Big Agnes - Captain Comfort Deluxe Camp Sleeping Pad

Most people will say the Exped Megamat they’re not wrong, but I would also consider the big Agnes captain comfort. It’s an inch thicker, a few bucks cheaper. The only downside is that the valves aren’t as nice for inflating/deflating and the bag it comes with is not as good, but if you’re sleeping on it every night and not packing up after the weekend those would not be huge issues

That Exped is worth the money. It’s about as comfortable as it gets sleeping outdoors. NEMO Roamer or the BA Captain Comfort are close seconds. The Roamer packs a little smaller, if that’s important in your decision process. Labor Day sales are coming in the next week or so. It’s a prime opportunity to snag any of them for 25% off.

To branch off this the Big Agnes Captain Comfort is functionally the same pad as the MegaMat 10 but has a lifetime warranty.  Zenbivy also has a couples sleep system based around the same sort of mat.

I absolutely love my boundary deluxe; super comfortable and wide, although heavy for sure! I have the 30x78 and it weighs in at 42oz so this new one appears lighter and with a much higher R value. If I'm going ultra light I'll take a 25" zenbivy pad but for comfort, it's big agnes all day

Car camping with no space limit: exped megamat 15 Car camping with space limitations or canoe camping: nemo roamer  Backpacking:  big agnes boundary deluxe 30x78

Big Agnes is the best I’ve found. Pricey but well worth it.

Have you considered a camping cot? There are a lot of ultralight options now which are about the same price as a good sleeping pad for side sleepers. The only difference being is the weight, you’re looking at around 1.5kg for a cot bed which would be double the weight of a sleeping pad. For me, the extra weight is worth it for the comfort. For context I’ve tried Therm-a-Rest, Big Agnes and Nemo mats. If I’m going for comfort, the cot bed wins every time.

Big Agnes and sea to summit checks all your boxes. Small/compact, uses vertical baffles to prevent that bouncy castle feeling and provide actual support

It's very simple if it blows up with air and inflates - at SOME point it's gonna get a hole in it. That's life! The whole air mattress thing started with Therm-a-rest's and they were pretty tough back then, now with everybody sporting hard-on's for "ultralight" gear its gonna get worse. Same goes for actual air mattress, you can sleep on them but if you're not in Texas or Arizona yer still gonna freeze your butt off. Here's why ....... People these days buy inflatable pads for the comfort, but you really need them for the insulative qualities they actually provide. Don't believe me go sleep on the actual ground one night. When you crawl in to your sleeping bag you actually crush the down or syntho fill in the bag so there is no insulation there under you and the cold even in summer can seep right in. You need a pad under you to keep you off the ground ..... the best ones for that are still the cheap blue ensolite foamy's you buy at the cheaper stores but yes, for comfort they suck. There is a yellow thicker brand called Zotefoams Evazote and they got up to an inch thick but I haven't seem them for years but they were good quality and tough and CAN'T deflate ! So ultimately if you want comfort you need to go buy a big chunk of open cell white foam four inches thick and 7 feet long like you see in hobby stores - mega comfy and the size of a house! But now you can't pack it anyway so you're back to the blow up pads - and that's it. You can go to stores and look at stuff like Futons and crap but they don't pack well ! Heck even Ikea makes a folding mattress but again good luck carrying it around, right? Pick one but they WILL get a hole in them at some point however you can try to limit that with a cot. I've used them for years and its nice. I'm gonna suggest a Cabella's Lounger Cot but they are $350 bloody bucks and the same goes a real camping pad, something like a Exped Megamat itself is $400 bucks by itself. The two cots I wanna get are gonna cost me $405 bucks so add in two decent pads like Expeds and they're $500 .... great huh? It's nuts at a thousand bucks! I actually might just go get some memory foam cut at an RV store and use that. They can't deflate and its about the same bloody price as these inflatable ones, granted it won't be near as packable and portable but both my Thermarest leak, both my Big Agnes pad leak, even the TWO Coleman air beds leak, you can't win. My tent is 210 sq feet and 10 feet tall so I don't need backpack-ability either ........

I went from a Klymit to a Big Agnes. Night and day difference. 

Plus one. I have a therm-a-rest Xtherm, two cheap Amazon pads (they didn’t last), a Big Agnes, and I’ve tried the foam pads (they’re not for me). Exped seems to have the best tech. Their pads are quiet, comfy, reliable, and I love the synthetic down on the inside

Big Agnes has valve issues, mine didn't even last 3 uses

I had a Big Agnes for a decade. It sprung a leak on a trip this time last year. I found the leak on a seam and called to ask about repairing it. They asked for a pic, which I sent as well as a pic of the valve cut off (per their instructions) and my new pad arrived in a few days. No charge. I’ll never buy a pad from a different manufacturer again. https://preview.redd.it/qcc2h29uz8ve1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a5db870df20331f504fddf587c14258a32a7250

Bought my Big Agnes pad for $100 at REI ten years ago and still going strong. Not a single leak. I’m a side sleeper and it’s pretty comfy. 

I've used my Exped for 500miles. I've never had a problem with it. Personally, I would only buy Exped or Big Agnes sleeping pads because they're the only ones I've never seen leak. Anything by thermarest is trash.

I'd say it's at the very least quieter than my Big Agnes that I used most recently. In all honesty at 390lbs every thing is noisy when I toss and turn, but I wouldn't say it's extra noisy or anything. As far as better than self inflating, I'd say yes by a large margin. That being said, I've also got to admit the last self inflating pad I regularly used was probably 10 years ago. I'd assume tech has come a long way since my last self inflating pad but I don't know for sure. I never had one that would ever keep me completely off the ground the entire night. there were always high and low spots and not much insulation back then. If you do go that route at the very least I'd try to find the thickest pad in your budget. Also on noise, maybe a pad cover like the Thermarest Synergy may help as well. I'm looking into that as a little extra protection from dog claws but I'm sure it would dampen noise too.

