How to Choose the Best Sleeping Pad for Camping and Backpacking

Offering a balance of durability, light weight and comfort, and with an R-value of 4.8 for year-round warmth, the Exped Dura 5R Duo sleeping pad keeps you and an adventure buddy cozy on every trip.
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Imported.
View all Exped Air PadsBest Use | Backpacking |
---|---|
Sleeping Pad Type | Air |
Sleeping Pad Shape | Mummy |
Insulated | Yes |
Insulation Type | Synthetic |
R-Value | 4.8 |
Repair Kit Included | Yes |
Stuff Sack Included | Yes |
Packed Size | Medium: 7.5 x 13.4 inches Long Wide: 7.9 x 15 inches |
Sleeping Capacity | 2-person |
Pad Thickness (in.) | 3 inches |
Dimensions | Medium: 72 x 41.3 x 3 inches Long Wide: 77.6 x 51.2 x 3 inches |
Weight | Medium: 3 lbs. 4 oz. Long Wide: 4 lbs. 8 oz. |
Gender | Unisex |
Sustainability | Contains recycled materials |
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My wife and I have been using an older Exped Synmat Hyperlite Duo for backpacking and car camping for 5+ years now but wanted something a tad bigger. It perfectly fits our Model Y! I also tested the "long wide" variant but doesn't fit as it's too wide. I highly recommend getting this one if you plan on car camping in the Model Y. It weighs a lot more than our Hyperlite Duo so I don't recommend it for backpacking.
My partner and I have used this every night we have backpacked and camped. It is an awesome pad! Super durable and great for cozy nights with your person. I love the quilted top and how easy the pump sack works with the pad. It is nice that it has dual inflate to easily spot which side has a hole. I’ve had it over a year and it’s been my most reliable pad. Couldn’t recommend enough!
Needed a 2-person sleeping pad for backpacking. Chose this over the Exped Ultra Duo for the added durability since we use it with our dog, as well as for the significant increase in R-value. It is on the heavy side, but we don't have to carry 2 pads and the weight is worth the tradeoff for the warmth and durability. Inflating with the included sack is fast and easy, and no issues with leaking so far even though we let our dog walk on it. Love the separate chamber system — makes it very easy to dial comfort for different sleep styles, since I like my side more inflated than my partner's, and we don't feel each other shifting during the night. It's also one of the quieter pads I've slept on. We bought the Long Wide — it's plenty of space for 2 + a small dog, but it just barely fits in our REI Quarter Dome 2p tent — would likely be a better fit in a 3p tent. Overall it was an investment but we're happy with its comfort and performance and plan to use it for many trips to come!
Disclaimer: I have only tested this in our living room so far! I set up our 2P tent and spent a night in the living room with the kids and the dog to test this out. Love it! Fits the tapered footprint of our tent perfectly. Easy to blow up with the included sack. Roomy, comfy, and quiet. Seems durable enough to hold up to dog nails. I was nervous about the two separate chambers creating some kind of gap in the middle, but you can't even tell they are separate once inflated. Packed size is almostttt small enough to consider taking on a short backpacking trip, just for the excellent payoff of getting to sleep on this thing. Cannot attest to warmth but my expectations are high. Can't wait to enjoy the cuddle puddle with everyone in the tent this spring!
This two person camping mat makes a perfect addition to our setup. Single mom who takes my autistic kiddo out on adventures. Two large adults or medium size adults and a small child if you go sleep in a 3 person tent. Would probably touch edges in a two man tent 🤍 aksnochick
This pad is very warm and comfortable, it fills the trunk space of a Subaru outback quite well and has worked great for car camping trips. Since you inflate the two halves separately it also works well as a 1P pad if you fold the other half in, offering you more storage space.
I used this for backpacking, I should have got the 40 in (significantly shorter) vice 49 in, it was a little big for my tent. It was very comfortable and worth the extra weight. A little heavy for backpacking. I never got the knack of their fancy blow up bag, so it took me a little while, but pretty cool blow up device. Very expensive if compared to a household blow up mattress.
I really enjoyed this sleeping pad, but my girlfriend wasn’t as big of a fan. She said she was touching the ground the whole night. We’re both side sleepers which I don’t think is ideal. Otherwise, we stayed warm and it was quick and easy to setup!