I enjoy camping, but I also really like to be comfortable. I normally bring a cot with me but they're quite large and take a bit of effort to put together. In the interest in downsizing the items I bring with me (including our tent), I decided to try out a sleep pad instead. I wish I could just sleep on the ground, but I'm just too used to nice soft mattresses.
I love how nice and thick this sleeping pad is. Anything too thin and I may as well be sleeping right on the ground. But this mattress gets nice and thick. Now, it does take some work to get it up to the almost 4" of thickness shown. On it's own it inflates up to about 3", so if you want it thicker, you'll need to blow into one of the valves to give it the rest of the space. Honestly though, I've found that it's self inflated thickness is the perfect squishyness for me. I'm a large woman, at 210 most portable mattresses don't allow me to sleep on my side comfortably since my hips go right to the bottom. Not so with this mattress. I can sleep on my side and there's still plenty of cushion! It's also just wide enough for me to lay on my back. So if you are larger than me, I'd recommend checking out their WIDE mattress instead. At 5'3, this mat is long enough that I can lay fully extended, arms too, and be comfortable. I love how fast this mattress inflated. The moment you twist open the valves, you can hear the air rush in. It's pretty satisfying. It only took a few minutes to get up to 3" the first time it inflated.
Packing up the pad was also pretty easy, though it can be a slight struggle, since it really wants to be inflated. Just be patient and roll slowly, using good downward force. I also had to put all my weight on it a few times just to expel the air. But when all was said and done, it took me only about 2 or 3 minutes to pack it up. It easily fits into the included travel bag.
About the only downside I can think of is the material. While it's fantastic at being water repellent, it's not great for keeping your sleeping bag secured onto the pad. I have a sleeping bag made from a parachute style material, and I was sliding all over the place. I'm heavily contemplating just grabbing some shelf liner (that sort of sticky pad stuff) and tossing a couple strips on there to keep me in place. Less toss-y turn-y sleepers might not have any trouble though. Overall, this is a fantastic edition to anyone's camping gear. I'm not sure I'd want to lug this around as a backpacker but for car camping, it's a must!
I received this item at a discounted rate in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. I only review items I would have purchased anyway, and am under NO obligation to provide high star reviews to any one.
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