Insulated AXL Air

Don't do it. Bought a cheap pad with air cells like that for my first backpacking trip, absolutely miserable sleeping experience and I have a very high tolerance to sleeping in uncomfortable situations. Laying directly on the ground was better, and whatever r rating was claimed was absolute bs. We were in a small canyon next to running water and an absolutely wicked wind storm kicked up, I froze my ass off that night, spent most of awake trying to get warm and willing the sun to come up. Second pad was a Klymit with an allegedly good r rating, same air cell style shown in the photo you attached. Did three days at 8000 feet in early March in Southwest Utah, froze my absolute ass off. I had Bought a 15 degree Big Agnes bad to match my fancy new Klymit pad in an attempt to avoid being cold again. was in a two person ultralight tent less than a foot away from one of my companions, and still woke up COLD. I'm talking laying in your bag scared to move and hit a cold spot, praying for the sun to rise, dreading going to sleep the following night cold Finally forked over the cash for a quality Thermarest Prolite Plus and I'm here to tell you for 150 bucks the difference in sleep quality but more importantly WARMTH is insane. Did three days at 9,500-10,000 feet also in Southwest Utah and slept like a baby every night. Spent a week in star valley Wyoming sleeping on a cot in a field about 15 feet away from the very cold Flat Creek with the Thermarest pad and a 15 Degree Big Agnes bag. would wake up in the morning with my bag completely iced over with frozen morning dew as well as the entire field, I was warm as could be in that bag, like I was in bed at home. Sleeping on a wack pad is something I would never wish on anybody. I would be more willing to roll the dice on my bag than my pad. If temperature isn't a concern whatsoever then go for it I guess but that air cell style is more uncomfortable than sleeping on the ground, I'd rather have a fourteen dollar foam pad than that air cell dogshit. Spend the money, sleep comfortably, enjoy your time. There are corners that can be cut to save you money, but your sleep system is absolutely not the place to do it. At best you could be uncomfortable when you're trying to recover so you can go have fun and walk a bunch with your friends, at worst your life could be in danger.

We use an Agnes XL and love the Agnes mats. Super comfy. We also put a foam pad under it and use a sheet to keep it all together. The sheets are king sized and wrap around and under. We also do the matching sleeping bags and sometimes connect them together and other times we do not. My wife has a cot but anymore she leaves it at home and sleeps on the pads with me. Also....it helped us a lot when we got a bigger tent. I know you are talking one night and all ...but getting a bigger tent we could stand in and have a little floor space with rugs to walk on makes things much more cozy for us. Takes a little longer for setup and takedown ...but worth it for us.

Have you tried a 25"? I ask because I am 5'10, 325 pounds and have back problems and the BigAgnes XL pads have worked really well for me.

Welcome 41 year old father of 4, I'm 44 year old father of 4 😁 The right pad will depend on a number of factors such as what position you sleep in, how cold it is, how thick you want a pad etc. I'm a side sleeper and use a Big Agnes Divide XL insulated pad. It took me a few nights to acclimatise to and I had to learn how firm I like it but now I sleep great on it. The other thing that helps is being bloody knackered when you go to sleep. Believe me at the end of the day on trail you will sleep like your batteries have been removed...it is *glorious*.

I've been using a Big Agnes ultralight pad for a few years and love it. The one downside is that it is very crinkly. I'm conscious of the fact that when I roll over it makes a fair amount of noise. I don't sleep in the shelters but often sleep nearby. Because of the noise. I do try to camp on the edge of the group area.