UKC

So I'm in the market for a new sleeping mat, and am open to suggestions. So:

Any reviews for mats you own? (Comfort, lightness, ease of use etc.)
Any recommendations?
Are the airbed-type (NeoAir et al.) mats any good?

As a bit of background, I bivi quite often, and do a lot of stuff in winter and some in the alps. Durability and lightness are obviously a necessity, so I'm aware that anything that fits the bill won't be cheap, although low price would obviously be nice.

So... a) which mat should I get and b) why?

In reply to ianstevens:

I've got Thermarest Prolite (short - 120cm long) mat. So far, I have used it only as 3 season mat and it worked very well. It might be too cold for your needs, so I am not going to continue about it.

The other option I was looking for was Thermarest Z-lite Sol sleeping pad. It is supposed to be more durable (especially if you bivi a lot) and is very lightweight. However, it is not as small as self inflating mats.

No experience about NeoAir mats as I couldn't really afford one.

What I know very well is that sleeping mat is a must even in summer! I used to travel around Europe with a poncho, 3mm sleeping mat and 550g sleeping bag (extreme temperature is +2C) set-up, but in Scotland that does not work very well.

In reply to ianstevens:

Had a prolite 4 that I gave away. Am on my second zlite and have a neoair xtherm.

If nothings going to puncture your mat, xtherm wins easily. Zlite is good but spartan, its not quite comfortable enough on a hard surface.

Didn't own a bed for 12 months, on the wooden floor just a prolite wasn't quite comfortable enough. Layered with a zlite though it was great, was slightly more comfortable with the zlite on top. Zlite foam lost it integrity and was too soft by the end, prolite was same as when it started but didn't self inflate anymore.

Xtherm materials feel much less durable than prolite, that said you can obviously patch either.

Karrimatt - bombproof, warm enough, bulky and not comfortable

Thermarest - first class after sales customer support; I, my partner and serveral friends have returned several matts~ most after after decades of use and they have always replaced without question, absolutely first class honouring of thier warranty:

Predecesssor to Prolite 4 - warm enough in winter, slightly bulky compared to modern matts, delaminated after 10+ years use, replaced under warrantly with:

Prolite 3 - Not quiet comfortable enough on hard ground, fine on grass, not quiet warm enough in winter on damp ground or snow, but good weight to carry around, but slowly deflates and I cannae find the bloody leak!

Thicker thermarest v. good, but too bulky if carrying alot of other gear. Had one for 15 years as a car camping, bothy and midwinter mat. Comfy warm and bulkly. Eventually delaminated, but replaced under warranty by thermarest despite the numerous self patched (read field bodged) puncture holes.


Exped -
Synmatt UL 7 - vast improvement in comfort over a thermarest type mat, i.e alomost a big a difference from a thermarest, as a thermarest is to a karrimatt. Very small pack size and low weight. Not quiet warm enough on snow and cold damp ground. Two of the air chambers merged within two years, replaced under warranty (note Exped UL matts don't do thermarest lifetime warranties) without question. Replacement mat valve now leaks after less than 1 year - unfortunately I've lost my receipt.....come on Exped if you matched thermarests lifetime no questions asked warranty I'd recommend them without hesitation!!

Down matt UL7 - my partner has this and regards it as good as a feather bed, even on snow is warm and cosy, however you must realise that she has spent alot of time bivvying, thinks nothing of sleeping on a slope or bumpy ground and when I first met her regarding a karrimatt as an overpriced luxary! Note wouldn't use it in a warm humid environment ~ too much risk of damaging the down.

For the exped maatt with flat valve technology, buying the 'pumpsac' really makes inflation a lot easier.

A warning on the exped UL's, the face fabrics are thin so will need looking after, I wouldn't take them alpine mountaineering if your bivvys are going to be cramped and rocky with axes and crampons ect close by.

In reply to ianstevens:
I've reviewed a few of them on my blog, here:

http://larsonweb.com/blog/?cat=9


Bottom line is that the NeoAir X-Therm is the best I've used.

In reply to Kai:

Kai, if you were summer camping, would you still take the x-therm or can a mat be too hot?

In reply to ianstevens:

My exped - under 2 yrs old, used on max of 6 nights, died last night from valve failure - just under £20 per night i make that - will see what exped can do - gutted

In reply to FreshSlate:

Not possible for a mat to be too hot.

If you're just going to get one mat, and use it for summer and winter, the x-therm is the one to get.

In reply to Kai:

Yeah I figured that myself!

Is the X-therm/... LOUD?

I tried a neoair x-light and it's quite crisp packety (I probably wouldn't have noticed had someone else not pointed out somewhere).

No sure if it would actually bother me.

In reply to FreshSlate:

X-Therm is actually a little more quiet than the standard Neo Air, but it is somewhat crinkly. I find that after a long day hiking/climbing, I don't really notice at all.

In reply to ianstevens:

A friend has used Nemo http://www.nemoequipment.com/shop/pads-pillows/ they are very good and pack up very small

In reply to Kai:

Wow that's a very comprehensive mat review! My personal fav. at the moment is the Synmat UL. As you say it's very comfy and I don't tend to roll off it. I have one of the original Neoair's. This is also comfy, but because of the tube orientation I tend to roll off it. Also the material on the Synmat seemed as though it would be more durable than the Neoair.

In reply to ianstevens:

Thanks for the advice, many things to think about here!

In reply to ianstevens:

I've got the Exped Synmat UL7 and are a huge fan of it. It has a small packsize, is light, very comfy and has stood up to a fair bit of abuse. Exped also do a drybag that doubles up as a pump which makes blowing the mat up very quick and acts as somewhere to store your sleeping bag to keep it dry.
Lee