Aquakitty

What mat do you use for long tours and why?

Comfort in sleeping is a big deal to me on a tour, I think many would agree a bad sleep makes for a miserable tour.

So when I went to buy my mat I did a lot of research on what would be the best comfort-wise. With bike touring one can afford a bit of extra weight in exchange for comfort.

I came up with the Exped Synmat 9 DLX.

Pros:

• Integrated pump
• 9cm of air to cushion your tush
• Adjustable (sort of)
• Warm
• Big

Cons:

• Integrated Pump - Pumping day after day gets very tedious.
• Squeezing the air out of the thing day after day is tedious.
• I don't know if it has a seal problem but both of my mats have very slow leaks. It comes with a patch kit but I can't find a hole, even when dunking it in water. So, you can wake up on the tent floor.
• The adjustability is negligible when you are laying on it as the pump is on the opposite side, same issue if you need to inflate it in the night in a cramped tent.
• My model is fairly bulky.

Can I obtain this level of comfort, or at least close, with a mat that is less of a pain in the ass? I am considering just getting a moulded closed cell foam pad, no hassle just pop it out and lay on the thing, then roll it up the next day.

Gonna go to a shop and try some out but what do you use?

seeker333

Foam pads don't provide so much padding or insulation for comfort.

In the 70s, we used a closed cell foam called Ensolite for sleeping pads. It greatly fell out of favor a few years after the introduction of Thermarest pads - more comfortable, insulated better, smaller, lighter weight. The current "air mattresses" allows one to match the insulating and comfort (somewhat debatable, depends on user) of Thermarest pads in an even lighter, more compact pad. You have to do a little work to achieve these benefits (10-20 lungs full of air).

I suggest you try a self-inflating Thermarest type pad, but I really can't recommend foam pads, as it's too much of a step backwards in comfort. The only people who use them (z-rest type) much any more are ultralight backpackers trying to cover 20 miles a day, or more.

I own all of these types of pads and my favorite when weight/size is not much of an issue (bike touring) is a thick, wide Thermarest, and an air mattress (Big Agnes air core) when weight/size is an issue (multi-night backpacking).

EriktheFish

How much do you want for your Exped mats? I'll buy 'em. My family and I rode for over 4 months on Exped Synmat's and found them to be the most comfortable, easiest to inflate, and most reliable mats compared to any others.

msviolin57

I bought a Big Agnes pad for my bike trip last summer. It's small, fairly easy to inflate, and relatively comfortable. I'd recommend it!

https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/De...sulatedAirCore

Doug64

The Therm-a-rest Pro Lite4 or Plus work well for us. We use them for winter camping,backpacking, and bike touring.

https://www.rei.com/product/829822/th...s-sleeping-pad

fietsbob

Sleep comfortably on your back and the thinner pad may be fine..

I got a down filled Air mattress part of a Warmlight by Stevenson bag system
thick pad was great , except that atmospheric moisture got in right at dew point..
and the mildew had a deleterious effect on the airtight coating.. ..

have to get another one of their D.A.M's

Cyclebum

The Thermarest Neoair is the most comfortable mat out there IMO. Packs tight and light. But it does take a lot of lung power to inflate, like about 30 big puffs and 3 minutes, depending on your capacity for such. But what's 3-4 minutes for a great night's sleep? Deflates easily, and is deep enough to be adjustable.

Next is the T. Prolite 4. Much easier to inflate, light, insulated, but not as deep, and bulkier than the Neoair.

Erick L

The only mats that come close are the Big Agnes Air Core and Thermarest Neoair, or a smaller Exped. They're all thick enough that you wouldn't feel a difference. I had a Big Agnes and now have a Exped 7 DLX and I'd say inflating is a different pain, though I haven't used the Exped day after day yet. inflating the BA is a little more zen since you blow air from your lungs, and you might get a little high, or rather dizzy if you do it fast. I don't see much difference deflating the Big Agnes. Mine was often getting softer overnight and felt like a pool matress, then it developed a leak so I returned it for a Thermaret Prolite 4. The self-inflating mat is easier to deal with but nowhere near as comfortable, especially if you're a side sleeper.

My ideal mat would be an wide Exped but regular length, with 7cm side baffles to accomodate the pump and 5 or 6cm baffles in the middle so it would be easier to inflate.

Aquakitty

I kind of wish I had the lower end Exped so I could use the pillow pump with it. The integrated pump is great at first but I personally find it tedious. There is not doubt though that the mat is very comfortable.


Gonna go give those a test drive at a store tomorrow.

I'll send you a PM. Not completely sure I am selling them yet but I should know in the next few days. Did you use the integrated pump versions? I could just be lazy...

Yea I am a hardcore stomach sleeper. I wish I could train myself to back sleep but every time I try I wake up thinking I am in another dimension.



Hmm thanks, something to look into, I will try those other options. The pump option I think is the way to go with the Expeds rather than the integrated pump.

Aushiker

I use an Exped Synmat UL 7. I find it very comfortable which is the winner for me. It also deflates easily and packs away very small. My only negative is I find blowing it up a bit tough so have now got an Exped pillow pump to try out.



Andrew

MichaelW

I used a 3/4 length thermarest style self inflating mat by Vango. It needs a few puffs of air to get fully inflated and is OK but it has developed a slow leak. On a long tour I took this mat and a 1/3 length of closed cell foam. The closed cell gets rougher treatment, as a sit-mat for cooking.

