Exped

Ultra Series

TL;DR: Lightweight side-sleeper comfort, but a bit pricey and bulky.

Overall

#2 in

Sleeping Pads

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Sentiment score87% positive
85
8
5

Top Pros

Top Cons

Last updated: Sep 21, 2026

Reddit Reviews

Reddit Icon3greezy
4 months ago

Have the same and love it. Most comfortable pad I’ve owned

Reddit IconAdeptNebula
8 months ago

I’d get the 3R and supplement with a CCF pad for the occasional sub freezing trips. That’s my personal setup.

12 months ago

Exped Ultra is comfortable and ultralight. Pretty affordable, too. Give it a try

Reddit IconAfter_Pitch5991
3 months ago

Exped ultra 3r and 5r. My lower back is bad, two blown out disc's in the same spot I have stenosis.

3 months ago

Exped ultra 3r and 5r. My lower back is bad, two blown out disc's in the same spot I have stenosis.

Reddit IconAgerak
8 months ago

That bag will not hold up, it’s a rectangular and won’t seal well and temps are below what it’s rated for. Even with layers and extra blankets it’ll be an uncomfortable at best night. The pads are also borderline and I’d recommend a couple more Rs to get to a better insulation value. You can either upgrade one of the pads (maybe a 5R Exped) or add another pad to your setup. I don’t like stacking too many pads as they tend to slide and you lose insulation. Tie wrapping them together can help.

4 months ago

Exped Dura is solid as a rock and makes some very warm options at 5R and 8R. It is a bit heavier but also a much thicker denier of fabric. The Ultra series is a lighter version with thinner, more standard denier of material.

9 months ago

Exped is good, several models depending on what kind of camping. For reference I’m 6’ 330lbs. MegaMat/DeepSleep used for car camping. Dura used for backpacking. You may also be able to use furniture foam which would be cheaper and can be cut to different sizes.

Reddit IconAhrithul
11 months ago

I've got an Exped 5R in a long/wide size. It's listed as 77.6" x 25.6" x 3". I had a 7R a couple of years ago in the same size. It was a 3.5" thick mattress though. Honestly they've been some of the comfiest sleeping pads I've owned. I'm pretty much the same size as you are as well. I'm 6'2" and 215. I've never found the size of the pad to be too short or narrow. And I toss and turn like I'm clothes in a dryer. There's plenty of thickness to keep you from sinking in even if you're a side sleeper. The only downside to the pad is it's packed size. Which is bulkier than the traditional suggested sleeping pads, but it's really not that bad for what you get. Also I just looked at the Megamat. The 5R has a higher r-value, is still 3" vs 4", but that megamat packed size isn't worth the extra space at all in my opinion. I think the bulk of the megamat will cause more problems than it solves in the long run.

11 months ago

I've got an Exped 5R in a long/wide size. It's listed as 77.6" x 25.6" x 3". I had a 7R a couple of years ago in the same size. It was a 3.5" thick mattress though. Honestly they've been some of the comfiest sleeping pads I've owned. I'm pretty much the same size as you are as well. I'm 6'2" and 215. I've never found the size of the pad to be too short or narrow. And I toss and turn like I'm clothes in a dryer. There's plenty of thickness to keep you from sinking in even if you're a side sleeper. The only downside to the pad is it's packed size. Which is bulkier than the traditional suggested sleeping pads, but it's really not that bad for what you get. Also I just looked at the Megamat. The 5R has a higher r-value, is still 3" vs 4", but that megamat packed size isn't worth the extra space at all in my opinion. I think the bulk of the megamat will cause more problems than it solves in the long run.

Reddit Iconartdecodisaster
9 months ago

Yes, I could feel the cold coming through the XR with the ccf under it. I’d never had that issue with my 3R Exped, in fact, I have taken that down to 32°f with no ccf under it and never felt the cold. They have different insulation types, but I didn’t think that would matter based on the R ratings. The XR is more comfortable though, so I’ll probably keep it for warmer temps.

4 months ago

Exped Megamat Ultra. It’s all air, no foam, and has synthetic insulation. It does have vertical baffles like the BA Divide, but the top fabric is stretchy and I don’t notice them. The downside is that it’s about 2lbs. I’ll add that my previous pad was an Exped Ultra, and the verticals baffles on that were not particularly comfortable. The Megamat Ultra feels completely different. It also doesn’t have the “side rail” cradle shape that the regular Ultra has, so it is a flat surface.

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Rankings by Use Case

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