When you're away from home and want some added comfort to your cot or sleeping bag, try an ALPS self inflating air pad. With the lightweight series, the pad will inflate and deflate quickly with the jet stream foam and roll up compactly to fit into the stuff sack. The top fabric is tough, lightweight Ripstop and the bottom is polyester taffeta. Another benefit of adding an air pad is that it will help keep you warmer... essential to a well rested night.
A free stuff sack, compression straps, and repair kit are included with every pad... something many other companies make you pay extra for.
I have a Thermorest I spent twice the money on, This Pad is LIGHTER, THICKER, and better built. I am back to buy another because now my daughter even refuses to use the thermorest.
This pad give great R factor in added warmth, has a large valve for inflation/deflation. It is built like steel and weighs like silk.
I am a 350 lb backpacker and I never touch ground with the support this pad offers.
My husband and I purchased two of these for our church youth trek last week. I'm NOT an outdoors person and was dreading sleeping at night on the ground. We've tried lots of other camping pads through the years including Thermarest, but these XL size pads (77 x 30) meant my sleeping bag didn't slide off the pad during the night. The pads are remarkably comfortable and as a side sleeper I didn't once feel the ground on my hip or side. My husband's a big guy and he also loves this pad - tall enough and wide enough for him. It is easy to inflate (most of it inflates automatically) and easy to roll back into its compact size. Lightweight, durable materials too. Almost convinced me that sleeping in the great outdoors is worth it!
A few days a week, my husband and I hike to the top of a local mountain. When we reach the top, we typically sit on the ground and share snacks while watching the sunset. I had been eyeballing this sitting pad, but wasn't sure I wanted to spend the money or carry it around.
One day, while enjoying our view after our hike, I sat in something stinky and gross that came from an animal's digestive system. I hiked back to our car (about 2 miles) wishing I had purchased this pad.
The next morning, my wishes were answered as the pad was REI-Outlet's Deal of the Day! I promptly purchased 4 of them and am very pleased with their performance.
The pad is very lightweight, and rolled up in its carrying sack, it fits fine in the hydration packs we use for this hike. It is kept rolled up with two elastic bands. I don't like that the bands aren't attached to the pad because they could be lost, but we make it a habit to store them in the pad's sack.
The pad is as easy to use as any self-inflating pad. Just unroll it slightly then open the valve. In less than a minute, you have a perfectly fine sitting pad. I finish inflating it with a puff of air, then close the valve. It was just as easy to deflate it and return it to it's sack.
This pad is extremely comfortable, though I am comparing it to sitting on the ground. It makes our sunset snack-time so enjoyable, plus it protects us from whatever nasty stuff is on the ground. Because it is inflatable, the comfort level is adjustable, unlike foam pads. An added plus is that it comes with a repair kit that is small enough to keep in the carrying sack.
We are very pleased with how durable this pad is, as well. It is basically a miniature sleeping pad. The material is a thick vinyl that held up to some rocks. I don't recommend placing it on a bed of sharp needles or super sharp rocks since you'll likely feel them through the pad. But on relatively even surfaces, it held up very well.
Because it came in its own sack and given its size, this sitting pad was easy enough to carry inside our hydration packs, but we could easily lash them to our North Face Sport Hiker waist packs (it has compression straps that can hold the pad horizontally). If you carry a very small waist pack with no lashing capability, this won't fit. It's a long tube.
If you day hike and take any sort of breaks, there is no reason not to have this pad unless you like sitting on the ground. I like to sit, but I like to be clean, too.
Be the envy of your camp/hike buddies and buy this pad!!
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