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REI Lite-Core 1.5 Self-Inflating Pad

$74.50 - $89.50

(108)

Item # 778146

This item may be available in your local REI store.

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Travel light and sleep comfortably—weighing less than 2 pounds, our ultracompact pad takes up precious little space in your pack.

X-Core foam insulation is cross-cored for maximum compressibility and weight reduction
Quick-closing, high-volume airflow valve allows the pad to inflate and deflate quickly
Rugged Taslan® nylon diamond-ripstop top surface has a nonslip texture; 75-denier polyester bottom surface resists wear
Grippy silicone pattern on upper surface helps keep sleeping bag from sliding off pad
Low-volume, tapered, mummy-shape design increases efficiency and compressibility
R-Value equals 3.2
Stuff sack (included) protects pad during transport and ensures a compact parcel every time

Imported.

Item 778146

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REI Lite-Core 1.5 Self-Inflating Pad Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

REI Lite-Core 1.5 Self-Inflating Pad - Regular

3.7

(based on 108 reviews)

77%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Lightweight (85)
Comfortable (78)
Easy to inflate (72)
Packs small / compresses (60)
Non slip (41)

Cons

Difficult to inflate (12)
Slips easily (12)
Uncomfortable (12)
Leaks (10)
Punctures easily (8)

Best Uses

Backpacking (89)
Weekend trips (45)
Car camping (40)
Extended trips (39)
3 season use (19)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid adventurer (55), Casual/ recreational (41), Casual adventurer (5)
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Survivalist / minimalist (43), Comfort driven (22)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (28)

Reviewed by 108 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Jul

2009

(12 of 13 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Poor comfort for the weight

By NomadLuna

from Albuquerque, NM

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Inflate
Non Slip

Cons

Bulky Roll Up
Difficult to roll up

Best Uses

Backpacking
Weekend Trips

Comments about REI Lite-Core 1.5 Self-Inflating Pad - Regular:

I carried this pad on three backpacking trips and decided that it simply isn't worth it's weight and have decided to exchange it at REI for the Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite Regular length closed pad.

My favorite thing about the pad is that once rolled up, I could store it inside my pack - a bonus as I hate having anything outside my pack if possible. It is fairly comfortable, and I slept very warm in 37 - 45 degree temps with a 35 degree sleeping bag.

However, at 27 ounces, its really not much more comfortable than a decent closed cell foam pad suxh as the Z-Lite or Ridge Rest (both are 14 ounces). While it did fit inside my pack, the width was larger than a rolled Ridge Rest or the folding Z-Lite. Deflating it to an optimum level and ensuring the smallest size to pack it each morning was a pain (as I pack it inside, it needed to be at its smallest). Rolling it TIGHTLY, siting on it, and even sucking air out of it was required to get it to the "fresh from the store" size.

Cons: 27 ounces, time consuming to deflate and roll for packing, marginally more comfortable than lighter/simpler pads, cannot get wet, worries about punctures, sometimes having to adjust inflation level to achieve comfort.

Pros: Slightly more comfortable than a foam pad, fits inside an internal frame pack.

Overall, not a terrible pad, but I now prefer the piece of mind of having a pad that is waterproof, won't puncture, and is nearly half the weight of the Lite-Core.

Jul

2008

(11 of 18 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Good idea but NO!

By LINES

from St. Louis Mo

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact Roll Up
Lightweight

Cons

Punctures Easily
Uncomfortable

Best Uses

None

Comments about REI Lite-Core 1.5 Self-Inflating Pad - Regular:

I have used this pad maybe 6 times and its to the point it will not hold air at all. I have never used it outside a tent.

I have tested it in my bath tub and there are hundreds of little holes in the pad. It was impossible to patch in any kind of way.

Nov

2007

(9 of 11 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Comfy but UNRELIABLE

By tygerorange

from Wayland, MA

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Compact Roll Up

Cons

not durable
Punctures Easily
Slips Easily

Best Uses

Weekend Trips

Comments about REI Lite-Core 1.5 Self-Inflating Pad - Regular:

I have used this product for several dozen camping trips. After two or three trips it stopped holding air well. It also punctured easily. When it stay inflated in it quite comfortable though. It is also lightweight and compact. However, those things mean nothing if it has holes in it and doesn't stay inflated.

Jul

2008

(8 of 9 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Sleeping on the ground

By TimBootz

from Bothell, WA

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Punctures Easily

Best Uses

Extended Trips

Comments about REI Lite-Core 1.5 Self-Inflating Pad - Regular:

I choose to take this pad on a 73 day solo cycle trip throught the yukon territory. A mistake. The pad failed at the value 7 days into the trip and was unrepairable. There are sharp corners on the side of the valve that cause the fabric to tear after closing the valve. I slept on the ground for 50 more days before I reached civilization and was able to buy a closed cell foam matt. Cycling 60 miles a day I was looking foward to the comforts I thought this item would afford as well as the insulation from the tundra ground. Untill the valve is redesigned I cannot recomend this item. Since then I only use closed cell pads.

Dec

2008

(7 of 7 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

I would suggest this to all my friends!

By SarahMaze

from Covington, KY

About Me Casual Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Compact Roll Up
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Weekend Trips

Comments about REI Lite-Core 1.5 Self-Inflating Pad - Regular:

I originally bought the short sleeping pad and found that my feet were always cold so I bumped up to the regular size. It's great! It's practically the same size as the small when it's rolled up but provides a lot more comfort.

