Bushwalk Australia

Unfortunately my personal biggest problem bushwalking is a bad night's sleep, and I'm wondering about the best available option for a comfortable rest !

I've seen exped and large inflatable thermarest mats but today I spotted some sea 2 summit mats that look pretty nifty but I can't find a lot of reviews online. Apparently they don't move or collapse under you as much when moving, which sounds great, but I haven't used a comparable brand to compare. They don't look as thick or comfortable but it's difficult to say how that would compare in real life.

Does anyone use them ? How do they stack up ? Are Exped or Thermarest more comfortable ?

I have an original NeoAir which I really like, but I tested both the exped UL7 and the sea to summit ultralight insulated mats when my mate was trying to decide and I thought the sea to summit was excellent. If I was buying again I would definitely be going for the sea to summit mat.

I like mine
It is the Large Wide version and I think it punches above its weight
Note tho that I never use an airmat on its own and have always used some sort of CCF pad for protection but I found it much more comfortable than my Synmat 7 which has been relegated to car camping

Haven't used s2s mats but i use their sleeping bags and lots if their other products which im happy with the
quality. Would be good if you could find one to borrow for a night. good luck.

whitefang wrote:I have an original NeoAir which I really like, but I tested both the exped UL7 and the sea to summit ultralight insulated mats when my mate was trying to decide and I thought the sea to summit was excellent. If I was buying again I would definitely be going for the sea to summit mat.

That's almost exactly the opinion I'd already heard !

Moondog55 wrote:I like mine
It is the Large Wide version and I think it punches above its weight
Note tho that I never use an airmat on its own and have always used some sort of CCF pad for protection but I found it much more comfortable than my Synmat 7 which has been relegated to car camping

What sort of pad are you carrying ? I haven't had one of those since I was in scouts... I found a few foil backed 6mm yoga mats on ebay really cheap, but I'm not sure if I trust their 150gm weight claim. I did see someone point out that carrying a roll mat will make it difficult to put a pack cover on if the need arises, not sure how much that concerns me.

walkerchris77 wrote:Haven't used s2s mats but i use their sleeping bags and lots if their other products which im happy with the
quality. Would be good if you could find one to borrow for a night. good luck.

I might lie on a few more in store and see. Cheers.

I use a S2S UL Large. It has an R value of 0.7 and is super comfy. It allows me to move around and not feel as though I'm about to fall off it. Haven't put anything underneath as yet.

Highly recommend

R0.7 sounds like its not insulated?

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

Yeah I do apologise. My eyes were playing tricks on me and I only saw the S2S mat part and not insulation.

I'd imagine there would be little difference in comfort between the insulate and non-insulated.

CasualNerd wrote:What sort of pad are you carrying ? I haven't had one of those since I was in scouts... I found a few foil backed 6mm yoga mats on ebay really cheap, but I'm not sure if I trust their 150gm weight claim. I did see someone point out that carrying a roll mat will make it difficult to put a pack cover on if the need arises, not sure how much that concerns me.

I got some 3mm CCF from Clark Rubber to use underneath my Exped as thorn/stick protection. A 2m length rolls down to about 6cm in diameter, so potentially can go inside your pack.

Exped downmat 7 is a great mat, made my nights so much better. It gives great insulation from snow/ice and gives softness to whatever level required, just by varying air pressure.

Flyfisher

[quote="flyfisher"]Exped downmat 7 is a great mat, made my nights so much better. It gives great insulation from snow/ice and gives softness to whatever level required, just by varying air pressure.

Way too expensive and heavy for my liking. 855 grams and around $250. I'm sure they are comfy and warm though but I wouldn't carry a mat that weighed close to 1 kg.

The Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated that the OP was asking about is 440 grams and around $150. The reviews I have read are really positive. I've added it to my shopping list. I currently use a 3/4 length Thermarest (old one). I've decided I wan't more comfort now that I'm getting old.

I have the Comfort Plus (non-insulated), and find it very comfortable. I suffer from lower back pain and it is much more comfortable than my Exped. I definitely recommend the insulated one though, as the one I have is not warm at all.

I have not used one of the S2S mats. The S2S mats come in different sizes and comfort ratings, as do the Exped mats.

