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Top Pros
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Reddit Reviews
I have the exped dura 5r and I love it. Comfortable, warm and durable since I'm a bigger guy and toss and turn a lot
I have the Dura 5r and love it. It's a big bulky but I'm a big guy and move around a lot so it was worth it to me. I hear the big agnes Rapide gets great reviews as well as the REI Helix. If prices are too high look at Paria Outdoor's pads, they are good budget items
I got the Dura 5R on sale and love it, I'm a big guy and toss and turn so I wanted a durable one
I have the Dura 5r and really like it
Yea it's slightly bulky but not too bad and I'm a big guy that side sleeps and tosses and turns. I wanted something a little stronger and I'm very happy with it
I'm a big guy so I got the Dura5 R. It's a big beefier and I got the long/wide version. It is rated at R4.8 but who knows how accurate that stuff is
People recommending self inflating pads like the MegaMat are off their rocker. Incredibly comfortable, yes. Packs small? Absolutely not. Plus they should be stored unrolled. I find my Exped Dura 5R to be comfortable and it packs very small for a double sized pad (it comes in a single that's even smaller). I have a Big Agnes Boundary Deluxe that's fairly comfortable but doesn't pack as small. If you can go to REI or another camping store they usually have a whole bunch of pads out for you to try for comfort. Keep in mind re-packed size will be ~10% larger than boxed for air pads and ~25%+ larger for self inflating.
Any Exped Med-Wide pads fit the bill. Incredibly comfy to boot. They are more expensive but a good nights sleep it worth it imo. Best investment I made for camping. I got my Deep Sleep for just over $100 on sale.
That bag will not hold up, it’s a rectangular and won’t seal well and temps are below what it’s rated for. Even with layers and extra blankets it’ll be an uncomfortable at best night. The pads are also borderline and I’d recommend a couple more Rs to get to a better insulation value. You can either upgrade one of the pads (maybe a 5R Exped) or add another pad to your setup. I don’t like stacking too many pads as they tend to slide and you lose insulation. Tie wrapping them together can help.
Duras are built like tanks, I love em!
Exped is good, several models depending on what kind of camping. For reference I’m 6’ 330lbs. MegaMat/DeepSleep used for car camping. Dura used for backpacking. You may also be able to use furniture foam which would be cheaper and can be cut to different sizes.
This is my thinking too. Rab may be pricey, but it’s good. I just can’t find much reliable info,tests or reviews on the Rab sleeping pads. Was hoping to find it here. Since some miserable hikes with leaking Thermarests back in the day I switched back to a thick ccf foam winter mat. But that obviously was a step back in sleeping comfort. So since then I combined it with a self inflatable. That’s why a R5 will do for me.
I would recommend insulated. The bag insulation will compress underneath you. We have the Exped Dura 5R and sleep in 20deg down bag. Woke up to 24deg F and warm.
I’m not sure there’s a best one per se, there are a lot of equality pads out there and the one that best fits you and your needs might be the right choice for you. My favorite is Exped but I love my Nemo’s as well. My personal opinion tho is that you have nowhere to go but up. After fifty plus years of buying and using outdoor gear I can say that I actively despise only one brand, Klymit. And that’s all I have to say about that.
I cannot recommend double mats highly enough! After decades of backpacking and car camping with single mats we bought the Exped Dura 5r this past winter and have had the best outdoor sleeps of our adult lives since. Absolutely love not having that gap between to contend with, it’s like sleeping in a queen bed as opposed to two singles pushed together. It’s also lighter than two single pads, and the Exped is a top quality product. It’s our favorite camping purchase of the last five years without a doubt.
I like the duro 5r. It's pretty versatile
I’m currently using an Exped Dura 5R and it’s been great so far. Certainly feels very durable, and it’s most comfortable, lighter, and packs up smaller than my old Thermarest Prolite Plus. For the price point, it seemed like the most durable mat I could find, and it doesn’t make much noise either.





