SynMat 7

I carry this type of pad for added cushion and as a backup for a possible failure of my main Exped Synmat 7. I would not use something like this alone because I would feel the hard ground and not sleep. Add the few pounds and get an inflatable and sleep like a baby.

I’m not your size, but I do have a really hard time sleeping on the really small pads that people seem to love. Exped sleeping pads are the only thing I’ve found that I can sleep well on, and I happily carry them knowing there are lighter pads out there. For reference, I’m an athletic 5’9” 190 and my Exped SynMat is a Regular length, but “Wide” version. It takes up most of the floor space in my Nemo Dragonfly 2p.

I have an Exped as well as the bestway one often mentioned here and the zen bivvy one, and the exped is the comfiest and warmest hands down. However I can’t remember which one it is exactly (it’s an old model, now deprecated, but 7 cm deep). Also has by far the best inflation system.

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’ve been using a similar set up for years now. Robens z mat, Exped Synmat and a Criterion sleeping bag. Haven’t had an uncomfortably cold night yet and I tend to camp in autumn and winter.