Maybe these are somewhat equivalent:
Exped Downmat 7 (M) is 855g and R5.9 - its rectangular shape and insulated ~$250
S2S Comfot Plus Insulated (M) is 825g and R5 - its rectangular shape and insulated ~$250

I am looking at a new mat as my three use old Katmandu self inflating mat also has an unwanted self deflating mode.

I was looking at a Klymit Insulated Static V but it looks like the air will go wherever it wants to when you lay in it, price seems good for an insulated mat- http://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/klymit- ... g-mattress

Comfort will be remembered long after cost is forgotten.

FF

The point I was trying to make was that if I'm going to pay that kind of money I'd like a lighter pad and would probably pay a little more for a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm or Xlite.

I'm a warm sleeper and I haven't been cross country skiing or mountaineering for twenty odd years. I don't need a super warm pad. Weight and comfort are more of a priority for me now.

@ casual nerd
I carry a mat that is seasonally dependent and as I'm primarily a winter snow camper that is my RidgeRest Solar LongWide plus a 10mm cheap CCF from K-Mart but I have a stack of foam mats to choose from ranging from 3mm thick to 20mm thick
A CCF mat of any description is cheap insurance against a failed airmat, the downside is simply the bulk

wallwombat wrote:The point I was trying to make was that if I'm going to pay that kind of money I'd like a lighter pad and would probably pay a little more for a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm or Xlite.

I'm a warm sleeper and I haven't been cross country skiing or mountaineering for twenty odd years. I don't need a super warm pad. Weight and comfort are more of a priority for me now.

Had a lay on the Comfort Light Insulated (Regular) just last week. In shop conditions, I'll add. The most comfortable mat I have ever laid on. It's comparable to the NeoAir XTherm in that it is 580g (vs TR's 540g), has an R value of 4.2 (vs TR's 4.9). Price wise - well I shan't link to our produce page here (unless you want me to), but the Comfort Light'll save you a fair bit of coin.

That said, I am with others here - it's all in the comfort. Nothing worse than a crummy night sleep.

Paul I am seriously waiting now for the 3-layer insulated which may hit the shops in February but even the uninsulated 3-layer should be more comfortable I am led to believe they will only be available in standard and large size tho

I'm mostly a winter camper so my Exped Downmat 9 LW gets plenty of use but I've found it too hot for my autumn and spring trips so I purchased a Sea to Summit Comfort Light mat in L to handle the milder temps. Used it last week for a 6 night jaunt in the high country and I was very impressed with it : much lighter and rolls-up far smaller than the Downmat, easy to inflate with just a few deep breaths and even my Exped snozzle bag connection fits too ! The mat was very comfortable and most importantly I didn't slide around on it at all and it stayed-put on the floor of the Gemini 2 well despite a slight down-slope pitch of the tent. All-in-all it did the job very well and I'm pleased with my purchase....certainly worth a look if a new mat is on the shopping list. Cheers

sambar358

I'm not 100% impressed with my current mats. Kathmandu 38 Hikers... the valve seems to be a little temperamental. I'm thinking it probably has a o-ring that fails over time, that you can not replace. Being a dry ring, it probably wears quite quickly. Anyhow, I am not impressed. They are also around 900g each! And they feel like a slightly larger brick in my pack.

So............. the S2S UL Insulated mat is looking good right now. BUT, $143.96 each! WOW. Comfort is long remembered after cost, I get that now. But wow.

I'm thinking that 2 of these mats at 440g each, would be around the same weight as 1 of the Kathmandu mats, and fit into about the same space. Sounds like a good thing to me!

Anyway, just wondering for reports on mats. Feel free to share what your suggestions for weight/ space & a darn good product would be.

Thank you!

