Yeah 8 is pretty crazy, I have an exped 7R and sleep with it literally on top of snow with no problems. Slept in -20°C a few weeks ago and the pad was fine but my bag wasn’t warm enough
I had a thermarest x-lite, an uberlite, a sea to summit, and then I got an Exped. I love my Exped. I love the wide version. I had no idea how much better a rectangle is. I bought a 7R for winter and a 3R for the other seasons and I will sing its praises all day.
This may not help in the short term, but I highly recommend looking into hammock camping. I genuinely prefer it to my bed at home.
I also have a 3” exped mattress that I find very comfortable as well, although I would prefer the thicker model.
You are off to a great start and almost anything you need is gonna just depend on your activity.
It doesn’t look like you have a sleeping pad. I would highly recommend a thick self inflating type, like an exped, if you are car camping. If you are interested in backpacking, you could get a more compact style, but I find the self inflators pretty bombproof and very comfortable.
I sleep better in my hammock than I do at home, but that is gonna require a tarp, hammock, and under quilt; all of which can be pretty expensive.
I've had great success with Thermarest, REI, and Exped self inflating mattresses. All have good customer support too. I wouldn't ever bother with an all air mattress. Poor insulation, rotten in cold.
Get a FlexTail pump.
I tried long term sleeping on an Exped. They're a seif inflating pad.
It did not last a full year. The fabric in those is glued to the foam, and as it turns out tossing and turning can eventually break that bond, and the fabric blister.
Yes. They were going to honor the warranty, but it was less than a year so just easier to drop it at REI where I bought it and get a refund. Definite bummer; great mattress even at home. If they ever do a long lasting home version I'll be all over it...literally. :)
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