Sleeping Mats - What and where to carry

[sean_iow]

Out of all of my kit it's the choice of which sleeping mat to take which keeps me awake at night . I have a selection of mats to choose from and places to carry them but can't seem to come up with an 'ideal' solution. I have used:-

Alpkit Wee Airic - Self inflating 3/4 length. This is small enough to fit inside my bivi bag and also quite robust so I'm not worried about punctures. Comfy to sleep on and relatively warm this would be my default choice but rolled up it is about 26cm x 10cm dia and it ends up on top of the front harness. This puts more weight on the front and more of an issue it is in the way of mounting my light even with an extender to lift it up. If I know I'll not be riding after dark then this is ok but otherwise it's a pain.

Multimat Superlite Air - Air mat, full length. This is too wide and thick to go inside the bivi bag so ends up underneath. This is fine if I know where I'm going to be sleeping will be grass but I'm too worried about punctures to use it in woodland or anywhere with stones etc. This is very comfy and packs up small enough to fit anywhere so inside the frame bag or seat pack.

Closed cell foam. This was tried as an experiment buy cutting down an old foam mat to what I thought would be the smallest I cold get away with so about 35cm wide x 90cm long. Being super-light I had this fixed to the outside of my rucksack which itself is only a small daysack. It was fine to carry and being csf I had no worries about punctures etc. and had in outside of the bivi bag. The only drawback it that it was just too small so my arms were off the sides and I didn't get a very good nights sleep. I might try again but I'd like to ditch the rucksack entirely so it would end up rolled up and fixed to the top of the front harness so the issue with the light would be back.

So, what I'm asking is what is your preferred mat choice and where on the bike do you carry it?

Also, has anyone used a Klymit Inertia X-Lite mat? This might be the answer as it would be small enough to fit inside my bivi bag so no worries about punctures and it also packs down to a very small size, but is it comfortable? I am usually a side sleeper but I do sometimes manage to sleep on my back which I guess may be a requirement to get the Klymit to work?

Sean

[benp1]

Large original neoair here

Rolled up and put inside the drybag that goes in the harness on my bars. Usually has a chair kit attached to it

[Bearbonesnorm]

For a number of years my mat of choice has been an Exped UL7 Synmat. I do dabble with others from time to time (testing a new Exped mat at present) but always revert to it. I use a S size which for my gigantic 5'7" stature is actually full length.

It lives (very roughly) rolled / folded in my front dry bag alongside my sleeping bag, jacket, etc. Most of my bivvy bags allow the mat to go inside. For any that don't, I use a very light MYOG groundsheet which has peg points on the corners and two 'elastics' which hold the mat in place on top of the groundsheet. I've also been using the Trekkertent bathtub of late too, which I'm very impressed with.

[sean_iow]

It lives (very roughly) rolled / folded in my front dry bag alongside my sleeping bag, jacket, etc..

I cant seem to fit both my mat and my sleeping bag in my front bag. Perhaps I'm not trying hard enough. Do you fold it in half lengthways before rolling to get it to a suitable width?

[Bearbonesnorm]

I cant seem to fit both my mat and my sleeping bag in my front bag. Perhaps I'm not trying hard enough.

Obviously, much will depend on your sleeping bag and size of dry bag ... generally 13L for me for most of the year.

Do you fold it in half lengthways before rolling to get it to a suitable width?

No I'm lazy. I just roll it up full width then sort of coil it up ... maybe fold up is more accurate? Sleeping bag, jacket, anything soft in there first, then the mat goes in last.

[Ray Young]

I only have one mat, an exped downmat lite and it doesn't fit in my bivi bag so does get damp. Of everything I carry this has been the hardest to find a home for but I now carry it in a dry bag in a monkey cage on my seat tube. My water bottle has migrated to a stem cell on the bars.

[cyclingtiger]

I've got a large Neo-Air which I use for regular camping. I've not broken my bivi cherry yet but reckon I'll use that for a first outing and, if I'm feeling decadent, I'll take the pump as well. The way I'm building up my kit, I reckon it'll go in the bar bag with the sleeping bag and North Face bivi shelter. Bit of a hefty set up but should be doable.

[Single Speed George]

i have a Zrest cut in half then i consatina it and put it straped on to my top tube. it doesnt weigh much, it isnt taking up any room n my luggage so works well for me. its just a bit strange looking haha

[bryanwadd]

Being a newbie bikepacker I'm still working on where to put stuff but the last time I was out my Exped UL7 fitted nicely in my frame bag, rolled up tightly and in the original bag it came with.

[benp1]

The beauty of things like neoairs and synmats is that fundamentally just seam sealed pieces of thick material, so they can be folded, rolled, coiled and scrunched into any shape. They can fit down the side of a dry bag, at the bottom, round the inside etc. In a seat pack, in a bar harness, on a fork leg, on a seat tube

That is a MAJOR improvement since CCF and self inflating mats

I fancy a new higher R value large xtherm (I think) neoair. It's about the same weight as mine but warmer. Tech is pretty cool these days. Though CCF still wins for robustness and weight, just not pack size and comfort

[whitestone]

Exped Synmat Winterlite usually carried in a 13L dry bag along with the rest of the bivvy kit on the handlebars. Total weight of it all, mat, sleeping bag, quilt, bivvy bag, dry bag and bar harness is 1.9Kg

In summer/weight weenie mode the mat is a Klymit X-frame which is small enough to go inside the frame bag.

