9 Greatest Sleeping Pads for Backpacking in 2023 – Bearfoot Principle

Sleeping on a leaky halfway-deflated sleeping pad on a backpacking journey might go away you by no means desirous to go backpacking once more. That’s why a top quality sleeping pad is an important piece of substances that may really make or break your journey. 

There are plenty of components that go into discovering the very best backpacking sleeping pad together with value, insulation, weight, dimension, and even private sleeping habits.

Right here at Bearfoot Principle, we’ve tried and examined a variety of totally different sleeping pads – some higher than others – and on this weblog put up, we allow you to slim it down by sharing our favorites.

It doesn’t matter what your funds is or your priorities, this listing highlights the preferred sleeping pads for each outside enthunsisast from tremendous light-weight choices to heat four-season ones and extra.

On the finish of this put up, we additionally break down the vital components when selecting a sleeping pad so you will get the precise one on your adventures.

Greatest Backpacking Sleeping Pads at a Look

Backpacking Sleeping Pad Comparability Desk

See the comparability desk beneath for a fast abstract of every of the highest sleeping pads for backpacking. You may click on on the columns to kind by what’s most vital to you.

1. Therm-a-Relaxation ProLite Plus

Bearfoot Principle Crew Favourite

• Nice for: 3-season backpacking, again sleepers

• What we like: Nice worth for value, sturdy cloth, simple to inflate

• What we don’t like: Heavier and bulkier than different sleeping pads, not nice for aspect sleepers

The Therm-a-Relaxation ProLite Plus is designed with consolation in thoughts, and it’s my private sleeping pad of selection.

Whereas it’s not the lightest sleeping pad accessible, I like that it’s one flat piece of padding with out baffles.

At 1.5″ thick, it’s sufficient padding that you could’t really feel the bottom or little rocks that you just might need set your tent up on prime of. Nevertheless, it’s not so thick that in the event you roll round at evening, you’re feeling such as you may fall off.

It’s additionally insulated sufficient to camp in chilly temperatures, however in the event you camp within the winter, you may need to add a foam pad beneath. There’s a girls’s model accessible of the Plus which is slightly shorter and 1 ounce lighter than the boys’s Common dimension.

In comparison with the opposite light-weight sleeping pads on this listing, the Thermarest ProLite Plus is slightly on the cumbersome aspect when within the stuff sack, however it nonetheless packs down nicely sufficient to return alongside for the journey.

One different benefit is that it partially self-inflates. You simply twist open the valve, and the pad slowly begins to inflate by itself. You do have to complete inflating it with your personal breath.

If you wish to shave off an additional 5oz, take a look at the ProLite common model.

2. Therm-a-Relaxation NeoAir XLite NXT

Greatest Light-weight Sleeping Pad for Backpacking

• Nice for: Ultralight backpacking, 3-season backpacking

• What we like: Most light-weight sleeping pad on the listing, tremendous compact

• What we don’t like: Runs slim, noisy once you roll over

Total, Therm-a-Relaxation appears to have the market cornered relating to heat and lightness, making them the most effective manufacturers of sleeping pads for backpacking.

Their Therm-a-Relaxation NeoAir XLite NXT will preserve you heat and comfy within the backcountry, and it’s the lightest inflatable sleeping pad that we stand behind.

That is additionally the backpacking sleeping pad of selection of BFT workforce member Linda who has used this sleeping pad on over a dozen backpacking journeys.

The NeoAir XLite NXT does are likely to run slim, so in the event you toss and switch, we advocate getting the huge model.

It will also be noisy once you roll over so if you’re a light-weight sleeper preserve that in thoughts, however we predict for the load and heat, this sleeping pad is value it.

3. Massive Agnes Rapide SL Insulated Sleeping Pad

Greatest Sleeping Pad for Facet Sleepers

• Nice for: Facet sleepers, light-weight backpacking, 3-season backpacking

• What we like: Light-weight and compact, one of many thickest pads on our listing, is available in a large model, not noisy once you roll over

• What we don’t like: A bit heavy

If you happen to’re a aspect sleeper, the Massive Agnes Rapide SL Insulated Sleeping Pad is a superb choice.

It’s light-weight and has insulated layers to fend off chilly and with a thickness of three.5 inches, your hips and shoulders shall be comfortable all evening gentle.

The Massive Agnes Rapide packs down small and the high-volume valve makes it fast to inflate and deflate. Alternatively, you need to use the inflation sack to inflate the pad once you’re at excessive altitudes and the air is skinny.

I additionally love that this pad is available in a spread of sizes from petite to huge to accommodate all physique sizes.

4. Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Pad

Best Sleeping Pad to Inflate

• Nice for: again or abdomen sleepers, 3-season backpacking

• What we like: Sturdy valve, best to inflate, compresses down tremendous small

• What we don’t like: not nice for aspect sleepers

The Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Pad is without doubt one of the greatest and most well-reviewed sleeping pads. It’s a light-weight and sturdy pad that’s simple to move out and in of the carry bag.

The most effective options of this sleeping pad is that you need to use the stuff sack to explode the pad. You hook the stuff sack as much as the valve, then you definately scoop up some air into the stuff sack, roll down the highest, and it forces air into the sleeping pad. It takes lower than a minute to replenish, and all your mates shall be jealous as they huff and puff to blow their pads up. Utilizing the stuff sack additionally reduces the quantity of condensation build-up contained in the pad.

The valve on this sleeping pad can be one of the sturdy valves available on the market which is fairly enormous contemplating valves are the place frequent leakage occurs.

As a bonus, the Sea to Summit Ultralight has an anti-microbial coating that retains any nastiness from increase over time.

This sleeping pad additionally is available in a girls’s model too. If you need slightly extra padding, the Sea to Summit Consolation Gentle Insulated Sleeping Pad (pictured beneath) is a superb choice.

5. Exped Extremely 3R Duo Sleeping Pad

Greatest 2-Individual Backpacking Sleeping Pad

• Nice for: {Couples}, backpacking together with your canine, quick backpacking journeys, summer time backpacking

• What we like: Either side fills individually, bigger outer chambers assist stop you from rolling off, simple to inflate

• What we don’t like: Not as insulated as different 3-season pads

Are you on the lookout for a method to cuddle together with your accomplice on backpacking journeys? Look no additional than the Exped Extremely 3R Duo Sleeping Pad.

This sleeping pad matches completely in two-person backpacking tents and is a superb choice for these trying to keep away from uncomfortably pushing collectively 2 one-person pads.

You’d suppose that inflating a double sleeping pad could be harder than a single, however this sleeping pad is fast to inflate and deflate utilizing an identical stuff sack mechanism because the Sea to Summit sleeping pad talked about above.

The draw back of this sleeping pad is its bulkiness and weight, however in the event you may cut up the load into 2, it could be the identical weight and dimension as among the different sleeping pads we advocate on this listing of the very best sleeping pads for backpacking.

If you need a lighter-weight choice with a decrease R-value for summer time tenting, the Exped additionally is available in a 1R model.

6. Exped Extremely 7R Sleeping Pad

Greatest 4-Season Sleeping Pad

• Nice for: Winter tenting, 4-season backpacking, aspect sleepers

• What we like: Warmest sleeping pad on our listing, very light-weight for a way heat it’s

• What we don’t like: Most costly sleeping pad on our listing, noisy once you roll over, simple to slip off the slippery materials in the event you transfer round lots

This is without doubt one of the priciest sleeping pads on this listing, however the Exped Extremely 7R Sleeping Pad can be the warmest by far with an R-value of seven.1.

It’s made for mountaineering, winter tenting, and backpacking so if that’s the type of factor you’ll be doing, then investing in an ultra-warm, snug, light-weight sleeping pad like this shall be value it in the long term.

This pad is insulated with a layer of 700-fill right down to preserve you good and heat even because the temperatures drop outdoors your tent. Whereas we don’t love using down feathers right here at Bearfoot Principle, we do recognize Exped’s adherence to the Resonsible Down Customary.

The downsides of this sleeping pad are it’s an costly funding and the slippery materials is noisy and simple to slip off of in the event you transfer round in your sleep.

7. Sea To Summit Ether Lite XT Ladies’s

Thickest Backpacking Sleeping Pad

• Nice for: Individuals who toss & flip at evening, aspect sleepers, 3-season backpacking

• What we like: Thickest sleeping pad on our listing, extraordinarily snug, good width for not rolling off

• What we don’t like: Doesn’t pack down very small, takes longer to inflate with the stuff sack, is slightly noisy once you transfer round

The Sea to Summit Ether Lite XT Insulated Sleeping Pad is the best sleeping pad for anybody searching for most consolation and who doesn’t thoughts carrying slightly additional weight and bulk. The additional thick (XT) building supplies deep cushioning, excellent for aspect sleepers.

Becky, our behind-the-scenes assistant, makes use of this pad for her bikepacking adventures as a result of it’s extraordinarily snug and whereas it doesn’t pack down fairly as small as different pads on this listing, it’s nonetheless actually light-weight at simply over a pound. She’s a aspect sleeper and doesn’t really feel the bottom in any respect whereas shifting back and forth on this 4″ pad. The ladies’s model additionally has a barely hotter R-value at 3.5.

