Klymit - Insulated V Ultralite SL ™ Sleeping Pad

I upgraded and it was worth it. But the klymit served me well for a long time. Im just a restless side sleeper so nothing is perfect

Yes it's a matter of seeing what works for you. Personally - I am a side and stomach sleeper. Mummy type bags and narrow tiny pads suck. I used to use a Nemo bag with a sleeve to receive a Klymit V. This worked ok, but not great at all. I finally got fed up and too the extra weight. I now use a Big Agnes Rapide double wide and a Kelty Galactic down rectangular bag. Went on a trip last week and it was the best camping sleep I ever had.

Yup. I went from a yoga mat in my 20s to a 1” pad to a 2.5” pad and now that hit 40 I splurged for the exped mat.  For backpacking I still use the klymit

I have used an InsulMat thermo max for years. The Klymit is also really nice. You just have to be careful with blow up pads because obviously you fracture it or puncture, you get little warmth. Most are durable enough though.

Late the the conversation but I've had a Klymit V for about 4 years and use it regularly. I'm an older camper and need more padding than the thinner closed cell mats. Only one puncture in the years I've used it but easy to patch and still going strong. Only downside is that it takes time to inflate.

Glad you had success with it! I was super hyped about it from all the accounts of its comfort. Right now my “light” ground sleeping loadout is a klymit insulated paired with Nemo switchback (most comfortable combo I’ve found outside of self inflating) with tarp and bivvy. If I’m going less than 8 miles for an overnight and either the weather is extreme winter or I have a camping partner I haul my stupidly heavy mondo king pad and split the weight of the 3 man tent between us. Been leaning towards just going fully back to my hammmock but I think I’ve determined that I need an open cell/self inflating style pad to prevent hip pain on the ground.

Don't do it. Bought a cheap pad with air cells like that for my first backpacking trip, absolutely miserable sleeping experience and I have a very high tolerance to sleeping in uncomfortable situations. Laying directly on the ground was better, and whatever r rating was claimed was absolute bs. We were in a small canyon next to running water and an absolutely wicked wind storm kicked up, I froze my ass off that night, spent most of awake trying to get warm and willing the sun to come up. Second pad was a Klymit with an allegedly good r rating, same air cell style shown in the photo you attached. Did three days at 8000 feet in early March in Southwest Utah, froze my absolute ass off. I had Bought a 15 degree Big Agnes bad to match my fancy new Klymit pad in an attempt to avoid being cold again. was in a two person ultralight tent less than a foot away from one of my companions, and still woke up COLD. I'm talking laying in your bag scared to move and hit a cold spot, praying for the sun to rise, dreading going to sleep the following night cold Finally forked over the cash for a quality Thermarest Prolite Plus and I'm here to tell you for 150 bucks the difference in sleep quality but more importantly WARMTH is insane. Did three days at 9,500-10,000 feet also in Southwest Utah and slept like a baby every night. Spent a week in star valley Wyoming sleeping on a cot in a field about 15 feet away from the very cold Flat Creek with the Thermarest pad and a 15 Degree Big Agnes bag. would wake up in the morning with my bag completely iced over with frozen morning dew as well as the entire field, I was warm as could be in that bag, like I was in bed at home. Sleeping on a wack pad is something I would never wish on anybody. I would be more willing to roll the dice on my bag than my pad. If temperature isn't a concern whatsoever then go for it I guess but that air cell style is more uncomfortable than sleeping on the ground, I'd rather have a fourteen dollar foam pad than that air cell dogshit. Spend the money, sleep comfortably, enjoy your time. There are corners that can be cut to save you money, but your sleep system is absolutely not the place to do it. At best you could be uncomfortable when you're trying to recover so you can go have fun and walk a bunch with your friends, at worst your life could be in danger.

I picked up a Big Agnes Q Core Deluxe on clearance last year for $119 at Public Lands. R value of 4.3 and 25oz. It's very comfortable. At least as comfortable as my mattress at home. I upgraded from a sub $100 Klymit pad I found on Amazon that had the same R rating but was lighter, but didn't feel as warm and was much less comfortable. Still, it was adequate. Amazon has the NeoAir Xlite NXT on sale now for $179. It's am R4.5 pad that's lighter than mine. A lot of people like it. You should check for sales right after Christmas. Thermarest, Big Agnes, Nemo, Exped, and Sea to Summit make a range of good pads at various price points with different R values and weights.My wife went with a very high R Exped pad and loves it.

I second Klymit for a pad. Ours has lasted 7 years and is still going strong. For a bag, I got a steal on an REI used bag online. I’d check there first. Or, look for an outdoor gear rental place. REI is one place, but two state universities near us in Minnesota have a gear rental store open to everyone. It’s a good way to start without a huge monetary cost.

I have the Klymit and was shockingly surprised that how comfortable it was in my mid 40s on the hard ground. I even had room for an inflatable pillow because of it