Z Lite Original Camping and Backpacking Sleeping Pad

The pad is very light and surprisingly comfortable for how thin it is. I am not a young thin athlete either 48 and 235lbs. Like I said it surprised me .

I didn't think they could improve on the original therma-a-rest I've had since college, but they did. A cold hike across the Sierra's convinced me that I needed more insulation, but necessarily inflation.At first I looked into inflatable models, but the best are expensive and I also like camping gear that's rugged, unlike cactus prone inflatable models. I tossed my multi-patched inflatable a few years back.PROS:1. Size: The egg carton shaped surface interlocks to make it fold thinner than you would think.2. Packing: It folds quickly, and I didn't have a problem bending it or stuffing it if needed. It is a bit wide for stuffing horizontally, but I prefer to tie it to the outside for easy access as a break chair.3. Insulation: The new surface creates air pockets and better ground insulation. The foam also seems better than my original black therm-a-rest.4. Look: I got basic green, and I like that. I don't like rests that double as rescue flags and despoil the campsite with a space camp look.5. Durability: So far, it seems durable. I will look after the folding points, but expect them to wear well.CONS:1. No real cons. Some may want wider, some may want thicker, but I found it just right. Get an inflatable for extreme cold, but this is great for most people's cold ground needs.BOTTOMLINE:A great pad that keeps me warmer on cold ground, packs quickly, and make a great chair when needed!

As far as sleeping pads go, I find this design superior to ones that roll up for a number of reasons. Sometimes i use this pad to sit or kneel on and it is easy to use the folds to get the exact thickness between me and the ground where i want it. The R-value is pretty high for a pad this cheap.Comparing this to an inflatable mattress, I find this thing simply irreplaceable. It is tougher and more durable than any air mattress, you don't have to blow it up or carry a patch kit just incase it gets a hole. I know people that won't get their mattresses anywhere near a fire for fear that a flying ember will burn a big hole in their $100+ mattress. I plop this thing down in various configurations and sit or lay near fires with no worry. I frequently lean it up against trees so I'm sitting up but still have padding under my whole body, and one section doubled over at the top for extra padding for my head. I kneel on it to protect my knees when i'm cooking or building fires, i would never do this with an inflatable mattress. If we stop hiking to take a break it is easy to undo the straps on pack, throw this down and sit, kneel, or lay, then simply accordion it back up and strap it back on the pack and continue down the trail. If i ever get an inflatable mattress for backpacking i will still probably cut off and bring a small section of this for some of the above purposes. At 14oz it is also lighter by far than any similar r-value inflatable mattress by quite a bit. Even air mattresses that have very low r-value are heavier or the same weight.

I picked this up because my wife and I were headed to the Nevada desert for a little camping. The price was right, so I picked up two for us.We're doing car camping (nothing too rough for us), but the pad is pretty lightweight, and I wouldn't hesitate to take it on a hike, so long as I wasn't going too far (handful of miles). It's a little on the bulky side, but still very reasonable.It certainly helped keep us warmer, preventing the ground from sucking all the heat out of us, and it was moderately comfortable to sleep on, but the ground still felt awfully hard underneath it.For the price, if you're just looking for something to help keep you off the ground and provide moderate padding, I would recommend this. If you need something that REALLY insulates, or if you have back problems, don't think this will address your issues, and consider something either more robust, more expensive, or both.

Well priced and pretty insulated . Slept on the ground at around 4° F and was fairly comfortable

Very light and handy for fair weather trips where you want a multi-use pad. You can sit or kneel on this without worrying about punctures or it absorbing water. Not as comfortable as an inflatable pad, but for some applications it is just what is needed.

Quality:Amazing Quality, I went with it in the Nevada desert, and didn’t feel one rock, Recommend.

I use this for military applications. It is more comfortable and just as warm as my Marine Corps issue sleeping pad. It's definitely much lighter. Only downside is that rocks can easily be lodged in the gaps and that the silver side is not the most concealable color. It would be nice if they made a green and tan one.Pros:Very lightComfortableCons:Egg carton design traps rocks sometimesSilver side not very tactical (might not be a problem for most)