How to Choose the Best Sleeping Pad for Camping and Backpacking

Compact, supportive and lightweight, the 3-season Exped Ultra 3R Mummy sleeping pad keeps your pack weight to a minimum without sacrificing a good night's sleep in the backcountry.
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Imported.
View all Exped Air PadsBest Use | Backpacking |
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Sleeping Pad Type | Air |
Sleeping Pad Shape | Mummy |
Insulated | Yes |
Insulation Type | Synthetic |
R-Value | 2.9 |
Repair Kit Included | Yes |
Stuff Sack Included | Yes |
Packed Size | Long Wide: 4.5 x 8.3 inches |
Sleeping Capacity | 1-person |
Pad Thickness (in.) | 3 inches |
Dimensions | Long Wide: 77.6 x 25.6/16.5 x 3 (L x W shoulder/foot x D) inches |
Weight | Long Wide: 16.4 ounces |
Gender | Unisex |
Sustainability | Contains recycled materials |
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Great sleeping pad, very comfortable and feels durable. The thickness is great for a hippie side sleeper like me when I need to go to ground, and I found the 3R plenty warm for the 50° night I used it on. (I do slip my sleeping pad inside my sleeping bag when using it in the hammock though, might be different on the ground.) I got the wide version to use in my hammock. I prefer a sleeping pad to an under quilt. My old Exped Synmat Winter worked fine, but the wide here gives me a little more room for my shoulders if I move around a lot at night.
This is the lightest and most comfortable under 13 oz. pad I have ever used. At 3 inches thick, the rocky and uneven ground of Northern Minnesota never touched my back. Also, I stayed warm while sleeping directly on the pad, using my seeping bag as a blanket. The unique shape keeps the weight down while providing the comfort of a full length pad and the weight of a 3 quarter pad. This pad is quiet. Similar to other nylon pads. I found my small battery powered pump works by inflating it through the deflation valve. I then close it and finish by giving it about one breath through the inflation valve.
I used this sleeping pad for 3 backpacking seasons. What I like: - I found it more comfortable than most sleeping pads I've tried in the past - Good insultation for 3-season camping - Light; good for backpacking - Blow-up bag is 100x better than self-inflating, especially at altitude! What I don't like: - It is very loud when you move on it. - Not great for sidesleepers. It's also very easy to roll off from the center. - After 2 years of use, the seams at the top burst and now there is a giant bubble/bump in the middle of the sleeping pad. It is now unusable. Apparently others have had the same problem (though always after a few years of good use). I am going to replace it with a different sleeping pad, as I would like a sleeping pad that is better for side-sleepers.
I had an Exped pad for YEARS that served me very well. Yes, it was a little noisy, most ultralight pads are. But it packed down small, was lightweight, warm, and lasted me several nights in the Backcountry. Eventually it got the "bubble" I had heard people complain about with exped pads. Honestly, I can't really complain. I more than got my money's worth out of it. It lasted me a few years past the point where I thought "this thing's probably going to go soon". No inflatable pad lasts forever. After that I decided to switch it up and try the sea-to-summit etherlite pad, and although it was very comfortable, it got a hole on night 3 of my first time taking it out! I decided to go back to Exped and I just returned from 6 nights in the Winds and the Exped was great! it kept me warm, the mummy style packed up much smaller than the S2S did, and it's very light! I'm not crazy about the vertical baffles. I liked the baffle design of the S2S better. But a pad that holds air is more comfortable than one that doesn't. I will probably use Exped pads and pillows for life. I got this with their mega pillow and I love them both. I would personally say this pad falls into the ultralight category as well. packs down small, is very light, and kept me warm on cold nights.
I have been through quite a few pads and this is the best for me in terms of weight/comfort/durability. When you consider that the pump sack works as a very effective waterproof pack liner, the total packaged weight of ~1 lb makes this one of the most efficient options available. The closest comparison in my view is the easily-punctured, uninsulated Nemo Tensor which has essentially the same packaged weight (with a single-purpose pump sack) and that I resorted to carrying an additional pad to place under. It’s also lighter than the sea to summit ether light with similar r value, though admittedly a bit less comfortable. If you had the pleasure of using a REI stratus air, this is similar but a bit more comfortable and less prone to punctures or tears along the seams in my experience. The dual purpose pump sack alone makes it a worthy competitor to all the aforementioned pads, never mind the durability and insulation benefits. It is narrow, but as someone who sleeps on their back I do not consider this a significant drawback.
Relatively easy to inflate, roll up, and store. Stayed perfectly inflated through the night. I am a side sleeper and was comfortable. Can't imagine a better product for the weight.