Solo Winter Camping & Testing The Kilos Gear AeroCloud Sleeping Pad!

[@bertman4]

I just got back from a single overnight using the exact same AeroCloud Elite. I was miserable. On the ground was snow and overnight low temp inside the tent was 25F. It was nowhere near the R5.0 that was promised. The top of my body was warm but the bottom of my body, whether the back or the side, touching the pad was cold. It was sucking the heat right out of me and I kept shivering all night. Every time I would wake up from the cold, I'd add another layer. I ended up with long sleeve, light fleece, puffy on top and long johns and pants on bottom. I was still cold which highlighted the importance of insulation on the bottom. FYI, I'm 5'9" and 163#. My usual winter setup is the Tensor Alpine (20 inch wide mummy, R4.8) stacked with Nemo Switchback (R2.0). I've used just the Tensor Alpine on snow and it was nowhere near as cold as sleeping on the Kilos Gear Elite. It's not making my winter gear list. I'm still looking for a 24-25 inch wide, mummy shaped, high R value sleeping pad for the winter.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Dang, I’m sorry to hear that was your experience. As I’ve mentioned in recent videos on this pad, the pad isn’t a true 4 season pad. The cut outs in the insulation around the weld points and it not being suspended insulation, it has a harder time providing the warmth it needs. I also don’t believe R5 to be a r-value to use on snow. You’ll definitely want supplemental insulation underneath. I’ve expressed that as necessary in the recent full review I did on the pad. I think you’d be best off for winter with the X-therm or the EXPED Ultra 7R. Anytime I’m on snow, aside from the testing I did in this video with the AeroCloud, I look at using a R7 pad.

[@paullessard4549]

I’ve been looking for a pad for over two years (this is the 4th one) and this is THE ONE! Got the Large Size AeroCloud Sleeping Pad Elite (I am 6 feet tall [1.8 meters], 175 lbs [75 kg], side-sleeper). Pitched my Durston X-Mid 1 to give a try and found it fits perfectly with adequate spacing on top and bottom for small stuff storage. I’m really pleased with the comfort, height and width. Most importantly, it supports my arms without them hanging “over the edge.” Great price, weight, size, and R-value; check, check, check! Not less than a week later, had an issue which required a replacement. Wrote an email on a Sunday night and it was answered in less than one hour, unbelievable! I explained what happened they said they would replace it free of charge. It arrived today and I’m thrilled! Great product and exceptional customer service! Thank you Kilos!

[@cachemacstrailtime]

I think I was sold on the overall size of it. I am a bigger guys and most pads do not cater to that. The fact that you pulled it out of the tent and it still looked pretty solid. Yes, I will be checking this pad out.👍👍

[@KatrinaOutside]

Can you do an updated 2024 ranking of sleeping pads? So many have changed this year. Wondering where this pad would fall ranked against others.

[@louspeed1]

It's good to see that there are alternatives to the big name brands out there. Thanks for the video.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Thanks for watching!

[@agrivere5494]

Considering the many competitors this sleeping pad has, and how easy it is to find discounts on those competing options, it seems like this pad is respectable but priced too high. For $100 I’d buy one without question. For $120 I’d have to think about it. For $150 there are lots of other pads that are only a bit more money and are warmer, lighter, and have multiple sizing options.

[@jadenm]

I agree with this. Good review. Seems like a middle of the pack kind of sleeping pad for the price. I like that its 26 inches wide.

[@natlovell122]

Can you share some options for a similar price to this pad?

[@agrivere5494]

@@natlovell122 Depending on the time of year, you can often find last season's pads on clearance as manufacturers release their new designs. Last year there were lots of great deals on Thermarest pads as the old pads were cleared out to make room for the new NXT pads. This year there have been great deals on last season's Nemo pads as Nemo releases their new line of pads. Those deals can't always be had though, so what other options are there? Most outdoor retailers have 15-20% off coupons running pretty much all the time, so you can get pretty close to this price by using one of these coupons. REI of course has their 20% off coupon running right now (Moosejaw does as well). With these coupons you can look at things like the Nemo Tensor All Season for $176 (R 5.4, 19 ounces), the Big Agnes Rapide SL for $160 (R 4.8, 23 ounces), the Exped Ultra 5R for $160 (R 4.8, 23 ounces), or even the Thermrest NeoAir XLite NXT for $184 (R 4.5, 19 ounces). All of these pads are proven and are backed up by solid companies with good warranties. If you want to save some money by using a less well known brand, those are easy to find as well. The Gear Doctors pad is currently $90 on Amazon (R 5.2, 25.4 ounces), and the Klymit Static V Lite is also $90 on Amazon (R 4.4, 19.6 ounces), and I'm sure there are more. I've personally used both of these, and while I think the name brand pads are worth the extra money both of these certainly work fine. Just my personal take of course. The Kilos Gear pad seems like it's pretty good, but considering the many other options at that price point it would be a hard pass for me.

