleeping every time I use it, I can now afford to replace with something better and comfier.

Doesn’t need to be extremely lightweight, (would rather have something more robust) but ideally packs down a lot smaller than my existing vango. Budget about £100 may stretch to £140

Alpkit Numo

I find the Alpkit very cold due to the lack of insulation in it. Have the Exped Synmat which I really like. Brother has the Thermarest Neoair which he bought a second one of when his first one got lost – baffles run the other way so it doesn’t curve round you like the Alpkit or Exped (at least they don’t sound so much like you are sleeping on a bag of crisps like the first gen ones!).

Have had an Exped Synmat for a number of years now and it is excellent.

Synmat +1

Plenty of sizes to tailor it to the intended use/temperature

Synmat. HL/UL7.

A non rustle Synmat HL

Got a cheap inflatable one off ebay last year, about £20. Tis prettly good and light.

Cheers for replies. Off to look at the Exped Synmat stuff

Either Exped Synmat or Thermarest NeoAir. I’ve the Winterlite and my wife has the Hyperlite, used them to -16C in Arctic Finland.

Have a search on Bearbones forums, lots of similar questions.

Be careful with the Synmats – if you inflate them fully then the internal welds are under stress so if you kneel on them or drop onto them then they’ll unzip. Just inflate to max then let a little air out.

I did get asked a while ago just how well they packed. here’s a shot of them, a cheap Multimat inflatable on the left, orange Hyperlite, red Winterlite with a 500ml and 750ml water bottle for comparison. The mats weren’t tightly rolled but did have pretty much all the air expelled.

I just bought a synmat from trekkit, they have them on offer at the moment….

https://www.trekitt.co.uk/sleep–and–shelter/exped/sleeping-mats/insulated-air-mats

Whitestone, thank you for sharing that picture. They roll up a lot smaller than my existing mat

I recently got a Big Agnes insulated AXL. Not tested it a lot yet but found it very comfortable. It’s fairly lightweight construction, seen some reports of poor durability. Very thick though and the outer edges are raised a bit to help stop you rolling off. It’s moderately rustley, not as bad as other lightweight mats though

Klymit Inertia Ozone Recon. Integrated pillow not quite big enough but works well as a site for whatever you use (clothes, inflatable pillow). Recon model has fabric across the cut-outs, no condensation from cold groundsheet like the regular model. More comfortable and durable than other mats I’ve used. Made in Taiwan not China, if that matters to you.

The exped synmat blows away the numo. As other have said, the numo is cold and it was also too narrow for me.

I stopped at the synmat because it was way better, except for the slidiness and the noise.

Mine has dabs of seam sealant all over it to stop me sliding off on uneven sites. Because you dont slide its also a lot quieter.

Had 2 synmats delaminate at about 6 years old, probably 50 nights use. Expensive £/sleep but incredibly comfy.

I’ve been using multimat for several years without issue- model 38/25 relating to 38mm at the top, 25mm at your feet.
It’s also insulated with foam, folds up pretty small and cost £50
I found it ok in winter use with a standard foam mat and a bit of thin foilbacked foam under. This is of course winter in Scotland, so the ground is frozen. Bikepacking autumn/late autumn I reckon it would be a good choice. It’s about 12″x5″ folded, weighs(due to the internal foam) at 760gms.

Another vote for synmat. I’ve got the winter HL one. Thick warm and pretty light, and also packs pretty small. I went for the lw cause I’m 6’3.

I might be being dim but how does insulation help in a camping mat? I thought air was one of the best insulators you can have so surely any padded insulation wouldn’t help.

The cold comes up from the ground, so just air will be fighting a battle between the cold seeping in from underneath causing the air insode an airbed to chill, against whatever heat you are producing from the top, and given you are encapsulated in an insulated bag, that heat will be minimal.

In summer its not a problem, but winter, the ground can be frozen for weeks and be at least 0c maybe more, which is radiating up.
I always spread any spare kit about the floor area which i find helps keep the air temp inside the tent at a better level.

Air that isn’t able to circulate is a lot better. If it can move then heat can be carried away.