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I need a lighter sleeping pad

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    • I use and recommend Neoair XLite. I bought original Regular square one that is like 13oz around 8 years ago, then bought a used current one (rounded edges) from JimmyJam and it is only 12 oz. Great investment. I would recommend looking around (such as Google Shopping) to get your best deal. A great investment from my perspective. FWIW please note that most of my hiking is in the summer and the South the rest of the year.

      thermarest.com/sleeping-pads/f…ing-pad/neoair-xlite.html
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • I have the Klymit Static V. One nice thing about is it's wider than the standard 20 Inch pads which don't work for me. For some reason many pads only come in wide sizes when you get the extra long. It's gotten better recently. More now offer wide regular length. Must be all my whining. But the Static V is a summer pad. I used it on a chilly fall weekend and slept cold. They do make an insulated version. Not sure of the weight. It is very affordable.
    • max.patch wrote:

      When I replaced mine 5 years ago or so REI had a "spreadsheet" that listed the stats of all the sleeping pads they sold -- R value, weight, price, length/width, height etc. that I picked up at the store. I bet Google can find you something similar.
      Outdoor gear lab . com has a side by side comparison on their web site. When it comes down to sleeping pads the amount of choices is mind boggling, every company has numerous pads in numerous sizes. Right now I'm considering the Thermarest NeoAir Xlite and the Nemo Tensor both in the small/short size. Either one will make both my pack and my wallet considerably lighter. I'm not sure about considering used gear options for an inflatable pad. Maybe later today I'll go over to REI and try to see them in person.

      All opinions welcome.
    • odd man out wrote:

      I have the Klymit Static V. One nice thing about is it's wider than the standard 20 Inch pads which don't work for me. For some reason many pads only come in wide sizes when you get the extra long. It's gotten better recently. More now offer wide regular length. Must be all my whining. But the Static V is a summer pad. I used it on a chilly fall weekend and slept cold. They do make an insulated version. Not sure of the weight. It is very affordable.
      A couple words of caution about the Static V. I had the Static V2 ... and while it indeed is wider than 20" (mine measured 22.5", just slightly short of the advertised 23"), the length was a big letdown. Mine measured 68"-70" depending on where along the long side the measurement was. It's supposed to be 72".

      A friend of mine has the Insulated Static V, as well as the Static V Luxe. I think the former is 25 oz (it's now listed at 24 oz). But the big caution is that there are new R-value standards, and, IIRC, these Klymit ones took a substantial hit under the new measurement system. So check that out. I think the problem is that cold air infiltrates the deep baffles, and the fact that where the top and bottom are "welded" there's no insulation in between (and the aforementioned cold air).

      As I understand it, the theory was that your bag would expand into these deep baffles, providing lofted insulation underneath at least some parts of you. However, in my experience it didn't really work that way. Loose down, of course, would fill in. But the down in your bag is held back by an inelastic fabric shell, and thus the down can't just expand into the baffle freely.

      FWIW, HTH
      TZ
    • Time Zone wrote:

      odd man out wrote:

      I have the Klymit Static V. One nice thing about is it's wider than the standard 20 Inch pads which don't work for me. For some reason many pads only come in wide sizes when you get the extra long. It's gotten better recently. More now offer wide regular length. Must be all my whining. But the Static V is a summer pad. I used it on a chilly fall weekend and slept cold. They do make an insulated version. Not sure of the weight. It is very affordable.
      A couple words of caution about the Static V. I had the Static V2 ... and while it indeed is wider than 20" (mine measured 22.5", just slightly short of the advertised 23"), the length was a big letdown. Mine measured 68"-70" depending on where along the long side the measurement was. It's supposed to be 72".
      A friend of mine has the Insulated Static V, as well as the Static V Luxe. I think the former is 25 oz (it's now listed at 24 oz). But the big caution is that there are new R-value standards, and, IIRC, these Klymit ones took a substantial hit under the new measurement system. So check that out. I think the problem is that cold air infiltrates the deep baffles, and the fact that where the top and bottom are "welded" there's no insulation in between (and the aforementioned cold air).

      As I understand it, the theory was that your bag would expand into these deep baffles, providing lofted insulation underneath at least some parts of you. However, in my experience it didn't really work that way. Loose down, of course, would fill in. But the down in your bag is held back by an inelastic fabric shell, and thus the down can't just expand into the baffle freely.

      FWIW, HTH
      TZ
      i sleep with a quilt so I don't get that advantage of down underneath. I got it for summer use. I also have a thin pad I can put underneath if I need a bit extra insulation. Someday I will get something for 3 season use.
    • REI also had one of the spreadsheets on headlamps -- there was a lot of info to digest on that also. I remembered back in the day when we used mini maglites and the only decision we had to make was to get the AAA one or the AA one.

