Winter Sleeping pad choice?

[Heavy Duty]

What's your sleeping pad of choice when sleeping on the ground/snow? I've had good luck so far with my Thermarest Mondo King XXL but that thing is huge. I believe it's an R value of 11.4 and I have no issues being cold at night.

[SideshowRaheem]

I bought a Exped Downmat 7 . It has an R value of 5.8 on its own, but in deep winter I pair it with a Thermarest Zlite that gets the setup to about R8. Thats worked for me down to -20F with a good bag. I also like that setup because it packs down small and I can use the Thermarest around camp as a sitpad, platform, etc.

[Lonelake]

I also use Exped for my sleep systems. I have a Downmat 9 and a Synmat 7. The Synmat was cheaper, packs smaller, and is lighter weight. I notice no difference in warmth over the Downmat9. I also use a zrest condensed foam pad underneath. I been comfortable down to -35f.

LL

[Hamingredient]

I've used a Ridgerest under a regular Thermarest in the past, but I bought a Downmat 9 for next season. I'll probably still use the Ridgerest underneath, but I am super excited about the extra width of the LW size that I got! I've slept on 20" wide mats for years and I am fed up with 'em. I just don't understand why they even make the darn things... who can even use them?! I am not a big dude but the 20" are too dang narrow, even for me! The extra weight of a 25" mat will totally be worth it.

[Mike Bechard]

Downmat 9 for me, too. I made a slip cover for it that has army wool blanket material on top and lightweight ripstop on the bottom. We also use reflectix as a tent floor.

[Ray1984]

I use a ridgerest under my prolite 4. Its over kill but comfortable.

[empirecanvas]

Exped Downmat L9 with Thermarest. I did use a Synmat with the Ridgerest on top if it. That was surprisingly effective.

[kiggy]

I am happy with mondo king

[Undersky]

I agree, Kiggy.
A Mondo King has given me two winters of fantastic winter sleeps - crazy warm, and so soft!
It self-inflates if warm, and given 20 minutes.
Usually I set it on its side behind me while making supper, or whatever.
Next time I think about it it's full - just lovely!
At some point it will fail, no doubt, but a patch kit lives in the repair kit.
It is pretty large and a bit heavy, too, for pulling on a sled, but I can live with that weight and size for many of the trips I feel lucky to go on.
Interesting extra: deflate it a bit in the morning, close up the valve again, fold it into three or four layers, and you have a warm soft seat! (just have to stay aware that it'll stretch itself out again as soon as you stand up

[snapper]

My usual choice for the winter is a RidgeRest "Z-lite" (one of those folding sectional pads) under my Therma-Rest "Pro-lite 4" pad. I'm a warm sleeper so this works well for me even in below 0 F temperatures.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

[DanCooke]

ExPed Downmat 9 deluxe with 1/2" closed cell pad under that. Never been cold

[Bothwell Voyageur]

Been very happy with the Thermarest XTherm. I usually put a foam pad underneath, just for back up, in case of punctures, but it has always been fine. I sometimes wish I had bought the long wide, but I'm mostly a side sleeper so it's not usually an issue. For back sleeping I roll up my pants and jacket and lay them either side of the pad, gives my arms somewhere to rest if the fall off the pad.

[brianw]

What's your sleeping pad of choice when sleeping on the ground/snow? I've had good luck so far with my Thermarest Mondo King XXL but that thing is huge. I believe it's an R value of 11.4 and I have no issues being cold at night.

I have an older (actually 2) Mec Reactor 10 self inflating sleeping pad. It's 30"x78"x4" thick and has an R value of 6.3. It works well. I usually have a heavy duty 5'x7' emergency blanket/tarp that I will place under it. I found the pair used on a local online classified website., but Mountain Equipment Co-op sells a new version of the same sleeping pad. It's bulky and heavy, but so is everything else in winter camping.

Cheers

Brian

[brulu]

I don't trust inflatable pads in the winter, so I use three closed-cell pads. One is slit in two places length-wise (near each side) so that it folds into my Emsco sled with everything else packed on top, between the folded-up sides. Another is rolled loosely into a giant stuff sack (with room to stuff my tent and sleeping bag in the center) which goes in the rear of the sled. The first two are both 5/8" thick I think. The other is a Z-Lite folding pad like snapper described which I attach to a small backpack.

[Winterlover]

Thermarest X-therm long/wide, with Z-lite folding pad underneath. Works great and very warm and comfortable. I've used this down to -10 with no problems. I'm sure it would go lower than that. Very lite and easy to inflate.

[Optifron]

I’m another one in downmat 9 + Thermarest Zlite underneath. I upgraded to that after trying my standard summer 3/4 length Thermarest pro lite (which is about 15 years old and less insulating than it once was) + square of foam pad at my feet. That setup wasn’t actually bad around 0F in a cold tent, but I decided the sled can accommodate something a bit bulkier for more comfort. As stated above, the downmat 9 is probably overkill, but it is a damn comfortable sleep!