Just picked up one of these over the neoair trekker and im glad i did. This pad compacts down into almost nothing and weighs less than a pound. The material seems more durable to me and its thicker and has a higher R-value. Overall this is a great pad for any weight-conscious backpacker
So first of all this product is wicked light and small. About Nalgine bottle size and less than a pound. It blows up nice and fluffy too. Now to the downfalls, it is loud. Like my other Exped mat, it will wake you up when you move. Seriously. And after 4 uses one of the 'cells' dislodged and so one side blows up huge and makes it pretty much useless, like sleeping on a hill. I am hoping this was a flaw and my next one will be better, we will see. But for the price, it should be perfect, IMO.
I find foam pads to be too thin, and an original generation NeoAir started leaking on me in the middle of a 5-day hike in Iceland, leaving me wary of the whole line. Synmat UL7 to the rescue. Incredibly comfortable; the separate inflate/deflate valves make it a breeze to set up, and the insulation is sufficient that it's replaced my DownMat for winter camping. Brilliant. The top surface will quickly stain from skin and hair oils, if the appearance of your gear matters to you... and it shouldn't.
I love this pad! Weight is good for the comfort level and it's durable. I've got at least 50 nights on mine and never a leak. If there is one place it's worthwhile to carry a bit of extra weight, it's your sleeping pad and bag! You will never regret it in the morning...
it may be expensive, but i challenge you to find a warmer, lighter and more compact pad that is still comfortable than this one. super light weight and pretty damn thick, i recommend supplementing it with the pump pillow though. it feels slick, but i haven't had any problems so far with sliding around at all.
"Great for backpacking even in cold conditions."
06/26/11
I have used this a lot. This pad can take a beating a still keep providing comfortable bedding. I love to take this backpacking as it is super lightweight,does not take up much space, and insulated against the cold very well. I took this on a trip where the temperature dropped into the 20 degree range and I was still toasty. I love this pad