Exped SynMat UL 7 Air Pad

Comments about Exped SynMat UL 7 Air Pad:

My list of sleep pads used include Pacific Outdoors Insul Mat, Big Agnes Insulated core mat, Neoair mat, and now the Synmat UL 7 by Exped. Of all the mats I've used, the Synmat UL 7 is the most comfortable, quiet, easy to inflate, and almost the lightest. It weighs 1 oz heavier than the NeoAir, when you add a stuff bag to the Neo because it doesn't come with any. But the Synmat UL7 is wider, quiet, more insulated and more comfortable than the NeoAir pad.

I picked up a Exped Shrink bag and schnozzle from Outdoor Research store (REI doesn't carry them unfortunately),and I can inflate the mat in under 10 seconds with the 40 liter Shrink bag which is used for either a waterproof packliner, or a compression sack for my sleeping bag. Truly amazing. Exped had hit a homerun with this new UL pad. Best purchase made in a long time. Well worth the price.

The flat valves at first seemed strange and not as useful. But then when I found that they coupled with an Exped Pillow pump (also a great piece of 6 oz gear), or a Exped mini-pump (at a mere 3 oz), or any Exped stuff sack or compression bag with a purge valve it became a clear win-win situation. The inflate valve even has a check flap that allows air in, but not out. So you lose nothing between breaths, or pumps, or when closing the valve. And even cooler is blow it up firm, and lay on it and then open the inflate value and then simply take the check flap to let a little air out at a time until it feels perfect.

The R value of 3.1 is truly enough for all but snow and ice camping. In that case, bring along a closed foam pad to place underneath the Synmat and you are good to go. The weight is right as advertised 16.2 oz including stuff sack for the 72x20 size (M). It includes both a repair kit and a stuff sack, something that thermarest is NOT doing lately.

Exped is really making some quality products and the Synmat UL 7 mat is one fine example.

Comments about Exped SynMat UL 7 Air Pad:

This pad is awesome! I am not in constant fear of it popping like I feel with the neoair and it is far less noisy. It does not sound like a bag of potato chips being opened every time you think about moving. It comes with its own stuff sack as well.

Comments about Exped SynMat UL 7 Air Pad:

THIS iS the Holy Grail of Sleeping Pads - for me at the very least. I have tried nearly every decent pad on the market and they are either too narrow, not supportive enough, loose air before morning, fold up like an accordion, so why is this the Holy Grail of pads: (I have had lower back surgery with hardware added, so I am looking for support in a light weight package for my backpacking, scout leadership duties), a pad that is able to handle cold weather as well as warm, won't loose air by morning, wide enough to allow me to go from rollover if necessary, LIGHT, and easy to inflate, durable, and has anti slip but not like sandpaper: Enter the Exped SynMat UL 7 Air Pad.

This pad is light, and depending on length, less then a pound - it is wide enough to support my sleeping needs, and with the 3 glorious inches of lift my hips never touched the ground, plus it has just the right amount of anti slip. The NEOAir in comparison DOESN'T even come close in the air retention requirement, also the NeoAir is very noisy (5x)next to this pad. Oh, for all you all who say the air condenses as it gets colder to justify why the Neo looses air in the middle of the night requiring to re- inflate it are should try the REI EXPad NEVER, NEVER, lost air and I just completed two nights in 34 degree weather, never had to reinflate it. This pad is the holy Grail in light weight all weather, weight conscious backpacker. I am not the hardcore minimalist, but because of my back, lighter is better, yet I enjoy being comfortable, a backpack lighter then say 33 pounds for 4 to 5 days is perfect for me, and this pad along with the new Plasma sleeping bag, make this a rockin combo. Less then 3 pounds for pad and sleeping bag, now were talking.

I own the following pads, NeoAir, Prolite self inflating, TrailPro, Z-Pad, etc... None of them come close to this pad, the Expad is worth ever penny for those of us that spend more then 40 nights in the mountains.

