Hikenture - Insulated Camping Mat with Pump Sack

I had the opportunity to A-B-C test three of the more affordable cold-weather sleeping pads on the market and had some interesting results. All three pads use reflective insulation suspended inside of the pads. Here are the specs: Naturehike 8.8 (long/wide rectangular) * r-value 8.8 * $115 USD * 657g /23oz (pad only on my scale) Light Tour 7.5 (reg/wide mummy) * r-value 7.5 * $95 * 560g /20oz Hikenture 6.2 (reg/wide mummy) * r-value 6.2 * $80 * 620g / 22oz I was on frozen dirt ground with a thin layer of snow on top. Temperatures stayed at -12C / 10.4F for the duration of the testing and overnight. I used a Thermarest Polar Ranger sleeping bag and was wearing thin polyester base layers, Alpha 90 leggings, crewneck, and socks. For the majority of the testing, I was laying on my back but shifted to my side occasionally during the overnight testing. I started by laying on each pad for 30min and an hour. Overnight, I started on the Naturehike for 2 hours and then switched to the Light Tour for most of the night. I spent the an extra hour in the morning on the Naturehike. None of the pads were as warm as I would expect for their r-values. The Light Tour kept me comfortable but not warm while both the Hikenture and Naturehike slept cold. The Naturehike was the least warm overall. The Naturehike was very comfortable though. While reliability is still a question mark for these pads, I think they are interesting pads if you completely ignore the advertised r-value. For the weights and prices, they could still be compelling options.

I think it comes down to convective heat loss. It's the reason Neoairs haven't been touched for warmth to weight and why Exped pads are doing quite well for warmth these days. My test for convective heat loss potential is to see how fast a pad deflates. Deflation speed gives an approximation of how much air movement resistance there is in the pad. The Xtherm is kind of annoying to deflate while all three of these pads deflated very easily. For comfort, the Light Tour and Hikenture were about on par with the Tensors. The dimples on the Light Tour are pretty shallow, so not as much pressure relief as with the Helix. The Naturehike was quite comfortable due to the thickness and it kind of felt like it had some stretch to it. I'm excited to get the Naturehike out in temps around freezing and test the comfort more. I didn't notice noise, but I am not that sensitive to pad noise.

I thought about including estimated r-value in the post, but decided not to because of how many caveates I'd have to include. But I'll drop some thoughts down here. Based on this one test so far and benchmarked against Thermarest Neoairs, I'd say the Light Tour is in the mid to high 5s, the Hikenture is in the high 4s and the Naturehike is in the low 4s. I'm most confident in the Light Tour and Hikenture estimates because I kind of hit the limit of the Light Tour and have tested the Hikenture a few times before. The Naturehke is much more of a guess.

For budget 4 season AND ATSM tested, Justin Outdoors reviewed the Hikenture sleeping pad: HIKENTURE Sleeping Pad, 6.2 R-Value Insulated Camping Mat with Pump Sack, Ultralight Inflatable Sleeping Mat, Portable Self Inflating Sleeping Pad for Camping Backpacking Hiking(186L x 64W) https://a.co/d/cEha9rX I have used this pad in the winter months in Northwestern Ontario, I definitely prefer it over the non-ATSM tested Klymit pads (though they are slowly seeing an ATSM rating now). Slept great @ -20C. For 3 season use, Klymit isn't _bad_. My kid sleeps on it when she comes out for a Thanksgiving campout in October. We use this paired with a CCF pad, but in summer, no CCF pad needed. Klymit Insulated Static V Sleeping Pad - Recon 2020 https://a.co/d/3uR6dNx If you are wondering why I mentioned about klymit and the ATSM ratings, google/search Reddit "Klymit ATSM" and you will understand why.

I have a couple exped mats and knock offs like Hikenture and Qomotop. They are not phony in the sense that the insulation ratings are way off. I camped in freezing temps for the last 5 years and am very toasty on every trip. I can't tell the difference in insulation properties between the brands. Only difference is the Exped breaks down much smaller than the knock offs.

If you consider Exped, please take a look at the cheaper brands on Amazon. For some unknown reason Reddit is obsessed with the overly priced Exped. I have an Exped for my RTT, and two cheaper brands for my cars. They are identical in material and comfort. Hikenture and Lost Horizon, 50%+ cheaper than Exped.

Buy the hikenture or naturehike Pads for like 60-80€