Inflatable mat- recommendations

[errol]

Looking for a new inflatable mat that packs small and is value for money as current one has sprung too many leaks and CBA to sort them all out.

Not too fussed about weight as will be used for BAM fairly locally but comfort high on requirements list.

Anyone with recommendations?

Tks

[fatbikephil]

Thermorest for me as their after sales is really good. The spendy neoair Xlite is fab and really light but they do a few cheaper / heavier ones (trail pro?) which are still good.

[Lazarus]

Also use that but the Exped gets al lot of love on here and its cheaper
My sea2summit is more comfortable but its a winter one [insulated] the summer one is lighter but no idea about price as i got mine in a sale.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I think generally, the default answers here will be Thermorest or Exped. The obvious differences are - Themorest baffles run across and Exped run lengthways. Exped tends to be longer for a designated size ie a short Exped is pretty much full length, so do check sizes when comparing weights.

Both have very good customer support / warranty but neither could be described as 'cheap'. The Exped 'Lite' series is cheaper and heavier (potentially more robust?) than the UL series but still performs very well.

[godivatrailrider]

I’d sort of settled on buying a Big Agnes Rapide SL or somesuch for a cold weather mat … no good?

[woodsmith]

+1 for Thermarest. Yes they're expensive but with the warantee you'll pretty much only ever need to buy once. I've had one Xlite and one Xtherm both replaced free under warantee after 100's of nights use on both after the internal baffles broke down producing a large bulge.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I’d sort of settled on buying a Big Agnes Rapide SL or somesuch for a cold weather May … no good?

They look a good mat, I think it's just that there's not many folk with experience of them.

[gecko76]

Vango Aotrom Thermo? I bought one recently, used once so far. It packs down to the same size as my mate's thermarest neo-air, weighs fractionally more. Not as thick when inflated either but perfectly comfortable.

[rudedog]

Probably one of the most frequently asked questions on this forum, fortunately the site has a pretty good search function

search.php?keywords=Mat&terms=all&autho ... mit=Search

[whitestone]

Exped users here - I think we mainly settled on them as the NeoAirs had a reputation for sounding like a crisp packet if you moved, then again the Expeds aren't exactly quiet Note that Exped have recently revamped their lineup so any references to Synmat Hyperlite or Winterlite won't make much sense.

Having had both a standard width and a wider version I'd go for the wider version every time - I felt "perched" on the standard model.

[yourguitarhero]

I've got an Exped Synmat 5 Lite. Insulated, 5cm thickness.

Been perfectly happy sleeping on it in 3 seasons. They're about £70.

You can get lighter ones but more £, more likely to pop?

[godivatrailrider]

I've got an Exped Synmat 5 Lite. Insulated, 5cm thickness.

Been perfectly happy sleeping on it in 3 seasons. They're about £70.

You can get lighter ones but more £, more likely to pop?

R rating is 1.7....
Big Agnes is 4.4 iirc

Not sure how much difference it really makes but the higher the better for a warmer mat I believe.

Depends what people want I guess.

[Bearbonesnorm]

R rating is 1.7....
Big Agnes is 4.4 iirc

Are we comparing like for like there? There was a change in how r value is measured and not all manufacturers adopted it. Many mats with a rating of 4 or whatever are now somewhere below 2 under the new system.

[Lazarus]

There is a US rating and a not US r rating so you need to make sure its the same system
My winter one is 3.7

[woodsmith]

I've got an Exped Synmat 5 Lite. Insulated, 5cm thickness.

Been perfectly happy sleeping on it in 3 seasons. They're about £70.

You can get lighter ones but more £, more likely to pop?

R rating is 1.7....
Big Agnes is 4.4 iirc

Not sure how much difference it really makes but the higher the better for a warmer mat I believe.

Depends what people want I guess.

I've got both the Thermarest x-lite ( r 4.2) and x-therm (r 6.9) and while I haven't tested them side by side on the same night there is a real noticeable difference in warmth. The x-lite feels cold to the touch on cold ground where the x-therm doesn't.
My first xlite back in 2016 was so noisy I felt guilty camping within earshot of anyone else. But its replacement 2019 ( after a good 250+ nights) is very quiet by comparison.

[whitestone]

Here's a shot of how they pack up.

From L - R:

500ml water bottle
Klymit X-frame (uninsulated)
Exped Synmat Hyperlite
Exped Synmat Winterlite (the Hyperlite wide is very similar in size)
750ml water bottle.



From their current range this https://www.exped.com/en/products/sleep ... 0445454506 is most similar to the Hyperlite. I've used it on snow to well below its stated rating and been fine. For UK use I don't see much benefit in getting something like the Ultra-5r which is rated to -20C.

[ton]

Decathlon do a better. Branded under the Quechua label.
35 quid. Packs tiny and is over 6ft4 long.

[ton]

inflatable-trekking-mattress-mt500-air-xl-195-x-60-cm-1-person.jpg (4.22 KiB) Viewed 1482 times

[PeterC]

If you are looking at value for money and if weight is not too big an issue then have a look at this:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/inflatabl ... RED_ORANGE

My budget wouldn't run to an Exped (how much?) so I went for the Decathlon airmat. Being a shorty the 180 is longer than me and is very comfortable. No noise and it has some silicon patches to help stop the sliding around. The stated weight is a bit out at 670g mine is about 620g with stuff sac. Likewise packed volume is out too. Mine is about the size of a 2 litre soft drink bottle not the 3.4 litres they state! Only used it a couple of nights so far and it's as comfortable as one would expect.

Negatives? The stuff sac has an extension so it doubles as the 'pump', therefore a bit on the smaller side than say Exped, and takes a few more fills to inflate the mat, not a problem for me. I would recommend it as a good alternative to the (much) more expensive mats.

Edit to add: The R value is 3.3 so up there with the Exped etc.

[errol]

Thanks all for the recommendations.

Have taken a punt on the Big Agnes. I know it goes against the VFM statement but in for a penny..., turns out one of my chums has one and swears by it.

Will let you know outcome when it's used as Stu says possibly not many folk on here have experience of one.

[godivatrailrider]

Thanks all for the recommendations.

Have taken a punt on the Big Agnes. I know it goes against the VFM statement but in for a penny..., turns out one of my chums has one and swears by it.

Will let you know outcome when it's used as Stu says possibly not many folk on here have experience of one.

Shall be interested in knowing how you get on with it