Snow camping on Mt. Kosciouszko - August 2015
8cm thickness makes for comfort!
Owner: Thomas
Used since: 2015
Tested by: Thomas
Review by: Thomas
Primary Use: Hiking, Snow and Winter camping
Review:
Having done an increasing amount of Winter hiking and camping this year, it was time to look for a better sleep pad with more insulation than my ThermaRest Prolite. After some research and dodging other ideas such as using multiple thinner sleeping pads, I found various options and manufacturers of specific winter pads. Although I was initially set on buying the ThermaRest NeoAir XTherm Max, multiple people have told me about their bad experience due to the noise that pad makes when sleeping on it ("you will wake not only yourself up but everyone around you"). So I opted for a new concept of down filled sleep pads that is offered by companies like Exped. The thickness of the pad is approx. 8cm when fully blown up and the MW form/size is ideal if you want a bit more space for your legs and feet. Amazingly the pad is still almost the same pack size and weight as my Thermarest Prolite Plus, so that in itself is fantastic as in winter you already carry much more gear than in summer (such as thicker sleeping bag). A good feature is that the pad includes a dry bag that can be used as 'pump' to blow up the pad (you should avoid blowing it up with the mouth as the moisture of the breath will result in mold building up inside the pad over time).
Now to the downsides - the pad is really quite expensive with over 300AUD in the local stores in Australia. Yes it does certainly give you better insulation in winter, is quiet and comfortable to sleep on - but its not as 'hot' and warming as marketing material may make you believe. Haven't compared any other brands or models but in the absence of that I can say its a good product that I will certainly continue to use during winter and especially when camping on snow.
Pros:
- Quiet and comfortable to sleep on
- Good insulation from cold ground including snow
- Dry Bag that doubles as 'pump' is included, which provides a great tool to blow the pad up quickly
- Pack size and weight is excellent despite its blown up size
Cons:
- Expensive
- Not as warming as people may think based on marketing and some other reviews but it is certainly warmer than any 3-season pad
- Due to the thickness of the pad (approx. 8cm), the cold air within the pad may still result in you feeling some cold underneath your sleeping bag in the early morning hours. So despite its insulation properties, you won't get around thermal underwear and a thick sleeping bag when you camp on snow
UPDATE July 2019:
One of the middle chambers of the mattress popped inside, making a huge bulge in the middle of it. This made it very uneven and uncomfortable to sleep on. This happened on the 3rd night of a 8 day trip. Called the manufacturer but they said they can’t repair or refund it as its out of warranty. Overall I was never too happy or impressed with this product, especially not for this price anyway.
Best system to use in Winter for snow camping is 1x fixed cell foam mattress (at least here the air can’t go out) + put another 3 or 4 season Thermarest (or similar product) on top of it. Works much better than any single mattress that claims its a winter mattress.
Manufacturer Website:
http://www.exped.com/usa/en/product-category/mats/downmat-winterlite-mw
