Originally Posted by
staehpj1
Some of the inflatable pads are surprisingly comfortable. I love my Neoair Xlite. It is 2.5" thick, weighs 12 ounces, and has an R 4.2 insulation rating. I find that fine when the gound isn't frozen, but when it is really cold and the ground frozen you can combine it with your folding pad or use an Xtherm version (R 6.9). The downside is either is kind of expensive. I am less familiar with them, but there are other high end inflatable pads that are thick, light, and comfy. Some are even quite a bit cheaper.
Agree that the air mattress by itself is not good enough in winter on packed snow.
I found that a shorty thin (1 inch) Thermarest self inflating pad under the air mattress works well on packed snow. The shorty pad was from head down to below hips, but not under feet or knees.