backpacking sleeping pad suggestions????

[MrMiner2]

I am looking for a light, but comfy sleeping pad for backpacking. Open to suggestions. Thanks!

[blue indian]

I use and highly recommend the exped ul 7. Although slightly heavier than the neoair, I prefer everything else about it. It is pretty expensive though.

Check out the Rei stratus pad as well. About half as expensive with similar specs.

[swjohnsey]

I had good luck with Neoair Xlite. The short one weighs 8 ozs and is very compact.

[flemdawg1]

I was a big fan of the Big Agnes Air Core line until I had 4 replaced due to leaks in 3 years. I bought a Thermarest Prolite Plus last year and have been very happy with it.

[The Cleaner]

ThermaRest Prolite 4. Nice,not too heavy or pricey ....

[Carl Calson]

those thermarests are nice. I had a big agnes insulated air core for a few months on the AT, but it developed a leak and was really loud whenever i moved around at night and it annoyed people. i reverted to the zlite.

[shelb]

Please, advise on the "quietness" of these. I bought one and it is SO loud, I wake up everytime I turn. My hubbie was excited that he then inherited it - only to toss it to the kids after his first "loud" night.

[bigcranky]

Been using a Prolite 4 since they came out maybe 9 years ago. Love it.

[Another Kevin]

Another happy Thermarest ProLite owner here. I snore louder than any noise it makes.

[tarantolk]

I have the thermarest prolite and am very happy with it as well. Also I got a really good deal on it from both campsaver.com and backcountry.com. After seeing how well I slept with it, my boyfriend had to have one as well. Between coupons and sales I paid 40$ new. Good luck.

[jjchgo]

another vote for exped ul 7

[Drybones]

My first choice is the Exped Synmat 7...16oz, very quiet, very comfortable, expensive.
Second choice is the Big Agnes insulated air core (I have the older Sand Mt. version, 28oz)...24oz (?), not noisy but not as quiet as the Synmat 7, comfortable, you can catch them on sale pretty cheap, I believe I paid $45 for the one I have.
I have a Thermarest Prolite Plus, 28oz, can't use it, hurts my back, the wife has the same problem with it, bulky, difficult to pack.

[Prime Time]

I had a BA air core but hated the inflation process and, especially, the deflation process. I bought a Klymit Inertia against my better judgement and wound up loving it. It looks a little weird and totally inadequate, but it works just like advertised. Just nine ounces and inflates in 4 or 5 breaths, and deflates and is back in it's pack bag in way less than 1 minute. Only 9 ounces, including small top off hand pump which isn't really needed. Only downside is it goes inside your bag, so if you'd rather keep your bag off the shelter floor you need to lay your bag on something. I use a small, body size sheet of Tyvek, about 2 ounces. Also, on hot nights your bare skin tends to stick to it so I recommend a silk liner on those nights on top of your bag. On cold trips (below 35 degrees), I also bring a cut down Thermarest Ridgerest foam pad that supports me from head to hips for extra insulation (weighs 7 ounces). Legs go up on my pack.

[BirdBrain]

I use and highly recommend the exped ul 7. Although slightly heavier than the neoair, I prefer everything else about it. It is pretty expensive though.

Check out the Rei stratus pad as well. About half as expensive with similar specs.

Make that 3 votes on the exped. I got mine off ebay.

[MrMiner2]

Prolite is bulky?

[Statue]

Another vote for the Exped Synmat Ul 7, I got the 62" on the specs it says 15.2 oz but mine weighed in at 14.8 oz including the stuff sack. It's so comfortable, but you pay for it that's for sure.

[canoehead]

I'm a side sleeper so I use a BA air core. Blowing it up sucks, but it's worth it.

[Starchild]

I was using one of the BA, comfy yes, but at 24 oz there are lighter alternatives and blowing it up was not pleasant, took 27 large breaths through a valve that had some resistance to it = not fun and annoying and something I ended up dreading having to do and also ended up packing it partly inflated so that was a few less breaths to re-inflate.

I just ordered the thermarest Prolight at 16 oz, I have yet to try it out, though it is self inflating and took only 2 'top off' breaths to have it as full. It is thinner then the BA, 1 in thick compared to 2.5 in, and is mummy shaped instead of rectangular. The self inflate after the unpleasantness of inflating the BA and the light weight is what made the decision to go with this one.

Another thing I have considered is because the Prolite is only 1 inch it makes it seem easier to go with a torso length as the 1 inch height difference is not much to make up.

[barf_jay]

I use a Klymit Static V, only weighs 18 oz., and you can usually find a good deal $60 on the web, but fairly inexpensive compared to all the other pads out there.

[tds1195]

Miner this depends a lot on you - are you a UL hiker? Do you need the lightest gear? What kind of pack do you use? And, most importantly, what's your price range? There are some awesome pads that are super light but very expensive. There are also awesome pads that are a bit cheaper but weight more/take up more space.