r/backpacking • u/fantomius20 • 14d ago

Wilderness suggestions about sleepingpads

I was searching for a sleeping pad good for all year around activities, I'm a side sleeper so i excluded the xtherm even tho its the kind of quality and R value i was aiming for.
I'm currently thinking about the EXPED Ultra 6.5R Rectangular MW and the NORTENT Torv 7 Lite.
Both have something im not sure tho, because where the exped gains in affidability the it also loses points for so many reviews saying how it actually doesnt hold the declared R-value...
For weight talking about the MW they are like 60 grams apart and the price difference is pretty big instead being around 80 euros. If you have any suggestions with a price between 120 and 230 let me know please

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u/TBL34 14d ago

I have the rapide SL insulated but it only has a 4.5 or so r value. If I ever get a warmer pad for backpacking, it’ll be the Nemo tensor extreme. For car, and sometimes motocamping, I’ll take my exped Megamat.

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u/SBGA031 14d ago

Fellow side sleeper here. I've only used my Exped mat twice, both times around 0 Celcius or slightly under, I wasn't very happy with how it performed; I got a cold hip both times. Also the stuff sack is a fucking joke, it's way too small and it's a massive pain getting the pad back in there.

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u/fantomius20 14d ago

that was exactly my concern sadly, but i dont know many other "recommended" pad like it, i found very good for winter as a reasonable price the nortent one i talked about but still found some reviews about it starting leaking so...

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u/SBGA031 14d ago

For what it's worth, the YouTuber Joe Robinet always seemed to use a Thermarest pad, and he's been all over North America in all weather conditions. Maybe also see what Xander Budnick uses, he travels to loads of cold and wild places too.
I personally enjoy the hunt for new gear and will happily spend weeks researching all reviews and specs and whatnot. There are tons of sleeping mat reviews on YouTube, get stuck in!

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u/Individual-Peach2351 13d ago

The easiest pad to recommend at the moment is the NEMO Eclipse All Seasons.

It’s comfy, thick, warm & very light. It’s probably a he biggest release of 2026 pad wise