Sleeping Pad for Fat Guy

WYelker

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Feb 1, 2021
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I am 6’ 2” nearing 300 pounds. My son age 11 is getting excited to start back country packing. I need to loose weight and a couple back country trips can help that…

In the 90s I used a basic therma test pad, not comfort added but kept me warmer. With that being said, there are a plethora of new companies and new designs.

what sleeping pad is going to be durable, strong and light?
 
There are a bunch and I might recommend inquiring with a specialist at REI, etc. I'm not a small guy and mine is by Mammut (though it is made for sleepers who don't move around). I know someone who loves the one they got by Big Agnes.
 
I've tried quite a few. For comfy pads I've had the best luck with Thermarest Neo-Air series holding up. Exped was fine. BA insulated air core not so much. If durability is the top priority/concern there is no beating cc foam. Z-lite SOL or Ridgerest SOLite would be my pick in that dept. Technology hasn't changed much in the last 8-10 years or so. And excepting the coatings on the cc pads, those haven't changed much since the 90's.
 
I laid on a few different models at REI a few years ago and ended up with an Exped SynMat UL in the long/wide size. I am 6'6" and at the time was +/- 300#. The Neo-Air was noisy as hell when I moved around on it, although I think they may have fixed that issue.

I agree that going into an REI and testing them out is a good idea.
 
I'm 6'5" 225 and a side sleeper, so not exactly heavy, but being a side sleeper can be tough on a pad that's not comfortable. I bought a Big Agnes Q-Core Deluxe a few years back and I love it. It's a weight penalty over the more minimalist pads but it is very comfortable and adjustable depending how firm or soft you like it. They have different sizes and the large works great for me on the length.
 
I have a BA insulated core and while super comfortable now leaks and just slowly enough i cant find it. I like it matched with there park bag, as bigger guys its tough to find equiptment that "fits" and that bag is amazingly comfortable. I will probably hit up that shiny new REI in Billings and see what they have in long/wide pads. Thanks for reminding me of 1 more thing i need to buy....lol
 
Apologies to the owner but the title of this thread brought back a memory of a day fishing with my dad on a lake near here many years ago. It was slow and we were catching up on current events back home in Montana. Suddenly Dad changed the subject. "With all your education maybe you can answer a question that's been bugging me for a long time. I read once that Bhuddists believe in reincarnation. What's the story with that?" I explained their belief that moving up or down in reincarnations towards nirvana was dictated by behaviour in the current life. He was quiet for a minute and then: "Well, I hope there's nothing to it. Given the way I've lived this life I'd probably spend the next one as a driver's seat spring in a Columbia Falls police patrol car." The girth of those cops was pretty amazing considering the town didn't have a donut shop. But Todd's Cafe almost never had any pie in the cooler.
 
I’ll throw another vote in for Klymit. I have had one of those through a deployment and many nights out. For the price point I do not believe you can do better. Hold up well (just be conscious of the ground before you throw it down), patch easy, blow up fast, packable and I’ve not found them to be noisy.
 
Whatever the pad, for a comfortable sleep it still helps to dig out a shallow depression in the ground underneath to fit the hips and butt, and another smaller one for the shoulders.
 
Big Agnes for comfort. They’re a little heavy. Their lighter models, while more expensive, are likely not quite as comfortable. I’ll likely never consider anything else.
 
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