Oh one last thought, the REI product comes with the stuff sack, and repair kits, Therm-a-Rest well it doesn't thus raising the cost even further.

Comments about Exped SynMat UL 7 Air Pad:

[...]. Here are my comments on the UL7 after a week of backpacking.Over the night the temp dropped down to about 40 degrees, and even with the rain fly on the tent was left open all night I never got cold or felt any cold radiating from under me. This morning I put my hand under my sleeping bag to see if I could feel any cold, and I could feel a definite warmth under the bag where I had been laying.I filled the pad completely while it was still warm outside and had to add a puff of air to it after it cooled off, but it held the firmness all night. For the first time EVER, I got a good night's sleep on the trail! I usually toss and turn all night, even at home, but I slept 11 hours straight through on this mat. I woke up refreshed and feeling like I had slept in a good bed. In fact, my wife and I both felt like it was more comfortable than the mattress in the cabin where we had stayed the night before.I did notice that the solution from my contacts lenses seemed to leave a kind of "watermark" on the pad where I spilled a little, but it looks like it may have come out when I got home and wiped the mat down with some clean water. I'm not too concerned about staining on the pad as long as it's durable and I'm comfortable, so that's not nearly a deal breaker for me.As for durability, I don't have any serious concerns as long as it's not abused our used for much other than as a sleeping pad in a tent or at least on top of a footprint, but I wouldn't throw it down on a wooden shelter floor without something under it.I hiked with 17 other people this weekend, and I think several of them are looking at getting this pad after taking a look at it. Well worth the cost for a good night's sleep.

Comments about Exped SynMat UL 7 Air Pad:

Exped has a very nice pad in the Synmat UL 7. It is lightweight, pumps up/deflates easily, is comfortable, packs up small and the valves are a real improvement over the standard types from Thermarest and Big Agnes, etc. It also comes with a carry sack and patch kit (are you listening Thermarest?).

One feature that stands out are the independent valves - one for inflation and one for deflation. When you inflate, the valve automatically seals, so you don't have to perform any mouth to valve gymnastics between breaths. If you want to adjust the firmness while on the mat, just reach behind, undo the valve cap and tap on the inner seal. Each tap lets out a tiny bit of air, making adjustments a cinch. Very easy to do and very effective. Time to deflate? Pull the other plug and the air rushes out quickly. Nice.

I found the pad slightly wider than spec'd, at 21", and the outer most ridges are slightly taller and wider than those on the inner section, which makes the pad quite comfortable, especially for those with wider shoulders. I found it about as insulating as a NeoAir pad, if just a tiny bit more. Basically, they are nearly the same.

All in all, the Exped could have been my new go to pad, but for one flaw. It is too slippery on top and bottom. After a few nights waking up either near the bottom or near the top of the pad due to sliding as I slept (or having the pad slide in the tent), I have gone back to my NeoAir (which has a top and bottom that sticks like Velcro). For me this was just too important. For you it may not be.

I have not owned long enough to speak as to it's durability, but if you take care and use common sense, it should do just fine. So, bottom line is that the Exped Synmat UL 7 is a very nice pad. Does almost everything right, and if you can deal with the one flaw (slippery surface), then you'll be very happy I'm sure.

Comments about Exped SynMat UL 7 Air Pad:

Simply put, this is one amazing pad. Exped has really done their homework. I've always had Thermarest pads in the past, and had considered the Neo Air, but after reading all the reviews about problems with it, decided to look elsewhere. Boy, am I glad I did, and found the Synmat UL 7. The fabric is great, non-slip and has a nice feel. It feels like fabric, not plastic. I purchased the Exped Mini Pump [...] for $20. This item itself has great value for; 1. Keeping lung moisture out of the pad, which can cause mold to grow over time, especially with the insulation inside and 2. It puts air into the mat which is ambient temperature, not 98 degrees. This prevents the mat from going flat when the air inside cools. Oh yeah, it also saves my lungs. The Mini Pump works excellent and weighs only 1.4 ounces, not 3 ounces, as another review states. I've weighed it. I can fit the Mini Pump in the same stuff sack as the pad. The whole package is less than 18 ounces. The mat has an R value of 3.1, thanks to the synthetic insulation laminated into the inside of the chambers, both top and bottom. It is incredibly comfortable! The outside chambers are slightly larger that the middle ones, helping keep you on the mat. Very clever. Finally, it comes with a stuff sack AND repair kit, as it should. I highly recommend this pad; it's everything you want and nothing you don't.

