Exped  Dura 5R Sleeping Pad

The new Exped Dura 5 has found it’s way into my cold weather camping gear and I think it will be an awesome addition to your’s, too. First the specs and, more to the point, does it the end result match them. Resoundingly, I found the answer to be “yes”! Per my measurements of length, width and height all very close or spot-on with those provided by Exped. My initial impressions of the pad when I un-boxed were that the material covering felt soft (not plush); nice. It feels ruggedly built and, though not light, was in-line with other pads with it’s temperature rating. It inflated quickly and easily with the provided snozzle and deflated super fast; both the inflate and delflate valves are large and do the job! Deflating and rolling-up to place back in the sack was a breeze and there’s a little room to spare. It’s off to a good start! Ultimately, the proof is in the pudding. So, the next step was to take the pad to the the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The “Whites” provide some of the harshest winter weather in New England and a 3 day stint with nighttime temps ranging from 25 above to 3 below (f) was perfect to test the R4.8. temp rating for the R5. Performance was flawless. I set-up my tent on snow, which I packed by foot. So, the site was a bit rough. I pulled the pad and the snozzle from it’s the stuff sack and inflated (btw: a snozzle is the snizzle for inflating Exped pads and, yes, the Dura R5 does come packaged with a snozzle and fits nicely in the same stuff sack. It takes a couple gulps of air in the snozzle to inflate to the maximum. As with other Exped pads I’ve used, you can inflate to a point and that’s it. I suspect that’s to keep from over inflating or I’m just not strong enough :-)!. Either way, it’s enough to yield a nice cushioned night’s rest. Anyway, I threw the sleeping bag into the tent and went for a hike. The first and second nights on site were above the temp ratings for the R5, but I’m a cold sleeper. Happily, the pad worked well and I slept comfortably. On the third night, I had to add a very small amount of air to the pad. Given that it had been sitting on snow for over 2 days, I was impressed. The 3rd night was a bitter cold affair, but the R5 absolutely met the challenge. It was a cold camp packing the next morning! To wrap-up, I highly recommend the Exped Dura 5. It’s ruggedly built and it performs well in real-world conditions. I get the sense it will last a long while, too.

I read a ton of reviews on mats and this one came highly rated. Picked it up and went on a backpacking trip in the eastern Sierras. Pros: the mat is light weight and packs very small which is great for backpacking. Also the filling system seems strange at first but after two time of filling it up, you get use to it and it’s a pretty ingenious design. Cons: NOISY!!! When I say noisy I’m not talking like all air mats are, I’m talking people in the next tent are asking “what’s up with that mat” noisy. If you can get over the noise of the mat, comfort wise it’s a solid mat, but being at high altitude where sleep is light anyways, a noisy mat is a non-starter. Bummed because I was excited about this mat, but I will be returning after one use.