      I just bought the headlamp that was on sale. :) I figured that any one of them was better than the huge first generation REI one I had.
      2,000 miler
    • LIhikers wrote:

      My local REI didn't have any of the pads I'm interested in and there's no place else near-by to look. I guess I'll order the NeoAir XLite from the REI web site. If I don't like it I can return it and start the search over. At 8 ounces it'll save me 14 ounces.
      Investing in lighter gear is the gift that keeps paying you back everytime you go out. :thumbup:
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • l don't have a problem sleeping either at home or on the trail. I'm willing to give a new sleeping pad a chance to see how it works. I guess I'll order the NeoAir later today. I was initially drawn to the Nemo Tesor but lot of the reviews I saw said it was kind of fragile and started leaking soon after they got it.
    • My new pad arrived yesterday. I blew it up with the included pump sack and tried it out on the living room floor. I've never had a short pad before so I suspect that will take some getting used to. At lunch break today I'll get out the scale we have at work, which is calibrated, and see what it weighs. The manufacturer says it's 8 ounces, we'll see. It'll be interesting to divide the price by ounces saved to see what the price of lighter weight is.
    • LIhikers wrote:

      My new pad arrived yesterday. I blew it up with the included pump sack and tried it out on the living room floor. I've never had a short pad before so I suspect that will take some getting used to. At lunch break today I'll get out the scale we have at work, which is calibrated, and see what it weighs. The manufacturer says it's 8 ounces, we'll see. It'll be interesting to divide the price by ounces saved to see what the price of lighter weight is.
      Even if not immediately, over time I believe you will find it worth it. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • LIhikers wrote:

      So the new pad in it's stuff sack along with the inflator bag weighs in at 10.1 ounces which saves me 12.3 ounces. At a cost of a little over $157 that comes out to over $10 an ounce.....ouch
      Multiply that by every mile you carry it. Or if you prefer hour you carry it.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • max.patch wrote:

      Someone in my GA Hiking FB Group just bought a pillow and asked what other people use. His is 19.1 ounces.

      I hope he can return it.
      I've tried no pillow (bad idea), clothes bag pillow (didn't like), cheap inflatable (like sleeping with your head on a balloon). Now have a Sea to Summit inflatable. Their deluxe version doesn't give that head on balloon feeling.
    • odd man out wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      Someone in my GA Hiking FB Group just bought a pillow and asked what other people use. His is 19.1 ounces.

      I hope he can return it.
      I've tried no pillow (bad idea), clothes bag pillow (didn't like), cheap inflatable (like sleeping with your head on a balloon). Now have a Sea to Summit inflatable. Their deluxe version doesn't give that head on balloon feeling.
      Same here, although with Boy Scout car camping had a bag with small pillow built in. Used clothes bag most of AT until 2015 when I bought my first Sea To Summit. Lasted a lot of trips and at least a hundred nights until I replaced it last year. Might have lasted longer if I had not used the washing machine.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • LIhikers wrote:

      My new pad arrived yesterday. I blew it up with the included pump sack and tried it out on the living room floor. I've never had a short pad before so I suspect that will take some getting used to. At lunch break today I'll get out the scale we have at work, which is calibrated, and see what it weighs. The manufacturer says it's 8 ounces, we'll see. It'll be interesting to divide the price by ounces saved to see what the price of lighter weight is.
      The price people are willing to pay to get rid of an ounce is a common question. I would argue that $10/ ounce is a good deal. My price point is probably just a little above that.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • Astro wrote:

      Same here, although with Boy Scout car camping had a bag with small pillow built in. Used clothes bag most of AT until 2015 when I bought my first Sea To Summit. Lasted a lot of trips and at least a hundred nights until I replaced it last year. Might have lasted longer if I had not used the washing machine.
      You wash your gear???
      Now there's your problem!
    • odd man out wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      Same here, although with Boy Scout car camping had a bag with small pillow built in. Used clothes bag most of AT until 2015 when I bought my first Sea To Summit. Lasted a lot of trips and at least a hundred nights until I replaced it last year. Might have lasted longer if I had not used the washing machine.
      You wash your gear???Now there's your problem!
      Probably not so much if I had just hand washed it. It was my IT background and wanting to automate that got me in trouble. ^^
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • LIhikers wrote:

      Traffic Jam wrote:

      I’m also looking to upgrade my sleep pad, thanks for all the info!
      TJ the choices are endless. Decide on what attributes you want and rank them by priority. That will help you decide which one is best for you. Every company has a multiple pads in multiple sizes. It's amazing that there's a market big enough to support that many.
      Hey every hiker wants a good night's rest. And like shoes and others things one size/style does not fit all. Great example of the free market at work. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      Hey every hiker wants a good night's rest. And like shoes and others things one size/style does not fit all. Great example of the free market at work. :)
      A number of years ago the wide pad usually only came with long lengths. I have to have a pad wider than 20 inches but don't need it extra long. I called several companies and complained. No one seemed to think there was a need for that. But recently I've noticed they are much more common. I'm willing to take the credit for that.