The Best Backpacking Sleeping Pads for Every Season

WIRED

11-05-2025

The Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft Sleeping Pad (8/10, WIRED Recommends) isn't the lightest at 25 ounces, but it packs down respectably small (about an inch thicker and taller than a Nalgene water bottle), and inflates to a massive 4.6-inch cushy pad that looks more like a luxury car camping pad than something for the backcountry. Looks are not deceiving, either. If you prize sleep quality over weight, this is the pad for you. It's especially great if you're a side sleeper, where that extra height from the vertical side walls allows for more pressure relief without bottoming out, helping to keep you more comfortable. The R-4.7 rating isn't that great considering the weight, but it's more than enough for three-season use. (I would even call it conservative. I tested this pad down to 15 degrees and found it fine, though I am a warm sleeper.) Part of what makes it so comfortable are the triangular horizontal baffles running through out the pad. There's two layers of baffles, with the top layer being of a stretchier fabric that helps provide pressure relief, especially for side sleepers. This, combined with the stretch-knit top fabric, which is also excellent for pressure relief, is what makes this pad so comfortable. At the same time, the side baffles help provide support, and I never had this pad "taco" on me. The stretch-knit top helps cut down on that swishy nylon sound (this is a very quiet pad). It also makes sleeping on the pad with a quilt (rather than a sleeping bag) much more comfortable. The weight makes this pick best for those who prize comfort above all. This is most comfortable sleeping pad I've ever used. It's a wonderfully comfortable pad that will have you forgetting that you're sleeping on the ground. Specs R-Value 4.7 Weight (Regular) 25 oz (708 grams) Sizes Regular, Regular Wide, Large
Photograph: Nemo Equipment
Nemo's Tensor Extreme Conditions Sleeping Pad has the highest R-value of any pad we've tested. It is the only backpacking sleeping pad that can compete on warmth with car camping pads like Exped's MegaMat, yet the Tensor somehow manages to pack down to about the size of a Nalgene water bottle and weight just 21 oz. (587 g). Nemo manages this by packing four sheets of metallized thermal film into the trapezoidal chambers. The film is light, packs down small, and both reflects body heat back up to you and stops radiant heat loss to the snow.
I was initially skeptical of this pad. It's one thing to claim an R-value in lab tests; it's another thing to spend a sub-zero night on the snow in a Wisconsin winter. But that's what I did, and this pad performed extremely well. Paired with a Z-Rest (see below) and a -10F sleeping bag, it kept me toasty down to 4 degrees Fahrenheit. The 3.5 inches of loft is nice too, allowing for side sleeping without bottoming out (for reference, I am 5'11", 165 pounds). My only gripe with this pad (and all Nemo pads) is the regular is insanely narrow. If you don't want to feel like you're on a big wall bivouac, go for the wide versions. Specs R-Value 8.5 Weight (Regular) 21 oz (587 grams) Sizes Regular, Regular Mummy, Regular Wide, Long Wide