[@scottgephart9749]

Devin, I think that wide mummy shaped pads are going to be the way of the future. Wider up top for more sleeping comfort, but more narrow at the feet for less surface area. Kind of like the REI Helix pad... I know that Justin Outdoors loves that pad.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Yeah I’d agree that that could be a design we see more often. It makes sense to do.

[@zacharybonner9188]

I bit and bought their chair back last summer. Pretty impressed.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Oh sweet!

[@briteshikes5099]

Not to knock on you Devin but you said if the pad was smaller it would have been better in the conditions you are in but maybe you just need to be bigger lol. This seems like a good pad for someone who is 6'3 like me. Good review!

[@BackcountryExposure]

I ordered a body stretching machine on Amazon… it didn’t arrive in time for this trip. 😂😜

[@Mesol0vely]

Hello! Saw that you chose the Tarpent Ultra on this trip. I watched your original first impressions of the Tarpent Ultra 9 months ago. What have been your overall thoughts on the fabric, durability, and cost as compared to other tents in this category?

[@DaveOffGrid]

Cool new pad! Great to see you trying out a larger pad too! I agree though, a bit large for us shorties. If they went with a 25x74x3.5 inch they could reduce the weight even more and it might help with the cold spot issue. I’m also a fan of the S2S mummy cut, could save even more weight with that design.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Yeah that S2S Mummy cut is a realistic way to reduce a pads size without cutting corners.

[@kylew7419]

Seems like it might be a good 3 season option. But 26 inch wide is a bit too wide if your trying to fit 2 pads in a 2 person tent.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Truth about the width. In fact, for this trip I wanted to use my Hilleberg Enan, but could not because of the width of the pad. So I went with the Tarptent.

[@jadenm]

“Do you want to check out our new sleeping pad?” “Let me…sleep on it.” 😂 loved the unintended pun.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Here for it! 😂

[@edwin8808]

Great video Devin Indoors!

[@BackcountryExposure]

😊

[@rodoutdoors]

There's been storms passing through here I guess have been making its way there. The pad looks nice 👍

[@Bestrong61]

Thanks for a great video on this product - I’m a hammock camper and I’m just diving into UL tenting so forgive me of my ignorances but can you place a Mylar space blanket under the pad to reflect more heat or will it not work - thanks

[@robertpierce4566]

So would the air valve be compatible with the Flextail Mini pump? Also great job on the overnight review for the Kilos pad!

[@BackcountryExposure]

Thanks! Yes, I've used the Zeropump on the pad just fine.

[@Terpedup925]

You need to get a Peax tipi tent with a stove and all that sleeping in the snow will be way more comfortable

[@kaitlynchermak6488]

As always, thanks for the video Devin! Also, what’s your little mat you used to lay all your cook stuff out on?

[@kaitlynchermak6488]

Nevermind, I saw you linked it in the description. Thanks! What chest pack are you using?

[@BackcountryExposure]

Was just gonna say check the description. The chest pack is the Hill People Gear Runners Kit Bag.

[@Umanflyumanfly]

The answer is a small ecoflow power unit and a sleeping blanket underneath .

[@kjm8135]

When are you going to be reviewing the news Nemo gear that just dropped? Interested in the new designed disco/riff/coda and the all season tensor.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Soon. I’ve got things in the works on that front.

[@Fizzyfuzzybignbuzzy]

Devin amazing video I love what you do man. You keep my down time fueled with intense interest. My question to you because I trust your opinion so highly. Is this pad such a winner I don’t need to look at the new Nemo ones or for another 50$ is it worth it to go with the Nemo all season? Is 26” width any more comfortable than 25”?

[@BackcountryExposure]

Thank you!!

[@wyregrasser7540]

Super beautiful. Thanks for sharing. I am soooo jealous of you guys that get snow and scenes like this. So much so, I think I'm going to turn into a Winter Troll for the tubers with great snow. Huh... hard to troll a site you like. Take care. 👴

[@BackcountryExposure]

Ha ha ha! Definitely blessed to have so many great places to camp here in Utah.

[@davidshirley6850]

Beautiful location interesting pad,

[@BackcountryExposure]

Thanks!

[@craig3401]

I've seen a review of this pad from a UK youtuber and the temps weren't anywhere near what you had it in and they said it was a very cold pad

[@BackcountryExposure]

Like I said in the video, so much of a pads performance will be contingent on conditions. Your sleeping bag/quilt being able to cover the pad surface area, how cold the ground is, your body size, etc to maintain the air temperature in the pad and the insulation ability to deflect cold from the ground. I wouldn’t call it a “very cold pad”, at least in my experience. But I do wish it had been warmer for the conditions I had it in.

[@alexveross2921]

Is it still working well? Any updates?

[@henrikandreason7261]

How does it fair in a hammock? Is it too big ?