I have an exped and multiple air mattresses, and I still prefer my Big Agnes. Warm, roomy, supportive, compact, affordable.

The premium REI pads are your best bang for your buck. I had the big Agnes but ended up buying the cold weather REI

Big Agnes is what I use. They are so much quieter than other inflatables.

As I side sleeper, I have found some of the Big Agnes pads to be very comfortable, and quiet. I've been through several different types and brands of pads over the years (decades) I like that the sides are higher on the BA pads, which keep you from rolling off the mat. It's not that they are super high to physically prevent you from rolling off. It's the subconcious thing that when you feel that extra height, your brain does it, even when asleep. The 25 inch wide pads are much better for side sleepers. I'd go with a 30 inch wide, but they only make that width in a few long pads. For biking, you may not mind the extra ounces for the 30 inch wide, long pad. I have one, and wish I could cut it shorter, but afraid to do so, for fear of not being able to seal it properly. None of the name brand pads are inexpensive. The new Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft looks good, and has many good reviews. If I didn't already have a few BA pads, I'd be tempted to buy a NeoLoft. The next time I'm at REI, I may try one, just to see.

If you want small the mega mat isn't the answer. I use a Big Angus pad and I am happy with it. I couldn't imagine sleeping on just a foam pad though

I also have one of these and loved it initially. After two months on the road it is now failing almost every night. I’ve exhausted the patches that came with the pad and it’s now covered with third party gear repair patches. I am ~75kgs and I don’t over-inflate it. I paid good money for this thing and it is absolutely not worth it.

Nemo or big Agnes pads!

Big Agnes. Im a side sleeper and also started with a Klymit like you and found it inadequate. My big agnes is only a little heavier but it's about four inches thick when fully inflated, which is great.

A lot of it depends on how you sleep. I’m a side sleeper which means they all suck, but it’s better than nothing even if your hips end up touching the ground (especially when it’s cold). The biggest differences are weight and durability but overall sleeping pads are things I pretty much exclusively pick up on sale. I have a couple of Big Agnes pads from several years ago that are tough and do the job- my wife sleeps on her back and hasn’t had complaints

Having a family of 4 can confirm individuals is the way to go. We’re all rocking Big Agnes pads. The kids are using big Agnes bags which have a pocket for the pad and keeps them from wondering around at night.

Spend money. Get a good quality mattress, this is not the place to go cheap. Restful sleep is important for recovery. The most expensive air mattress is still cheaper than a hotel for a night. I use a Big Agnes. It's 4 in thick, 25 in wide, 76 in long. I can inflate it quickly with the included pump sack, it's gets firm and hold air throughout then night. It has a 4 R value so it insulates well. I sleep like I'm in a bed. This was the single biggest upgrade to my gear and the best value (although it wasn't cheap). Anything you find on Amazon will be crap quality. Buy from a reputable brand. Check out outdoorgearlab.com for reviews. They are the Consumer Reports for gear.

The big Agnes pad is really nice and very comfortable, I do think it's R value is over stated though.  On nights where its around freezing or just below I've found myself getting rather cold.  I know my sleeping bag is fine because it's always coming from the ground often I'll toss some clothes under my legs and it helps to stop that issue.  I will probably invest in a better R value pad for the winter/shoulder seasons 

I suggest individual sleeping bags or quilts for colder weather. When I purchased sleep bags, I looked for a comfort rating that is the same or lower than lowest expected temperature. A 20f sleeping bag may have comfort rating of 30 or 40 degrees. To sleep well in 30 degrees, look for a 10 degree bag or quilt. A pad with R5 or better rating. The REI Helix is liked by many because it’s close to R5 and it’s lightweight. Big Agnes pads, I have 3, tend to sleep cold so I discount their R values. I have used a quilt plus an additional fiberfill blanket in colder weather. It worked well, but I first tried it car camping when I knew I had a back up system (more blankets) available. Recently I purchased a 10 degree quilt for temps down to mid-20s. It’s still in the teens at my house with lows in single digits. I like quilts but it did take some time to learn how to use mine well and stay warm. For the novice, a sleeping bag is a wise choice. Once you digest all the comments here, settle on a budget, and get a better idea of what conditions you will experience, consider making a new post over in r/backpacking with greater detail.

I have a pretty basic Big Agnes sleeping pad that's probably R-3.5 or something like that. I've used it for several trips in Washington and Oregon in the summer. Being cold from below was not a a problem. I think R-1.5 would be OK in the summer, the ground warms up quite a bit during the summer. A more insulated pad would only be necessary if the ground is frozen during the day. What probably matters most for you is size, weight, and comfort - it needs to be thick enough so you don't feel the ground through the pad. I would also look at how difficult it is to inflate. The one I have has a terrible valve that seems to be designed to be as inconvenient as possible. You have to blow into it, but there's a bit of resistance to air coming in, and the valve is such that it's hard to tell if it's open or closed. I'm attaching a piece of an old bicycle inner tube to make it possible to use a bike pump. Some pads have a built-in hand pump and that would be useful. I can't offer a recommendation for a specific product since I haven't bought one recently, and the one I have doesn't seem to be available any more.

I’m a back sleeper with a big Agnes pad and would recommend from comfort pov.

Perhaps you are over inflating it? I was having a problem with my big Agnes and let out a bunch of air and it was much more comfortable. Now I inflate it to just enough so my hip doesn’t hit the ground when I’m on my side.