The Ether Lite XT comes with an Airstream Pump stuff sack, which lets you inflate the pad with out blowing into it. The sack is absolutely built-in into the sleeping pad bag, making it very easy to make use of (and unimaginable to overlook or go away behind). The valve is sturdy and permits for straightforward inflation, fast deflation, and a button for fine-tuning the firmness when your pad is blown up with out shedding air.

This pad additionally comes with 4 “Pillow Lock” patches which safe any Sea to Summit backpacking pillow to the pad so it doesn’t slide off through the evening — a typical downside with most backpacking pillows. We personally love the Sea to Summit Aeros Pillow.

Whereas this sleeping pad isn’t the quietest available on the market, it’s definitely not the loudest. It doesn’t have that “chip bag” sound that’s frequent with ultralight sleeping pads, however it does make a uninteresting noise once you roll over. This isn’t an enormous problem for us – we’ll take the additional consolation over slightly noise any day – and it wouldn’t wake tent neighbors.

If you happen to’re a aspect sleeper, have a tendency to maneuver round lots, or are somebody who needs to make sure a very good evening’s sleep within the backcountry, this sleeping pad is unquestionably well worth the cash.

8. NEMO Switchback Foam Sleeping Pad

Greatest Foam Sleeping Pad

• Nice for: Summer time backpacking, light-weight backpacking, utilizing as a sleeping area on your canine

• What we like: Doesn’t require inflation, most sturdy sleeping pad choice, budget-friendly

• What we don’t like: Thinner than inflatable sleeping pads, doesn’t present heat in chilly climate, cumbersome to hold

If you happen to don’t like inflatable sleeping pads and like one thing easy that requires no setup time after an extended day of mountain climbing, take a look at the NEMO Switchback Foam Sleeping Pad.

This foam sleeping pad is light-weight and extremely sturdy because you don’t have to fret about leaks or valve points.

It’s fairly barebones and never fairly as heat and comfy as the opposite choices on this listing, however in the event you’re on a funds and wish one thing easy, it is a good choice for you.

Many reviewers observe pairing this sleeping pad with an inflatable sleeping pad for additional padding and heat on backpacking journeys or utilizing this pad as a sleeping area for his or her canine.

It’s also possible to use this sleeping pad as a sit pad when it’s folded up. The draw back of a foam sleeping pad is you sometimes should carry it on the skin of your pack because it doesn’t compress like an inflatable pad does.

9. REI Co-op Trailmade Self-Inflating Sleeping Pad

Greatest Finances Sleeping Pad

• Nice for: Quick backpacking journeys, funds hikers, 3-season backpacking

• What we like: Cheap for an inflatable pad, budget-friendly

• What we don’t like: Heaviest and bulkiest sleeping pad on our listing, arduous to inflate/deflate

In case you are on the lookout for a high-quality, budget-friendly sleeping pad, look no additional than the REI Co-op Trailmade Self-Inflating Sleeping Pad. With an R-Worth of 5.5, it is a heat sleeping pad that’s nice for 3-season journeys.

The draw back of this sleeping pad is the load and dimension – that is ideally a automotive tenting sleeping pad, however it will also be used for brief backpacking journeys or in case your backpacking sleeping bag and/or tent is small.

Learn how to Select the Greatest Sleeping Pad for Backpacking

I owned the identical previous sleeping pad for a very long time since I began backpacking greater than a decade in the past, however a number of years again I made a decision it was time to improve. Since my unique funding, sleeping pads have come a good distance. Now they’re lighter, extra snug, and far more compact than ever earlier than.

In my seek for the very best backpacking sleeping pad, I turned overwhelmed with the variety of choices. There was lots to contemplate like value, R-Worth, weight, and dimension. So I did a bunch of analysis on how to decide on the very best sleeping pad for backpacking and needed to share with you what I realized

So, how do you select the very best sleeping pad for backpacking? Listed here are the components to contemplate when making your buy:

Foam Sleeping Pads vs Inflatable Sleeping Pads

There are two fundamental kinds of sleeping pads. The primary is a closed-cell foam pad. These are the most affordable and most sturdy pads accessible, however they are typically much less snug.

Their stiff form additionally means you don’t have the power to pack them down, and most of the people find yourself carrying them on the skin of their pack. 

The opposite choice is an inflatable sleeping pad. These can both be self-inflating or manually inflated by blowing air into them.

