Airmat Hyperlite LW

I have used the predecessor (Airmat Hyperlite) since 2016. Back then it was one of the lightest pads a vailable. It's great in the summer. Just recently I took it out on a 10 day trip to Denmark. You can add a little foam pad if you run into shoulder season for a little extra warmth. I literally bought another one yesterday from Expeds yard sale for like 50€.

I'm heavier and shorter than you and side sleep on Exped mats just fine.

My current pad is an Exped Hyperlite (discontinued) with an R value of about 3.2. I have used quilts for 15 years. I do not tie the quilts to the pad. Always a side sleeper, unless I take my hammock. The quilt you use must be wide enough to tuck. I am claustrophobic, so need to get out easily. And I always sleep warm, tucked in. Many nights were below freezing. Big Agnes bags that have the pad pocket seem to lead to cold people, because the pad holds the bag wide open. Having the ability to tuck whatever you use for insulation around you is important because you warm up the insulation with body heat, air space will make that harder.

If you get a Big Agnes it will squeak against the tent floor all night when you move. I use Exped. Not completely noiseless, but built differently than the Neo pads and not a Big Agnes. I have a discontinued Hyperlite, will replace it with an Ultra when it develops too many leaks just as I did the Synmat. I wish they still made the Hyperlite.

I have an exped pad for backpacking and I love it. Most comfortable one I’ve ever used

Insulated inflatable sleeping pad. Yes, an air mattress. But the ones with high R value will insulate you. Exped, Nemo, Thermarest, Sea to Summit, others. There are lightweight ones for backpacking and imaginably so they're going to tend to be more expensive. There are other ones that may be more comfort focused that aren't as light if you're just doing car camping. Get one from a company that does ASTM rating. This does kind of sound like "big sleeping pad" or a cartel. And it kind of is. But prior to them using that standard, it was the wild west. Sleeping pad manufacturers would just put any number on there that didn't mean anything. So a bunch of companies got together and decided to use this standard. It just gives you that relative comparison across brands. If you're not going below 32 f, then consider a pad that is R value 4 to 5. If you're going to be going below freezing but not necessarily below zero f, consider R value 6 or better. If you're going to be going below zero f then, you want to get up into the ones that are rated at R value 7.5+. You can stack an inflatable on top of ccf pads to increase your insulation. You can put an insulated sleeping pad on top of a cot if that's what you want to do. If you're using an inflatable, obviously you want to make sure it won't pop on the cot. About using a cot. Just getting you off the ground isn't going to make your warm. You'll still need insulation. The cot is irrelevant to heat transfer to the ground. You'd just end up with cold air under you instead of cold ground. One to look out for is the upcoming Nemo Eclipse which is supposed to be due out in march. It's going to be 4 in thick so probably comfortable. With an R value of 6.2 it should be pretty comfortable down to about zero f. No one really has information on this yet. So if you're looking to buy right now, you're going to look at other stuff. Check out the websites. If you see ones you're interested in, watch YouTube reviews. They're usually pretty good videos on most every product that's out there. I wanted to add, R value on sleeping pads and ground insulation is equally important to understanding top insulation. If using a sleeping bag or backpacking quilt, it's important to understand the EN or ISO rating. And really to look at the comfort rating. Understand also that those standards are assuming you're sleeping on a sleeping pad with an R value about 5 plus wearing base layer or thermal underwear, wool socks, and a warm hat.

No one in ultralight group odd going to recommend extra weight for a little comfort. I use a switchback and exped inflatable and think it’s great for all the reasons you list. Added r value, backup pad for some comfort incase exped gets leak, foam pad protects pad, etc. is better comfort, but not ultralight.