Budget Sleeping Pads You Actually Want To Use!

[@pauldunn1242]

Hi from the UK, just purchased my Kilos gear mattress and used it for wild camping last night, had the best nights sleep ever! Soo comfortable and user friendly. Recommended.

[@ChuckNute-i4b]

I own both of the Kilos Gear pads which I bought over the summer. I have been testing the R 5.0 regular sized version outside and have paired it with a Paria 0*F sleeping bag, and a UGQ 10*F Bandit quilt, and both of those with a Sea to Summit Reactor (regular) sleeping bag liner. So far, 30*F is about as cold as it has gotten here in Central Indiana. With the Paria bag, other than the bag itself being a little tighter for a side sleeper than I would like, I was quite comfortable at 30*F. With the UGQ quilt, I was glad I had the sleeping bag liner. Even after laying on the pad for several hours, the pad itself was cool to the touch. I was not cold by any means, but there was a slight coolness to it. So I think your assessment of the Kilos Gear R 5.0 version is very accurate. As far as comfort is concerned in regards to laying on the pad as a side sleeper, I like mine slightly deflated, and have zero issues with the pad losing air over time, and I have no problems with my hips or butt hitting the ground when laying on it. Sitting on it is a little different story, my butt does hit the ground. That being said, I think if I were to start a thru hike of the AT for example in late winter/early spring, I would start the trail with the UL version paired with a closed cell foam pad and once temperatures had warmed up, I would probably ditch the closed cell foam pad in a hiker box for somebody else to get some use out of. For shorter hikes in colder weather I will definitely opt for the R 5.0 version. If I were to take the R 5.0 version out much below freezing I would pair it with a closed cell foam pad between the ground and Kilos Gear pad. Overall, I think your assessment of the Kilos Gear pads is spot on, and for the money both of their pads are well worth the money I spent and I'm not looking for any other pad.

[@dylanpausic5026]

REI Helix goes on sale often for $99 and can be found even cheaper on Ebay often. It’s 24” wide and I think 26oz with an R value over 4. It has a very exaggerated dimpled baffling making it EXTREMELY comfortable

[@ChristianPaulPhotography]

I have seen both of these and have wondered how well they do out on a trip. Thanks for the look and info on how you felt it performed.

[@glennwatson3313]

You and I have very different definitions of the word Budget.

[@j.stephens257]

Seriously considering one of the two Kilos Gear pads. Thanks for the video!

[@BackcountryExposure]

I’d suggest to go for the elite, just for a little more versatility with temperature.

[@whitejasone]

Thank you. I've been struggling for a week on choosing a pad for camping. I had 6 different pads on my wishlist from $120-200. I only plan on going kayak camping a handful of times a year. Pulling the trigger on the AMPEX. Can't go wrong for the price and if I end up going out more often, I will upgrade at that point.

[@BackcountryExposure]

@@whitejasone the current sale price on the Ampex is really good!

[@lesliedykstra4014]

I have the ampex regular size pad. I found ampex through the tent, it is well made also and is pretty light weight for being a self standing tent.

[@cheapskatehiker]

I'm a side sleeper, and I had real trouble finding a good budget pad and spent way too much money, should have just bought a thermarest. Right now I use a "system": foldable foam mat goes on bottom, a thin cheap pad similar to yours, goes on top, and then a simple 1 in foam camping mat on top of that. I find I roll off air mats if they are too thick, they are comfortable, but offer little support. So I added the soft foam on top, it provides a surprising amount of support, stability and warmth, for me anyways. All in its heavy, but the foldable foam mat is with me anyway, its my chair basically, and the 1 in foam mat makes for 250 g extra.

[@67L48]

I'll add another budget pad that you will NEVER hear about on any backpacking channel: Cabela's Instinct Insulated Sleeping Pad. This is a pad that's made by Klymit, but I've never seen a Klymit pad with this same dimensions, baffle design, or style (so it seems like a unique design). The regular is 24" wide by 72" long by 3" thick -- so a sort of hybrid of a standard and wide backpacking pad. It has an R value of 4.5 using Primaloft Infinity insulation. It weighs ~30 oz (just shy of 2 lbs), so on the heavier side. It's regularly available for $70. I'm a side-sleeper and have used this pad into the mid-30s. Very comfortable and warm. I eventually upgraded to an ultralight pad to save volume and weight. But, for a budget pad, it's excellent. "Cabela's Instinct" is the premium hunting/outdoor brand in the Bass Pro Shops/Cabela's umbrella. Anyway, it's an interesting option for a sub-$100 pad that is well insulated, thick, well-made, and offered by a reputable company/brand.