Dec

2008

(6 of 6 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Sleeps Great

By IrnGynt

from Northern Virginia

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Compact Roll Up
Durable Design
Easy To Inflate
Lightweight
Non Slip

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Weekend Trips

Comments about REI Lite-Core 1.5 Self-Inflating Pad - Regular:

I've tried a few different mats and this one beats them all hands down. Sleeps almost as good as my bed. Extremely supportive and comfortable.

Aug

2008

(6 of 8 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

NO GOOD

By geoffallen50

from Atlanta, GA

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Compact Roll Up
Lightweight

Cons

Punctures Easily
Won't hold air

Best Uses

Comments about REI Lite-Core 1.5 Self-Inflating Pad - Regular:

Don't buy this product. Bought two of these for a 3 month motorcycle adventure. Girlfriends worked for the first month then stopped holding air. Mine survived for two months, then same problem. Reading other reviews it seems as if this is a common problem. The leaks were mainly around the valve and unrepairable with the supplied kit. Pay the extra dollars for a thermarest.

Nov

2011

(5 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Disappointing: Watch Out for the Valve

By PhinehasK

from St. Louis, MO

About Me Professional/Guide

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Inflate
Non Slip
Warm

Cons

Faulty valve
Leaks

Best Uses

3 Season Camping
Backpacking

Comments about REI Lite-Core 1.5 Self-Inflating Pad - Regular:

This past summer my old self-inflating Therm-a-Rest started wearing out so I was in the market to buy a new sleeping pad. When a friend offered me his unused Lite-Core 1.5 for a price much cheaper than retail I was pretty happy... I just got pack from my first backpacking trip using it; let's just say that I'm very glad that I didn't pay full-price.

When I laid down on it the first time that I used it, I heard the dreadful sound of my good-night's rest slowly leaking out of the pad near the top. I was so bummed. At first I thought that it was a hole but after examining it more I found that the valve was the issue--it wouldn't stay closed. As a result the pad was almost entirely deflated for the whole night.

At first the large, shiny, spring-loaded valve seemed to be pretty nifty. The more that I thought about it, however, the more it seemed to be a really foolish idea. Having non-necessary mechanical parts is just begging for trouble... The valve is also placed in an odd spot; it isn't at the very top corner of the pad due to the tapering design, so when you roll it up it's unnecessarily inconvenient to get the last bit of air out of the section of the pad that is above the nozzle. Overall the valve is just poorly designed and prone to issue.

The pad is not entirely frustrating, however. Contrary to many other reviews I really had no problem with sliding (either between the pad and my tarp or my sleeping bag and the pad) and I was sleeping on about a 10 degree incline. I also had no problems with inflating or packing it (except for the valve placement), but I can only really compare it to Therm-a-Rests. This sleeping pad is definitely not the most compact or lightweight pad out there, but for it's price range I think that it's more than reasonable.

This is what I was most pleased with about the pad, and the only reason that it didn't get one star: even though the pad was mostly deflated, it was still surprisingly warm and not terribly uncomfortable in early-November, near-freezing temperatures (although the fact that I was on very thick grass most likely contributed to that). I could maybe see it being used without problem as a four-season pad, but I'm not totally sure because I haven't experienced a night with freezing temperatures or a fully-inflated pad (it's also worth noting that I'm a warm sleeper).

Overall, it's not a terrible pad but there's really no excuse to have such a poor valve mechanism. I think I'll end up keeping it and just try to tape it shut or something every time that I use it. When I get the chance though, I think I'll sacrifice the cash and buy an Exped SynMat UL 7--I recommend that anyone who's considering the REI Lite-Core 1.5 should just skip it do the same. Even though it's more expensive, money spent on high-quality outdoor products is almost always worth it.

Aug

2009

(5 of 6 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Good Not Perfect

By JimDoss

from Tecate, CA

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact Roll Up
Lightweight
Non Slip

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Extended Trips
Weekend Trips

Comments about REI Lite-Core 1.5 Self-Inflating Pad - Regular:

I purchased this pad to replace a BA pad that I thought was going to be comfy. At over 2.5 inches thick, it seemed promising, but fell short.

Anyway, as I've gotten older, I've been trying to lighten my loads, and while this isn't the lightest pad out there, at 27 ounces, it's far from heavy.

I recently used this pad on a Zion National Park Narrows Top Down hike. I found it easy to unroll and to inflate. Just unfold, open the valve, and throw it in the tent for a while. Come back later, add a few puffs of air and you are ready to go.

I was concerned that with the pad being only 1.5 inches thick I was going to bottom out and feel the ground. Didn't happen. I sleep both on my side and back, and was comfortable in both positions. The grippy silicon on the pad kept me in place all night.

The following morning I opened the valve before getting up, letting my bodyweight force most of the air out of the pad. Getting all the air out of the pad wasn't too difficult, something I found impossible with the BA pad. Still, it took two tries before getting it flat enough to go back into its stuff sack. But to be fair, the Thermo pad I use for car camping takes the same.

I'm not sure how this pad will hold up, especially considering the centerline fold. I'm considering purchasing a long stuff sack so I can roll it up without folding it. It will no longer fit inside my 65 liter backpack, but I think it's add life to the pad.

All-in-all the REI Lite-Core 1.5 self-inflating pad does what it was designed for, landing if firmly in the middle of the rating system, with no big flaws or extras.

Oct

2008

(4 of 7 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Great light weight pad

By YHWH1

from Arlington, TX

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Compact Roll Up
Durable Design
Easy To Inflate
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Extended Trips

Comments about REI Lite-Core 1.5 Self-Inflating Pad - Regular:

I am mostly comfort driven but when i go deep to a camp site and weight is an issue i use this pad.

Great pad, pretty comfortable and easy to roll up and carry.

A+