[@ajw9975]

Looks like a clone of the Sea-to-Summit Ether Light XT. Even the insulation diagrams look the same. I had one (Ether Light XT) which was ASTM rated to R3.2. If the Kilos is a clone, then it will have the same design flaws as the Ether Light XT. From my experience with the Ether Light XT, the insulation "film/layer" ends up dropping down to the bottom side of the pad. Not only that, the Ether Light XT (and I suspect the Kilos) sleeps wayyyy colder than the inflated R5.0 rating at an air temp of 32F (OC). Why? the pad has no baffles preventing cold air from advecting from outside your body print. Not only that, but the dimples on each side match up with each other and are uninsulated. Given these, each time you roll around, the cold air will mix with the warm air underneath your body.

[@ronaldlemmer8491]

I am looking at that Rainbow DW-----do you feel the extra $100 is worth it for the Ultra--given the floor becomes thinner? I tried to talk myself into the Di-pole but I like my gear inside. I had the original Rainbow for a decade and never had an issue with it.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Do you camp in the rain a lot? If so, then the ultra is a great option.

[@oliverlu3346]

Is that the new ZENBIVY ultralight quilt and sheet? How did it perform?

[@BackcountryExposure]

Good eye! Yes it is, and so far it’s been excellent! Had it on another recent trip that got down to 13F and was nice and toasty.

[@beurnii]

Are you testing a new zenbivy product? I don't recognized this quilt color!

[@BackcountryExposure]

Yes, more info to come soon. But it’s exciting.

[@beurnii]

@@BackcountryExposure Cool! I was going to get the core bed, I'll hold on for now

[@AngelaAJJuson]

Im planning to get a zenbivy sheet just like yours, will a 25” zenbivy sheet fits a 26” sleeping pad or should I get the 30”? Thanks in advance!

[@BackcountryExposure]

A 25” will fit a 26” pad no problem

[@SteffenThomsen]

When are you reviewing the Tensor All season?

[@BackcountryExposure]

Soon… it will likely come as a comparison of the three new tensor models in a side by side. 😁

[@tommikkk1]

@BackcountryExposure Devin, what is that chestpack you're wearing please?

[@BackcountryExposure]

It’s the Hill People Gear Runners Kit Bag.

[@tommikkk1]

@@BackcountryExposure Thank you!

[@Jafail4079]

will there be bears or wolves? I am worried

[@YTusercomment]

So, you would NOT bring that AeroCloud Elite sleeping pad out on another trip like that...or would you gladly do it if bringing a closed cell foam sleeping pad placed underneath? I also noticed it looked like you did not use a groundsheet...perhaps a ground sheet use might have been a bit better.

[@BackcountryExposure]

I would use again with a closed cell foam pad underneath when sleeping on snow like I did here. But without a foam pad underneath, I wouldn't. I did have a footprint under the tent. :)

[@YTusercomment]

@@BackcountryExposure - I decided to order one...got it at a discounted price and I will rarely ever camp in snow cold like that. I needed an insulated inflatable lighter weight sleeping pad for cooler nights, well above freezing. The weight on this one was about a half pound less than KILOS Gear's original sleeping mat, and I prefer the air fill bag to the foot pump. The price point, compared to others similar, was more budget friendly. Based on your review, and a coupe of others I've referenced, it seems to offer good comfort level. My final evaluation will be if it remains durable and continues to hold air well. I have a 2" thick self-inflating ThermaRest sleep pad I've had for a long time and it will lose some air overnight. Have you continued to use this sleeping pad in other conditions and is it holding up well?

[@nickstaaa]

@@YTusercommenthow is the pad 6mo in? Still inflated? Thanks

[@dunkan_maclaud]

Hello! What backpack did you use ?

[@BackcountryExposure]

It’s the REI Flash 55.

[@dunkan_maclaud]

Thanks !@@BackcountryExposure

[@ch3mo883]

@backcountryexposure any links on the chest pack and the light pole?

[@BackcountryExposure]

Hey sorry for the late reply. But I've just added links to the description. They are the Hill People Gear Runners Kit Bag - Snubby and the Flextail EVO Lantern. :)

[@ch3mo883]

@@BackcountryExposure awesome thanks looking forward to get them for my next backpacking trip

[@konalux06]

I've looked but can't seem to find what gloves you are wearing in this video. Can you help a brotha out?!

[@BackcountryExposure]

They are the Diablo Tec gloves from Outdoor Designs.

[@SuperdutyExplorer]

5 minutes in... hope your not too far from vehicle, think your gonna be cold. That's s big pad to keep warm on ice.

[@shabingly]

I think most people (and vendors and manufacturers tbh) try and equate an R rating to an ambient temperature for use which isn't necessarily the case, although I get why they do that. Edit/ I mean by this, they insulate you from the ground, so trying to match it to air temps is a bit dodgy imo. I also think your cold backside might possibly caused by (and I apologise for saying this, I'm not saying you're as fat as I am) your bum forcing the air out from under it and flattening it so much there was less insulation there. Happens to me a fair bit whenever I forget to fully insulate my SIM, because I am as I said a bit of a fatty ATM.

[@iceman857]

Cold butt syndrome is a no-go for me

[@homanmasody5970]

It's scammed and Chinese product

[@dennissnyder6330]

Junk

[@BackcountryExposure]

Got more to say?