These present extra cushion than a foam pad however are much less sturdy since they’re vulnerable to puncture. This implies it’s a must to be very cautious when utilizing an inflatable sleeping pad straight on the bottom so as to keep away from leaks.

Inflatable sleeping pads are considerably extra snug than foam pads, and in lots of circumstances the distinction in weight is negligible.

Insulation: The R-Worth

The R-value is an indicator of insulation. R values vary from 1.0 on the low finish to 10 on the excessive finish, and the upper the R-value the extra warmth the pad goes to retain. Most sleeping pads supposed for backpacking have R-values round 2.0-5.0.

The very first thing you’ll need to take into consideration is the kind of local weather you’ll be utilizing your sleeping pad in. In case you are a fair-weather backpacker and shall be spending most nights in heat summer time temperatures, then you will get away with a decrease R-value.

Then again, if you’re doing winter or snow tenting, then you will have one thing with an R-value nearer to five. Pads with R-values increased than 5 are heavier and usually supposed for automotive tenting.

Weight

Weight is a crucial issue to contemplate for your whole gear and sleeping pads aren’t any exception.

Closed-cell foam pads are the lightest and usually weigh in at lower than a pound.

The lightest inflatable sleeping pads are comparatively comparable in weight to the froth pads. The Therm-a-Relaxation NeoAir XLite is without doubt one of the lightest choices accessible at 12.5 ounces.

Relying on how plush you need to go, an affordable weight vary for an inflatable air pad is 10 ounces as much as 2 kilos. And whereas not all the time the case, there tends to be a tradeoff between weight and sturdiness with inflatable sleeping pads.

If you happen to select one of many ultralight inflatable choices, it’s good to deal with it with warning and keep away from utilizing it straight on the bottom.

Thickness

Inflatable sleeping pads range wherever from one to 4 inches thick and a thicker pad goes to supply further consolation if you’re a aspect sleeper.

The draw back of a thicker pad is that they take longer to inflate by mouth. In case you are a again sleeper and have a tendency to remain put all through the evening, then you definately may be happy with a thinner pad.

Closed-cell foam pads are typically thinner, normally operating at lower than 1 inch thick. 

Size and Width

With a view to minimize down on weight, sleeping pads are getting smaller and smaller. In reality, some sleeping pads now are available 3/4 size which means the underside of your legs and toes shall be hanging off.

Many even have a tapered or mummy-shaped design the place the pinnacle and foot are narrower than the remainder of the pad.

Whereas it varies throughout manufacturers, a regular-sized sleeping pad is roughly 72 inches lengthy by 20 inches huge, and most manufacturers make their sleeping pads in a number of sizes to accommodate those that are shorter, taller, or have broad shoulders.

If you happen to transfer round lots when you sleep, you might need to purchase a large sleeping pad.

Ladies’s Backpacking Sleeping Pads

Some backpacking sleeping pads are available a girls’s particular model. These are typically shorter and are generally slightly wider to accommodate varied physique shapes and bigger hips.

Ladies’s sleeping pads are additionally made to be hotter, with a better R-value since girls usually sleep colder than males.

Packed Dimension

That is one space the place sleeping pads have made some severe developments. Some sleeping pads lately are smaller than a Nalgene bottle when packed down, which means they take up manner much less area in your bag than they used to.

For backpacking, you’ll need one thing that packs right down to about 4-5.5 inches by 8-11 inches.

In fact, you need to use one thing bigger, however we’d solely advocate that for shorter journeys or in the event you’re splitting up gear between your accomplice or campmate.

Different Options

One-way valves: Most of the latest sleeping pads, just like the Sea to Summit UltraLight Insulated Sleeping Pad, have one-way valves. Which means when you’re blowing them up, the air can’t come again out of the valve, making it simpler to explode. Then once you need to deflate it, there’s a separate valve that you just open the place the air escapes from.

Self-inflating: There are a number of pads available on the market which can be self-inflating. My Therm-a-Relaxation ProLite Plus is one among them. If you happen to select to purchase a self-inflating pad, you need to be ready that after some use, the pad may not self-inflate prefer it used to. At that time, you’ll find yourself blowing it up together with your mouth similar to the remainder, however the self-inflation is a pleasant characteristic whereas it lasts.

Built-in pump: Many more recent sleeping pads include a pump built-in into the stuff sack. You principally fill the pump sack with air and push or roll that air into the sleeping pad for simpler filling. This does add a number of ounces, however usually this isn’t an excessive amount of of a difficulty.

What’s the greatest sleeping pad for backpacking that you just’ve discovered? Do you’ve got a favourite? Go away a remark beneath and tell us!

Associated