REI Co-op - Flash Insulated Air Sleeping Pad

At Philmont, even in summer, you’re going to be dealing with elevation, cold ground and nights that can dip into the 30s. In those conditions, an R-value around 4.0 or higher is a safe target if you want consistent and comfortable sleep yk. A tent doesn’t provide insulation on its own so your pad is doing almost all the work underneath you. That’s why an insulated air pad makes a lot more sense than an uninsulated one for this use case…I’d recommend: - the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm (regular or MAX) OR - the Big Agnes Insulated Air Core Ultra If you’re on a tighter budget, the REI Flash Insulated would probably be better. There are these [ultralight sleeping pads](https://alaskanarrows.com/5-best-ultralight-sleeping-pads-for-backpacking/) that you can also look into

Pads with these types of thermal welds to make small "pillows" are notorious for peeling the welds apart causing leaks. An old example is REI Flash pads: [https://i.imgur.com/imj5JYy.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/imj5JYy.jpg)

Glad you made it and are camping now! I’m also a kayak camper, and I broke my back in a 30 foot fall while backpacking as a teenager. I am now able to use backpacking sleeping mats like the REI Flash, but this one looks interesting if you had big enough hatches (or were willing to put it in a dry bag bungeed to your deck): https://www.rei.com/product/233662/nrs-snooze-pad-3-sleeping-pad?color=BLUE

I went from an OK REI inflatable to a NEMO tensor and then a Sea to Summit Etherlite XT. The waffle-looking baffles on the two latter pads were a huge improvement in comfort. I think the Etherlite is slightly more comfortable but I switched mostly for durability reasons. 3+ inch thick pad with the waffle pattern is the way to go in my book. Back feels better in the morning and I wake up way less often because some body part fell asleep.

That’s what I use too but I put an inflatable sleep pad from REI on top. It’s due to fail as it’s at least 10 years old but the memory foam will save the day.