Base Mattress

Anything is better than 2 yoga mats. I hear lots of people talking about exped. I have a klymit, which is okay and not too expensive, a couple of self inflating (Coleman and zenbivy), which are better but heavier, and just got a sea to summit that I haven’t tried yet. But you don’t need a giant inflator, many come with an inflation sack or you can get a small rechargeable pump from flextail.

Additional co-sign! I'm also a rotisserie chicken sleeper who also starfishes, and my Zenbivy is my favourite piece of gear I own. I will note that I've noticed some draftiness once I get below 10 Celsius, but I'm also a larger person so the XL might have been a better purchase for me! I have a 2023 quilt so no smell, sorry OP. I am Canadian and did the "ship to a third party in the states and drive over to pick it up" shenanigans to avoid duties (pre-tarriffs) so it's REALLY out of range for most Canadians now :(

I’m 100% co-signing this review. As a rotisserie chicken sleeper who likes to be tucked in, I effing love my Zenbivy and how snuggleable it is. It really does feel like a real bed. I also recently got the Ether Light XR to pair with it! I was also considering the Zenbivy Flex, but the S2S warranty won out. I was dead set on a rectangular pad but S2S’s pricing structure is kind of nonsensical, making the large tapered cheaper than the rectangular regular/wide. The taper didn’t bother me like I thought it would since it starts past my hips, and the longer length meant I could stretch out on my stomach without my feet hanging off. I also prefer the air sprung cell construction over the vertical baffles on my previous Exped pad. I think they distribute my weight better. I do agree that it’s a bit plasticky, but my Zenbivy sheet makes that a nonissue for me.

I have that same pad and it is cold. I bought a new zen bivy pad to replace it and will just use the BA in the summer

I got the wide/long version of the Zenbivy (being long/wide myself) and it is a great mat in my opinion. It's got good thickness, flextail compatible and I really like the baffle system it has compared to others. I can also atest to it's R rating as I have had it out in negative temps on my tent floor without a footprint and not felt any cold spots.

So hear me out, I know that there are always trade offs with backpacking gear. You want ultimate comfort? You sacrifice with increased weight. But one thing that I’m finding as I get older is that I’m willing to sacrifice some weight (or money) to ensure I sleep well on the trail. I currently sleep on a zenbivy mat that’s fine but it’s 25 inches wide which is just barely wide enough for my frame and sometimes when on my back my arms fall off the mat. So I’ve started my search for a new comfy mat. Here’s my non negotiables: 3+ inch thickness or more 30 inch wide R-value of at least 4.5, ideally closer to 5 since I sleep with a quilt Does anyone have any mats they’ve used that tick all these boxes? I’ve had my eyes on the exped megamat but it’s like 2.6kg…which if I can’t find anything lighter I might just suck up and buy. Has anyone used any other thick, extra wide mats that were lighter? Looking for suggestions or ideas.

Believe it or not I do use the zenbivy setup and my arms still dangle enough that I’m uncomfortable. Not sure how. In theory it should hold my dumb arms up but I think it’s just not tight enough to do that? Not sure.

I guess I am equating thickness to comfort to some extent, and you’re correct that those two things don’t always lead to one another. I toss and turn as I sleep so I find with my current pad if I sleep on my side I end up with a sore hip. But when I’m on my back my arms flop off my mat and then turn into ice cubes and fall asleep. You may be right that I’m looking for a unicorn….but I need to change something with my setup. So I guess I’m just looking for recommendations on a max comfort pad.

I am 6’3 and 280 lbs side sleeper (done every thing to drop below that for years and even my doctor is baffled). I have had great nights on the REI Helix and this year switched to a Zenbivy system and their pad only gets a slight improvement over the REI Helix. I am sure there are more comfortable out there but for backpacking these have been great a car camping I put them on a cot and against have an awesome nights sleep.