I have temperamental hips that get quite angry at me on a lot of mats - and sleep is super important to me - and my sleep is super important to those around me, as I get a little stabby without sleep. So, I have tried a lot of self inflating mats, and my hips approve of none of them, they just do not have the required level of squoosh. I used a neo-air all-seasons for a couple of years, but my large torso (its a short wide mat - awesome for girls that curl up at night) is not compatible with sharing a quilt. Also - I have a level of stress that comes with an air mattress - a small puncture and you are sleeping on the ground, and while most people have no issues, I know some that have had failures at the beginning of long walks which puts the whole walk in jeopardy. So, given that, and that we are now living in Vic and doing alpine walks, we bought the STS comfort plus insulated. Its basically two STS ultralights sandwiched together - so that if you get a puncture in it.. you still have a mat that inflates. I love my STS with a passion. It has squoosh, it is warm, it is not too noisy and it doesn't slide around the tent. But it weighs 825g, costs $230, and probably is more than you need, as I suspect that with your full life you will not be doing long walks in the Alps any time soon

I have tried it with only one side of the mat inflated, (making it basically an ultralight) and - its okay. Not quite enough for my cranky hips, but might be enough for you? It's hard to know what is a good mat - more than any other piece of gear it depends on your personal comfort requirements, some love their self-inflating mats, some love their minimalist CCF mats.

http://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/thermar ... g-mat/1809 - self inflating short and 310g $124.50
http://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/klymit- ... g-mattress - air mat, 500g, full length $89
http://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/thermar ... tress/6073 350g, air mat, full length, chip packetish? $279.

Bottom line: every mat has something wrong with it. noisy/heavy/bulky/thin/expensive - pick your poison.

The best way to deal with a mat sometimes is not to roll it but to deflate; fold and use as extra support in the back of your pack
My old T'Rest 3/4 works this way folded in thirds
I agree with this statement 100% All camping/bushwalking gear is a compromise

Bottom line: every mat has something wrong with it. noisy/heavy/bulky/thin/expensive - pick your poison.

Alittleruff wrote:I'm not 100% impressed with my current mats. Kathmandu 38 Hikers... the valve seems to be a little temperamental. I'm thinking it probably has a o-ring that fails over time, that you can not replace. Being a dry ring, it probably wears quite quickly. Anyhow, I am not impressed. They are also around 900g each! And they feel like a slightly larger brick in my pack.

So............. the S2S UL Insulated mat is looking good right now. BUT, $143.96 each! WOW. Comfort is long remembered after cost, I get that now. But wow.

I'm thinking that 2 of these mats at 440g each, would be around the same weight as 1 of the Kathmandu mats, and fit into about the same space. Sounds like a good thing to me!

Anyway, just wondering for reports on mats. Feel free to share what your suggestions for weight/ space & a darn good product would be.

Thank you!

Same drama with my Kathmandu mat, after three or four uses it started self inflating, poor storage bag is looking a bit worse for wear now hahaha! I will be using this thread for reference too

A mat which is now my favourite is the Neoair Trek L Torso which gives a generous 63cm width in a 120cm length mat. R3 and 420 grams (specs) - mine weighs 380g without cover. I have had several mats from the original Thermarest to the current Neoair XLite and never been totally comfortable with any of them until I tried the extra width of the Trek - it made all the difference but wide mats are usually only available in extra long versions and so a bit heavier. I sleep in a semi fetal position and have a piece of cc foam for under the feet and it also acts as a sit mat and a pad for the back of my pack so I don't need a full length mat.

Alittleruff - just think of the cost of good mats as a couple of nights in a motel. The mats will give much better long term value.

Also if looking at the LARGE S2S insulated mats (don't even consider the non insulated ones) the insulation doesn't extend to the bottom of the mat - cold feet for tall users! See http://www.seatosummit.com.au/sleepingmats/range-chart/

Alittleruff wrote:....... the S2S UL Insulated mat is looking good right now. BUT, $143.96 each! WOW. Comfort is long remembered after cost, I get that now. But wow.

Have a look at the price of the NeoAirs.

OMGolly Gosh! N-NW.... I must have been looking at American prices, on campsaver.com. Because when I looked if they can send to Australia I found out that they can't. To describe the price difference from US- AUS as excessive would be too mild a term.

I wonder who actually can sell them into Australia. Might be worth a look see.

They are available on Wildearth http://www.wildearth.com.au/shop/sleepi ... 09?pgnum=3

I can't say I've ever had cold feet using mine Mark and mine certainly feels like it has insulation all the way top to tail

Us dollars to Aussie dollars dont' forget to add 30% because of the exchange rate

I had a pretty good look around the web and the S2S mat from Wild Earth looks like the best price, others had the same price but you had to pay post.