Exped Ultra all the way. I have the 5R, mummy, and it is perfect for a side (and rotisserie) sleeper. (I do not find the mummy shape a barrier to comfort and it’s a lot lighter than the rectangular model.) Big Agnes’s Rapide is also very comfortable — I have the Q-Core SLX, the Rapide’s predecessor — but it’s true that it feels colder than the R-value would suggest. The Exped in my experience feels accurately rated.
I use my little foam sit pad as a knee pillow, and be sure you have a high enough pillow, too. I slept comfortably this way for three months on my Southern Alps traverse.
I’ve slept well — like *well* — in the backcountry for the first time this summer thanks to the StS Etherlight XR mummy. (No experience with the prior etherlight, which I think some might be commenting on.) It’s absolutely worth the few extra oz to me, and the packed size is still fairly small.
I previously was using the NeoAir, and it’s just no contest. I don’t slide off the StS, and I can sleep on my side. I will start to feel the pressure on my hip and have to change position occasionally, but probably don’t end up doing that much more than when I’m at home.
I’d thought about buying the wide version because my arms always slid off and were uncomfortable with the NeoAir. I went with the regular width mummy StS and have had no problems with any body parts sliding off. :)
Thought about the Nemo Tensor(s) real hard the last few years but never purchased one due to the reported leakage potential even with occasional use.
I haven’t tried the BA. I tried the regular (non-mummy) exped 5R last summer car camping. It has raised side baffles (similar approach to BA), and I found it more comfortable than the neoair. So I bought the exped 5R mummy this summer for backpacking.
1. It’s a very aggressive taper on the mummy. (Whereas the ether XR is relaxed.) 2. Its packed size was significantly larger than the neoair, and I couldn’t actually fit it into my pack in the spot that works best. Luckily I then saw that the Ether was a new version and returned the exped mummy, got the StS. The StS is more comfortable than the 5R rectangle, and I’ll probably use it for car camping too in the future.
The Exped pads are on a massive sale right now. A lot of them are out of stock but the Mummy 5R is in stock. TBH, at the current sale price, it’s probably the best deal you can get on a decent pad. I think it’s comfy enough but every air pad I’ve ever laid on has felt relatively the same to me. Some people have different experiences.
https://www.expedusa.com/products/ultra-5r-mummy
I now realize that this sale may be USA-specific. I can only access the USA shop. I’m not talking about the Holiday Sale for 25% off, the pad I bought was a lot closer to 50% off. Not sure if it’s available at that price in other places, though.
_DorothyZbornak_
