| End Use | Backpacking |
|---|---|
| Sleeping Pad Type | Closed-cell Foam |
| Sleeping Pad Shape | Rectangular |
| Sleeping Capacity | 1 Person |
| R-Value | 2.2" |
| Ultralight | Yes |
| Pad Thickness (in.) | 1.5" |
| Gender | Unisex |
REVIEWS
8 Reviews
Charlie
I bought these for a less than comfortable camper bed. We use them underneath the stock cushions and they work perfectly, and when we want to fold up the bed the accordion folding shape makes for easy storage.
Jeremiah
This mat is very large and thick like it said. I use it as a bottom mat to protect my inflatable sleeping pad which works nicely. However, I would not recommend using this pad by itself since it is very uncomfortable with all the bumps and grooves in it.
DavesNotHere
Don't believe the negative reviews, just spend some time laying on this mat in your living room to break it in before you take it out. (Makes a nice footrest too.) Of course, it's not as cush as an inflatable, but then again, you don't have to worry about it deflating when you're out in the backcountry.
sorrel
The domes collapse a bit, which makes sense. More comfortable than an inflatable, actually ended up pairing it with an underinflated pad and is now warm, comfortable, and takes care of more rocks and roots. 4 star until longer term use will prove to be better.
Jeebus
Used this along with a Big Agnes AXL in the cascades this spring. Got in the teens up at base camp. Kept my core nice and warm. Pretty tough pad-- it has also withstood some toddler and dog abuse. Held up just fine so far, even being lashed to the exterior of my ski pack and abused all day for several days.
remi_c
This is the 3d type of flexible mattress made of foam I buy (I have the thermarest and the nemo switchback). They are very very robust, and work well in all situations. In summer one is enough. In shoulder season, two are a must. Right now ( really cold weather of -15C), three is the minimum. Two times these foam mattress have saved my bacon when my inflating pad punctured during the night. I never hike without one of these, as they provide a critical safety in case of accident. As they are so robust, one can pad them with branches / leaf in emergency. This Flexmat plus is very noticeably thicker than the two others, and as a result takes up more volume. The great point is that it resists compression as well as the two others. I personally use the 3 pads stacked in winter, and what is great is that they all have difference patterns, which mean then isolate you better from the ground. In winter, a sleeping bad is better than a quilt with this pad, as the down is going to fill the patterns (yep, you definitively notice the difference). I use a size small as the key pressure points are shoulders and hips in my case. Only criticism is that they incorporate a non-patterned place to write the brand, which is wasteful imo. The two other brands also do that sadly. When carrying light load, I usually put the mat inside my bakpack to reinforce the back. As the Flexmat is bigger, it's a bit harder to do so. Usually I carry the mats outside of my bag though.
Senderellas37
My Thermarest air pad always flattened, so I switched to ExPed foam pad. I don’t have to worry about it being punctured. It’s lightweight and fold compact.
JMLAD
As a climber I want to love closed cell foam pads. Reliable in the face of multiple sharp toys, low fuss, makes a nice seat during breaks, no blowing into a valve when you're already winded at altitude. Unfortunately I just can't sleep much on them on any remotely hard surface, and I've tried them all. I wake up with discomfort in my hips or lower back. Must be getting old. Every time a new foam pad is released I hope it'll be the one. The standard in this segment (accordion folding egg crate CCF pads) for years has been the good old Thermarest Z Lite. I couldn't sleep on it, not a chance. Hard and thin. Nemo improved on it a a couple of years ago with the Switchback - little thicker, little softer, same packed size. I still couldn't get a good night's rest on it but it wasn't quite as bad. So I'm always excited to try these pads although I maintain low expectations. Here are my thoughts on the FlexMat Plus compared to the Switchback (which I also currently own, I haven't owned a Z Lite since the Switchback was released). 1) the Exped is thicker, but the Switchback is softer. ie ask yourself if your discomfort on a foam pad is from bottoming out VS the foam being too hard (for me, the former is a bigger issue). The Exped feels a bit pokey at first but as the pointy tops of the ridges flatten out with a couple of uses it gets moderately more comfy. No free lunch here, only compromises! 2) the weight of the Exped was a pleasant surprise. Just under 15oz on my scale, well under spec. My Nemo is 14.6oz, right on spec. So basically the same. Nice for a thicker pad. YMMV by production run I suppose but that's what I've got. 3) the Nemo is more packable in every dimension as you would expect from the specs. Each individual section of the Exped is ~6in long vs ~5in for the Nemo. The Nemo also stays packed better, the Exped wants to open up like an accordion. Minor detail that may bother some. 4) the Exped surface visibly flattens after just 1 or 2 uses. I'm not sure this has any great practical significance (I thought it got more comfy not less) and even with the flattening it's still thicker than the Nemo. It doesn't seem to flatten out much much after those initial uses. Still, some might be disappointed to see this. So how does she sleep? Well, I still can't sleep through the night on a hard surface on the Exped like I can on a NeoAir (not even close) but I'll say it's an improvement. As I alluded to above, for me the problem with foam pads is bottoming out more so than the hardness/softness of the pad. The Exped is basically twice as thick as the Z Lite, and still significantly thicker than the Nemo. 0.75in (Z) vs 0.9in (Switch) vs 1.5in (Flexmat Plus). So in sum I think the Exped is a good addition to this category and I would strongly consider it if you are shopping for this type of pad, with the caveats I discussed above (harder, more pokey, less packable BUT thicker). If you feel like you just need a little bit of extra padding compared to the other foam pads you've tried the Exped is worth a shot.
Read All Reviews (8)
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