OEX Flux 5.0 Sleeping Mat with Drawstring Pump Bag, Lightweight Inflatable Sleeping Mat for Camping, Ideal for Hiking, Backpacking and Wild Camping, Camping Equipment, Blue, One Size

Product Information

The broad vertical baffles help keep you centred on the mat even if you're a side sleeper or tend to roll about in the night, and this goes a long way to compensating for the mat's relative narrowness (see below). is a camping sleeping mat made of durable Nylon ripstop fabric, which is resistant to tearing and abrasions. The Adventure Mat packs away nice and small, making it ideal for any winter wild camper, and with it only weighing 430g you won’t really notice the weight in your pack. Its aesthetic triangular baffle design not only promotes high levels of insulation but comfort as well. The Superlite has a TPU membrane which gives it an airtight seal, this works perfectly with the self-inflating system.

Also, since using a snugpak stratosphere, there is not much more width it would take maybe 8-10 inches spare. It is relatively quiet, so you don't crinkle like a crisp packet when rolling over, but with its shiny texture it does tend to slide on a sloping groundsheet. Rather than the underside of your sleeping bag being compressed, as you'll find on a flatter mat, the distinctive deep grooves are there to help the bag loft. I headed up my favourite mountain in Snowdonia and pitched up with a beautiful view of the Ogwen Valley, enjoying the peace and solitude of the outdoors with a gorgeous sunset. The NEOAir's layered insulation is clearly less susceptible to moisture than, for instance, the Exped's down fill, but to avoid any issues with condensation and mould buildup inside, this mat comes with an inflator bag that can be used to pump it up.

So when your body wants to warm up the grooves will help you warm up quicker and it’s the same effect when you want to cool down. The mat fits easily into its stuff sack, but only with a bit of persuasion can the Pumpbag be crammed in too. We would not recommend this mat as a first choice for anyone aiming to camp regularly in temperatures around or below freezing point; it's better viewed as a budget choice for general valley camping and less-rigorous hill use. In cold weather it doesn't matter how good your sleeping bag is; without sufficient insulation underneath too, you are likely to suffer.

This comfortable mat is lightweight (900g) and compact when rolled up, and, once inflated using the built-in foot pump, it provides an effective bed (although, side sleepers may need something thicker) with a brilliant pillow included. Nevertheless we've found it warm enough for cold camping, though we would probably draw the line at just below zero rather than the extreme cold of a hard winter. If you’re looking for a mat for the winter time but want to keep it traditional then look no further.Open a valve and Vango’s comfort mat fills with air and is ready to go in seconds, or you can top it up quickly if you prefer a firmer sleeping mat. At just 486g, the Downmat (size M) is extremely light for the insulation on offer - Add 13g for the stuff sack and 58g for the obligatory Pumpbag (more on that below) and you're still quids in when it comes to weight saving.

Uniquely in this test the Comfort Plus has a double layer construction, with inflatable chambers on both sides of the mat, each served via its own valve. If you love to set up your tent in the summer, are a festival frequenter or are planning your next camping adventure abroad, a lightweight mat with low R-value designed for warm weather could be your new bestie for a good night’s sleep. It is easy to use: plug it into the valve, flick it full of air, roll the closure tight and squeeze. While it isn’t quite self-inflating, despite its name, it does only take a few puffs to get Snugpak’s XL mat ready, and a foam layer adds welcome comfort and warmth as well as protecting you if you stretch out on rockier terrain. Although it packs down to a good size, for a bit more money you can get a much smaller inflatable mat.

At its widest point this is one of the broader mats in the review, while the taper towards the feet isn't as sharp as some, so overall you get plenty of sleeping area - good news if you tend to roll about in the night. If you leave the pump bag at home and rely on lung power all the way, it takes at least 25 hefty breaths - enough to leave you a little dizzy even at sea level. We've found the width just adequate for a comfy night's sleep; the reviewer is fairly broad, a size L in clothing terms, and anyone wider than that would probably be better off going up a size. I’d like to share some thoughts on the self-inflating sleeping mat I currently own, before I speculate upon potential weight and space-saving improvements.

Even the best down sleeping bag will compress beneath you, compromising its insulation, but because Exped's DownMats hold their feathery filling inside deep inflated baffles, the loft is maintained and you are protected from the cold ground beneath. This is thanks in part to a synthetic fill which lofts up inside the cells of the mat to prevent convective heat loss from your body to the ground. An anti-microbial treatment on the fabric helps prevent mould or fungal growth inside, something of a risk with any mat that gets puffed up full of damp breath. We also love the soft-touch upper of the comfort mat, which helps sleeping bags stop sliding off in the middle of the night. This is a measure of how effectively something resists conductive heat flow: a bigger R-value means better thermal insulating properties.As each cell deforms independently the mattress conforms to your body shape which feels softer and more comfortable with more body contact area and even dispersion of pressure. We have no data on its weight or thickness, but with a ripstop pattern and a rubbery feel it seems pretty strong stuff. It is certainly warm enough for UK winter mountain camping, but although it feels tough and well-built the considerable weight would be a big disadvantage on minimalist mountain trips. In a sleeping bag the fill has to "force" the two sides of fabric apart to create loft/space; but in the Exped mats the inflation pump creates the space for the down to fill.