Best Ultralight Backpacking Sleeping Pads for 2020

A guide to the best ultralight backpacking sleeping pads and mats.

Tested and written by Appalachain Trail and Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers.

FOAM VS INFLATABLE

FOAM PADS: A rectangular piece of soft foam or padded material, similar to a yoga mat. They are often called "closed-cell pads" because their foam is made of closed air cells. These pads either roll, collapse or fold up. Their grooves can range for comfort, compactness and style.

Pros:

• Fast and Easy. Just throw it down and spread your sleeping bag on top. Super convenient after an exhausting day pushing long miles.

• Indestructible. I love relaxing on foam pads by the fire and not worrying if an ember might fly out and pop it. Same thing for rocky or jagged surfaces. No maintenance whatsoever.

• Multi-Functional. Some ultralight backpacks are designed to have a foam pad slide into their back panel and act as a pack frame. The poles of a pack can add several ounces to your load which can make utilizing a foam pad all the more awesome.

• Cheap. Usually less, if not a lot less, than $50.

Cons:

• Very Bulky. They often take up too much room to even fit inside your bag. Therefore, most hikers have them tied down outside of their pack - on top or flopping around underneath the bottom. This leaves them exposed to the elements most all of the time... which can be an issue when raining and your pad is not 100% waterproof.

• Uncomfortable (maybe). Some hikers just can’t sleep on them. Despite being super bulky, the foam is usually still very thin and/ or stiff. Some people feel its like sleeping on, well... the floor. Others actually prefer the stiff sleep.

Foam (left) vs Inflatable (right)

INFLATABLE PADS: Either self-inflation or manual inflation. Self-inflating pads fill up with air on their own. Just unroll them on the ground, open the valve and watch them slowly rise. Otherwise, you will manually inflate the pad with good ‘ole lung power. The differences are rather insignificant and can vary from model to model. There are lightweight pumps out there. I never saw anyone using a pump on my thru-hike though and I would think they are relatively unnecessary.

Pros:

• Compact. A good ultralight pad should be able to roll up and fit inside your hand. This is a huge advantage compared to foam pads - you can store an inflatable pad in a tiny corner of your pack without hardly even noticing.

• Comfortable. The air in inflatable pads literally elevates you off the ground and provides a nice cushion. For side and stomach sleepers, this can be crucial. Most backpackers find sleeping on an inflatable pad to be substantially more comfortable than a foam pad.

Cons:

• Punctures. Even inflatable pads can take a decent beating. Mine has lasted several years without a puncture. You will still need to be careful about where you place your pad though. They can pop any moment from a sharp edge, a fire ember or just heavy wear. This means you will need to repair it, wait for the manufacturer to replace it, or buy a completely new one.

• Inflation. Some more cushy pads have large air chambers. Without a pump, your lungs will be manually filling up that large chamber. Blowing a lot of breaths (some require 20+ breaths) after a long hike can, and often will, leave you temporarily lightheaded.

• Noisy (maybe). Some inflatable pads are ‘crinkly’ right out of the package. I know a lot of hikers ship their pads back to the manufacturer because they are "too noisy". However, just like most new gear, it only needs a lil’ tender lovin' to break in. After a few nights, the noise should be gone entirely. 

TOP CONSIDERATIONS

INSULATION: If winter backpacking, keep the R-Values above 3.

Other than comfort, the main purpose of a sleeping pad is to keep you warm. This is super important and something often overlooked. Specifically, your pad should prevent the cold earth from reaching your body. Most inflatable pads have an outer shell as well as a thin internal layer designed to reflect your body heat back at you.

"R-Value" measures the level of insulation your pad provides. A higher R-value will keep you warmer and act as a barrier between you and the cold ground. Sleeping directly on exposed ground will drain away your precious body heat - like the inverse of a reptile bathing on a hot rock. Aim to keep your pad above a 3 for any level of cold winter sleeping.  Anything below a 3 should only be used in warmer weather.

WEIGHT: Your pad should weigh around 1 lb (or less).

The lighter, the better. Know some of the lightest pads on the market have low R values though. If you are winter camping, you might need to get a slightly heavier and warmer pad or subsidize with an extra warm sleeping bag. Thick material and overly large inflation valves are usually the biggest factor in adding unnecessary weight to your pad. Foam pads have been traditionally viewed as a lighter option than inflatable. This is not always the case though. In general, weight of the pad depends on the model and manufacturer. 

COMPACTNESS: When packed, it should not be bigger than a 1 liter water bottle.

Some of these can fit inside of a Nalgene bottle. The extra pack space is much appreciated, especially considering some models can take up nearly half of a pack’s volume. If you don’t like the idea of strapping your pad on the outside of your pack, I highly recommend getting a pad that packs down tiny.

LENGTH: Consider "halving it".

An easy way to shave (quite literally) weight off your sleeping pad is by getting a smaller mat. Most ultralight backpackers get a mat that covers from their head down to their knees - electing to have their feet hang off the end or on top of the actual backpacking bag. I personally prefer to have my foot elevated on a cushy padded surface that resembles a bed as much as possible.

SHAPE: Consider rounding off the corners.

Rectangular or oval. The extra corners from a rectangular shape can be nice if you roll around around a lot, like to spread your arms around your head and underneath your pillow, or like to spread your legs out. Otherwise, the oval shape works just dandy and can save a little weight and space.

EASE OF INFLATION: No huge air chambers.

Some pads are like small air mattresses - prioritizing elevated comfort over all else. This is great if you like a huge amount of cushion. However, as mentioned above, getting that large mass of air into the pad's chamber can be a huge lung-exhausting chore and leave you lightheaded. I vote for a medium amount of air - enough to get you off the ground, but not too much where you feel like you are rolling around on a cloud.

EXTRAS:

• Repair Kit. Handy if you do get a hole. Most inflatable mattresses come with one.

• Pump Sack. If you do go for one of those big, airy pads, these can significantly help save time and lung power. Just one extra thing to carry though.

• Inflation Valve. I prefer the one-handed valves that pop open instead of twist. Some have this button-like deflation option that is super helpful when optimizing the level of desired inflation.

• Rails. Worst case you roll off inside your tent. I find these to be unnecessary entirely.

TOP CONSIDERATIONS