Aquakitty

That's about a quarter/half of the thickness of my 9 DLX. That looks like a stock photo though, do you actually get it to roll that small?

The only way I can get my Exped 9's to fold as small as from the factory is to use suction: for instance, a central vacuum works great. Kinda hard to find in the wild though.

With my mat one has to fold it over, use the body weight, fold it again, use body weight, then roll it to the end, then unroll it and roll it a final time to get it reasonably compact.

Booger1

I like Expeds Synmat UL 7 also.I use the pillow pump,beats the alternative and it's a pillow.....sort of.I made a little cover for it and it's OK for comfort....better than nothing or lumpy stuff sacks crammed with junk.

If you look on the web,you'll find vids of peoples Synmats with hundreds of microscopic pinholes in them.I think they had a bad batch or something at one time.I'm not sure if Exped is doing something about them or not but I'm sure they are aware of the problem.You might want to talk to them and see what they say.....They are a nice company to deal with,they may just replace it........worth a shot.

I don't have any problems getting the mat back into the stuff bag it comes in.....just fold in in 3rds,roll it up,lean on it a couple times,done.

Aquakitty

Hmm never thought of that, I will look into it, it has been a couple years though.

egear

Themarest here as well. The long model. It's getting old but it dosn't leak and self inflates in an hour or so. Can't be beat.

scrapser

Thermarest for me too. I have a full length self inflating pad. It packs tight and is quick to inflate.

antokelly

exped 7 pillow pump mat is class .

EriktheFish

We went with the Exped synmats that don't have a built in pump and use the Exped Mini Pump. Works great!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irLE5QlhPsg

MassiveD

Part of the solution may be how you sleep at home. I sleep on an extremely firm mattress, and as a result I never feel uncomfortable when I get out on the turf. It would be pretty tough to replace your home experience if it s 10 inches of space foam.

Another aspect is whether you are sleeping all the time on hard packed campsites, or worse still elevated platforms in parks, or do you sleep stealth wise on undisturbed sites that are cushy to start with.

I use a 2/3rd length 9mm foam mattress and am always comfortable. However, I am moving to a quilt/tarp, and as a result will not have a sleeping bag under me the whole way. I am considering another system I read about which is a shorty thermarest with 6mm foam attatched to it for the legs. Small to pack, and a reasonable compromise. I don't really like inflatable mattresses, but I think the newer Thermarests are probably less slippery.

MassiveD

Winter is a classic example of a condition where foam is ideal, the snow is already really comfortable, the mattress is just there for insulation, and closed cell is great for that. If you did find thin ground, with rocks, the closed cell foam is much more positive insulation.

MassiveD

Couldn`t find the recommended shorty Thermarest, They have a lot of different full length ones. So scratch that idea.

Aquakitty

So I went to a shop today and tried a bunch. Turns out I am not that picky, at least on the flat floor of the shop I much preferred the feel of the Therm-a-rests over the Exped. There were no closed-cell or Big Agnes to try out though.

Maybe I am just not an inflatable lover. I recall when I first moved fron home my bed was a giant queen size inflatable "camping" matress. I hated it. Inflatables just don't seem to cushion like the open cell foam mix of the self inflating mats.

Hard to tell just from the brief trials but it's better than no testing.

Personally I don't think I need a "super" mat any more. The Synmat 9 is certainly a "super" mat....the most comfort you can get for the price and weight. Other cheap mats 9cm thick are only suitable for car camping.

Couple more questions:

1) Does it really take an hour to inflate the Therm-a-rests? That seems a little long. The Expeds inflate in a few mins of pumping. I assume you hurry it along by manually blowing it up... but I once was told that mouth breathing into a Therm-a-rest can cause mould.

2) How long does it really take to deflate a Therm-a-rest and does it pack easily (I am going to find some vids but might as well ask.)

The guy at the shop could not give me an answer on the speed of the mats as he only uses his in stretches. Only backpackers and bike tourists can appreciate what I am talking about. I just want to cut down on the day to day annoyances as much as possible .

Erick L

1) Not really. You open the valve and unroll it. Leave it there while u do other things and add a few puffs later.

2) It deflates as you roll it. You might say it's instantanious. The 1.5 inch packs about the same as an inflating mat (barely fatter), depending on length and width. If you go for a 2 inch or more, it takes more room because they don't fold in half length wise.

mvanderk

I use the big Agnes and inflate it with a small lightweight (2.3oz including batteries) battery pump designed for inflating air mattresses. It works with most other inflatable mattresses also. I have to agree that sometimes after a hard long day of hiking or touring, inflating your sleep mattress is a pain. Pump is made by camp-tek.



https://www.camp-tek.com/media-video.html

fuzz2050

Am I the only person who still likes closed cell foam? I like a firmer bed to begin with, but I haven't found much of a difference between a 10 ounce, $30 dollar closed cell foam pad and a 24 ounce, $100 inflatable mattress. I'll grant that the Neo-Air is both fantastically comfortable and light, but it's priced to match.

Closed cell foam is light, cheap and durable; isn't that the gear triple crown? Then again, I sleep poorly no matter where I am, so I don't feel much of a comfort difference.