[Scattamah]

1 mat for me...Neoair Xlite regular. Lives in its original sack and gets carried with tent/sleeping bag up on my handlebars.

Greetz

S.

[custardfeet]

Karrimor Xlite 3/4, fits in 13 ltr dry bag on front bars, down jacket beach shoes tent & food, with room to spare.

[gairym]

I use a combo (depending on temp).

If it's warm I'll just use a Karrimor X-lite (300g) inflatable thing which is a sniff too small for me (I'm 6'2" and not skinny) but not a problem.

(I've also got an Alpkit one which is essentially the same dimensions but a sniff heavier - bought when I'd forgotten the other)

But....it's got very little insulation and so in the colder months (which round here get pretty cold) I pop a cut down (3/4ish length) Thermarest 'Ridgerest' thingy underneath the above to stop me from dying.

The Thermarest lines the dry bag on the bars (usually a 20l which is overkill but I need it for the width and I just compress down the diameter) with the other sleeping kit stuffed inside.

Works for me!

[Bearbonesnorm]

I pop a cut down (3/4ish length) Thermarest 'Ridgerest' thingy underneath the above to stop me from dying.

Gairy, it'd be even warmer with the Ridgerest on top ... although staying put throughout the night might be an issue

[gairym]

Makes sense but I'm sure it'd just slip off repeatedly.

Maybe with a few little strips of something to keep it in place though....?

[ddraver]

As of the weekend I have and Exped AirMat which goes into a 13l Drybag on the front, into which I also put my sleeping bag, bivi bag and the shorts I sleep in.

I will ad that with a lot of sleeping mats i ve found that folding them into different shapes can make them easier to pack rather than only using their own stuff sacks.

I have an alpkit inflatable mat too but I find that too big for bike packing - i didnt need the full length one in the end - but I can get away with it if I put it in a stuff sack and squeeze it down. Not sure it's that good for the mat though

[Lawmanmx]

Alpkit dumo, ive used it for a couple of nights and although its not the lightest it is very comfy and 50 quid :)

[sean_iow]

In summer/weight weenie mode the mat is a Klymit X-frame which is small enough to go inside the frame bag.

How do you find the X-Frame? Do you sleep on your side or back?

I'm thinking about an Inertia X-Lite for summer/weight weenie mode. This would easily pack into my frame bag and could go inside the bivi bag in use. On the Ultralight Outdoor Gear website they show the mat inside the sleeping bag which would protect it further from punctures.

I could just have no mat at all and man-up/suffer but that might be a step too far. I guess it depends on the ground I'm sleeping on.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I could just have no mat at all and man-up/suffer but that might be a step too far. I guess it depends on the ground I'm sleeping on.

Fine line at times between ultralight and stupidlite

[Alpinum]

In a fight of small and light air beds NeoAir X-Lite small vs. Klymit Inertia X-Lite, the former wins.

I have and use both. I'm 182 cm tall, rather broad shoulders and there's no way I can keep my arms off the ground with the Klymit. By arranging my self a bit I can do so partially on the NeoAir.
The NeoAir X-Lite's have gotten lighter, the outer material has changed the last couple of years (I mostly need a new one after about 100-120 nights which means 1-2 year of abuse) and the one I got quite recently weighs in at 205 g. Klymit 170 g. The Klymit seems to be made of a sturdier fabric, but is very narrow and a bit shorter. It has two valves which don't help in packing it down very compact, so the difference to the NeoAir is tiny.
If you want to go with one of the two mentioned mats, go with the NeoAir.
If you want a robust, long lasting mat you may want to look at the Prolite series with 50d fabric.

Punctures can be fixed dead easy on NeoAir, mine always fail after many nights due to delamination. Some mats have had four patches at the time of delamination, some none...

[whitestone]

How do you find the X-Frame? Do you sleep on your side or back?

I've seen it mentioned that the X-frame is better if you are a back sleeper but TBH I've not had any problem with it sleeping on my side, pumping the mat up a bit harder seems to do the trick. I tend to turn rather than roll in my sleep if you can visualise the difference so the narrowness isn't a problem either. The mat really isn't designed to work with quilts which are a different solution to the problem of the compressed insulation beneath you, it's a complete mat with quilt or bag with X-frame.

The material is very similar to the Exped material so I would expect similar levels of sturdiness/reliability. Something's got to be in contact with the ground and take the wear and tear, probably that should be the cheapest or easiest to replace, sleeping bags tend to have fairly lightweight and fragile material. Checking the ground you are about to use helps as well. With the X-frame I've used it outside the bivy bag or sleeping bag, not sure that you'd use it inside a sleeping bag since it's meant for the insulation in the bag to push down in to the pockets.

I've done the "no mat" routine. No real intent to repeat the experience