[@nabwong]

When your wife kicks you out of the room, you can now still sleep in comfort on a budget. Yay!!!

[@kelseywinter-troutwine1928]

Would love to see you do all of Paria Outdoors Products. I’d love to see you, as DB did a tent years ago that I remember but looks like Paria has approachable gear ranging from stoves to trekking poles.

[@BackcountryExposure]

@@kelseywinter-troutwine1928 I’ve done quite a bit of content on Paria’s products over the years. It’s good stuff and a great warranty.

[@davidcooper8390]

I have used the Blue Kilos Gear pad on multiple trips this season and believe me it is a very comfortable pad. With the 4" of thickness you can deflate it quite a bit to suit your needs. The Ampex pad is currently about half the price of the Kilos Gear pad though. I also have the Exped Ultra 3R and it is pretty comfy pad too that you can generally find for about the same price. How do these compare to the FlexTail zero orange pad?

[@BackcountryExposure]

@@davidcooper8390 nice! I haven’t used the Flextail pad, and it doesn’t necessarily pique my interest all that much.

[@pauliedamickoutdoors]

I bought the Ampex pad a few weeks ago and have been testing it out. While it is warm, I could not get comfy for the life of me. I really wanted it to work, but I’m a horizontal baffle guy I guess.

[@tomlovesdiy]

Always appreciate your gear reviews in part because they are based on experience. Had used a Nemo Tensor R4.2. With a REI Magma 30 quilt and wool base layer plus 3:26 a small synthetic DIY blanket. At 42F I was very cold. Just bought the All Season R5.4. Hoping it will keep me warm. BTW. 3 random pieces of sleeping gear are not a "system". Please stop calling them that.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Thanks, sharing experience is important to be able to speak to real world conditions. The Nemo pads that got updated this year are much better than previous generation pads. I call them a system cause that’s what they are. Your pad, sleeping bag/quilt and pillow are a system by definition. “a set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network”. Sorry, I don’t intentionally say it to be annoying. 😊

[@Jessecall1487]

The vertical vs quilted vs horizontal baffles is up to personal preference, I think. I have found the vertical baffles in the Exped to be much more comfortable than the quilted ones. You also don’t get the cold spots that you get with many of the lower-end quilted-style pads.

[@BackcountryExposure]

That’s totally fair! Everyone has preferences for their bed at home and same goes for camping. 👍🏻

[@Jessecall1487]

@@BackcountryExposureyou’re based out of Utah, right? Have you looked much at the gear that Rec Outlet carries? I know that they basically rebrand some mass-produced gear, but the quality for the price has been getting harder and harder to beat…

[@countrygirl63baker64]

The kilos gear pads just look comfy as well. Good to know Info....😊

[@BackcountryExposure]

It’s mega comfy!

[@jaza4805]

Which sleeping pad currently available withstands 50+ nights without developing an air leakege? Tried already sea-to-summit and big agnes rapide sl, and all of them failed on me.

[@BackcountryExposure]

@@jaza4805 where did they fail? Did the valve fail, or did you get holes from pokey things on the ground?

[@jaza4805]

@@BackcountryExposure Sea-to-summit - failed valve. Big Agnes - both mine and my wife's developed leakages (4 in total in 48 hrs!!!) in spots where the bottom is joined with the top, very similar to what you showed in your video.

[@petercruz1993]

That kilos gear pad looks objectively better than the Big Agnes Rapide but I’m still going to buy it because it looks cosy.

[@BackcountryExposure]

The Rapide is a pretty good pad. I wouldn’t say it sleeps any warmer than either of these, but it’s a comfortable pad.

[@benedikthassel]

Aaaaaand again the best is not in your list. The Naturehike Hikino R8.8. it's 2 meters long, 65cm wide and a whooping 12cm thick!! weight is 690g, price is about 130€ in europe. YOU CANT BEAT THIS

[@BackcountryExposure]

I’ll give it a look!

[@dirtsmiles8098]

@@BackcountryExposureill second this, I have the r5 version and it’s great for about $80

[@boredandagitated]

Me and my partner bought two of those $15 ones for car camping and they suck! They both leaked on the first trip out

[@BackcountryExposure]

Sounds about right. That sucks though.