What lightweight sleeping pad do you use during rifle season?

I'm currently using a Nemo Tensor. It's warm, comfortable, reasonably light, and has held up extremely well for probably 150-200 nights on the trail over 3ish years. It's the pad I currently recommend to most people who ask for my opinion on a cold weather or "do it all" sleeping pad.

I had 3 different Expeds before that. One had a valve that dry rotted. The next had a baffle failure, which Exped replaced with a new version that was supposed to fix the baffle failure issue. That replacement also had a baffle failure, and while they likely would have replaced it again I decided to go with a different brand rather than risk a failure on a big trip.

My first inflatable pad was a Neoair I used for about 6 nights, but hated the noise. It sounded like a bag of chips. It was, at the time, the best balance of weight and warmth available in an inflatable pad but the market has grown since then.

Prior to that I used a variety of closed cell and self inflating pads. I won't go back, but for some people and situations closed cell pads work well. Inflatable pads are warmer and more comfortable in my experience. The weight and ease of closed cell pads is nice, but they aren't as warm as inflatable pads and I find them too uncomfortable to get a good night's sleep. I'm a side sleeper. A couple people I hike with are back sleepers and they like closed cell pads in warmer weather. Self inflating pads are a "worst of all worlds" option in my opinion. They're heavier than most closed cell pads, but not much more comfortable. They're generally not warmer than closed cell pads. They're bulkier than inflatable pads, and not much less bulky than closed cell pads.
 

Recent Posts

Top