Comments about Exped SynMat UL 7 Air Pad:

I set out to find the warmest, lightest, and most compact sleeping pad possible. It came down to the Therm-a-rest NeoAir and the Exped SynMat. I went with the SynMat because of the added insulation.This pad is very compact and extremely light, which is no surprise because the material seems very thin.I really like that there are two separate one-way valves for inflating and deflating this makes it very easy to get totally filled without back-pressure and also to get it totally deflated without the self-inflating mechanism causing more air to come in.I slept on this mattress one night. The temp got down to 38F, not too bad, but I did not feel any cold up from the ground all night. The pad was very comfortable. My sleeping bag slipped around a bit, but not too badly.Everything was going well until about 4am when I felt a bit of cold and realized my pad was half deflated. I checked immediately that the valves were tight, and looked for any obvious leaks.I blew it back up and went back to sleep. When I woke up in the morning it had deflated again. [...]I am going to go for the NeoAir.

Comments about Exped SynMat UL 7 Air Pad:

After two weeks into a month of kayaking in Baja, several of the tube dividers/baffles split, creating a couple of big sausages in the mattress. It did not actually leak, but you now had to sleep on a couple of big 8" + round tubes.

Swiss Quality?? At this price, you could bring two Big Agnes pads.

Comments about Exped SynMat UL 7 Air Pad:

Just got back from a 5-day summer backpacking trip in Yosemite NP (7,000-8,000') - this was my first time out with the Air Pad. I own a number of Thermarests of varying weight, length, and thickness, and I have tried (and returned) the Neopad (see review); thus far, the Air Pad has provided me with the best (i.e. most comfortable) nights' sleep yet!

I'm a 5'5", 130# woman and try to go as light as possible. I have found every light weight Thermarest fails to provide enough cushion to keep my hips (and often shoulders) from aching. This often wakes me up and I end up changing positions multiple times during the night. With the Air Pad, which is very light, I don't remember feeling achy once; I slept soundly throughout the entire night. I actually felt cozy!! Another plus - although the Pad's depth is consistent from head to toe, I found my head/neck felt more supported than with flat inflatable sleeping pads. Therefore, by adding a thin down jacket, I had plenty of pillow.

The Air Pad was relatively quick to inflate and easy to pack down (no more labor intensive than getting all the air out of my full length women's ProLite Thermarest). Also, my sleeping bag didn't slip on the surface and I like the designated inflate/deflate valves. My only complaint is that I woke up feeling my lower back hadn't had enough support... I don't know that this is something I can expect from a light weight sleeping pad, but I'm not holding out hope (and a 5th star)!

In all, I'm thrilled with my Air Pad. It ain't cheap, but I feel it's one of the very best gear investments I've made. Strongly recommended!

Comments about Exped SynMat UL 7 Air Pad:

The title says it all...

In my opinion, the best comfort to weight ratio you will ever get for backpacking pads are inflatable variety. They offer you at least a couple inches of support, better insulation, and vastly superior packability compared to old closed cell pads.

Within the inflatable pad category, I tried the NeoAir pads and Big Agnes pads, but found both lacking. This Exped mat is barely an ounce heavier than the NeoAir pad, but much more comfortable and quiet because of the ridges, and beats Big Agnes pads by a significant margin with weight. It also is far more resistant to leaks, easier and quicker to inflate (~20 seconds) than competitors because of the awesome 2 valve design.

Highly, highly recommended for anyone wanting to get a good night sleep out on the trail without much of a weight penalty.

if only they would make a mummy cut to save me 2 more ounces.... :P