Recommend me a sleep mat

[Hammock Hamster]

Hi all,

I'm looking to scale down the size/weight of kit I'm taking away with me and my current sleep mat is the next item to change.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good sleep mat that can pack down really small but still give good insulation and a warm nights sleep.
I would prefer self inflating but don't mind blowing it up myself if needs be so long as it doesn't require a pump or anything like that.
I'm currently looking at the thermarest neoair in small which packs down to a bout the size at a litre water bottle (my current mat is 3/4 length and is fine for my purposes) but would like to know what else is out there in the same league and whether anyone has any experience with them.

All the best, Hamster

 

[Shewie]

I have the original NeoAir in short and find it okay, I've had a cold back on a couple of colder nights but nothing too bad, I tend to use it 3 season and switch to my Exped downmat for the colder months. I've not tried the new incarnations of the NeoAir but I've heard good things about them. If the wallet can stretch to it I'd consider the XTherm

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

If the wallet can stretch to it I'd consider the XTherm

+1 - awesome mat

 

[Hammock Hamster]

Thanks guys.

Out of curiosity which exped are you using? I've been having a look at them and was wondering if the downmat lite 5 would be sufficient for uk winters?
It's in my ideal price range but I could just about stretch to the xtherm having seen some of the reviews.

Hamster

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

I have the exped UL 7LW down mat and im not mad on it. Plenty warm enough when its right but they suffer with down migration and cold spots

 

[spoony]

i have a down mat 7 and 5, the 5 is the wifes, i been using it more and more, its very comfy, and small pack size, used it on top on skiddaw, two weeks ago for a wild camp on the summit, i was nice and warm, good mats.

 

[Hammock Hamster]

Thanks guys plenty of food for thought, am going to google some more reviews but the xtherm is coming out slightly on top at the mo!

Cheers, Hamster

 

[maddave]

British Army CCF all the way. Avoid expeds at all cost, expensive tatt IMHO. SWMBO bought the exped synmat and it lasted all of 2 days (£35 per day. Premier Inn would have been cheaper)

 

[theoctagon]

I've used thermarests for years and never had one fail on me. Recently switched to an Exped Synmat and have found the comfort far superior to the Thermarests

I have the exped UL 7LW down mat and im not mad on it. Plenty warm enough when its right but they suffer with down migration and cold spots

Give me a shout if you're thinking of selling


Matt

 

[widu13]

Thanks guys.

Out of curiosity which exped are you using? I've been having a look at them and was wondering if the downmat lite 5 would be sufficient for uk winters?
It's in my ideal price range but I could just about stretch to the xtherm having seen some of the reviews.

Hamster

I've got this mat but haven't used it in "proper" winter, just from Mar this year. I've had a few expeds and now just want as light but warm as I can get away with. I've got the 5S and I have to say I've found it good. I've never used a Neo so can't compare, but I've never had any dramas with my Downmat 9LW, Synmat 7m, Downmat 5LW (which I sold after just one night because I was curled up on about 1/2 of it) and the current Downmat Lite 5S. I still have the 9LW but prefer the 5S.

 

[pauljm116]

I've used and exped 9 synmat for a week in late summer and can honestly say its the most comfortable night I've had in a tent.

 

[Arjendude]

Thermarest neoair all season is imo far more comfortable than the exped and lighter to. Packsize is simular. Exped has sidewalls that are a little bit higher (so you don't roll of). If you are a back sleeper like I am, then your arms are a little bit higher up.


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[rg598]

Thermarest NeoAir XTherm. It is very small, very light, and has a very high insulation rating.

 

[Hammock Hamster]

Right, after lots of advise here and some serious googlefu of reviews I have just ordered the neoair xtherm short.

Should be here in a few days and then a week or so before I can actually try it out properly, mini review will be on its way when I do!

Cheers all.

Hamster

 

[Paulm]

What made you go for that particular one in the end H ?

I'm thinking I might make a change next year, my 15mm Dutch army roll mat is a bit cumbersome and my several years old thermarest treklite isn't really thick and cushioned enough and doesn't pack down particularly small, going smaller, more packable and more comfortable seems quite an attractive proposition, but for the cost !

Cheers, Paul

 

[salad]

I recently got an exped synmat 9LW , its good for about -25 which is as cold as it gets here and half the price of the down mat , I have used it on a few overnight hikes recently inside my one man tent and find it very comfortable .
I did think about getting the down mat 7 as its temp range is also about where I want it but in the end I decided to go for the thicker mat for extra comfort and as I dont need to go down to -38 degrees the synmat was the more cost effective choice than the down mat 9lw

 

[Arjendude]

Absolutely the thermarest neoair all season for me. Lighter, smaller in packsize and completly flat instead of the higher sidewalls on the exped

 

[Hammock Hamster]

To be honest it was a mixture of things, one was pack size as it's one of the smallest I have been able to find within its league, two was the warmth rating 5.7 compared to the exped 5.9 so there wasn't much in it and the comfort factor (I'm reaching that horrible age where comfort is preferable when I can get it!)

Of the reviews by normal people I have found the exped seems to suffer from cold spots, not universally by any means but more so by far than I have found reported with the xtherm.

I have gone back to ground dwelling for a bit and although my trusty old vango 3/4 mat have always been ok I do feel the cold seeping in on very cold nights or a few hours before sun up and it packs to about the size of 3 water bottles which is space I can use better elsewhere (the areas I camp don't generally have a reliable water source so that's 2 or 3 litres of water I can carry in its place.

In the main I think it was pack size that did it for me as I am trying to carry as small a pack as possible and I realised over 2/3's of my kit was sleeping gear, with the sleeping bag and mat I have reduced that significantly, now I just need to find a very thin and lightweight tarp that gives the same coverage as an issue basha for less packed size and I should be a happy bunny!

Cheers, Hamster

 

[Harvestman]

If a budget is a limitation then I really recommend this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gelert-X-Tr...81204&sr=8-1&keywords=gelert+extreme+lite+3/4

Packs fairly small, nice and thick, gives good padding and comfort, and under £20. Only negative is it is a bit slippery, but that is fairly easy to remedy.

 

[Hammock Hamster]

If a budget is a limitation then I really recommend this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gelert-X-Tr...81204&sr=8-1&keywords=gelert+extreme+lite+3/4

Packs fairly small, nice and thick, gives good padding and comfort, and under £20. Only negative is it is a bit slippery, but that is fairly easy to remedy.

Do you know what, I think that might be the one I'm using at the moment, will have to check next time I have my kit out!

As per my previous post it's actually a very good mat especially for the price but it has a tendency to bulk up a bit once packed down and I really want to go to the next level so to speak both comfort and warmth wise! That said if you after a budget all purpose mat you couldn't go far wrong with it.