We are taking a look at the Exped SynMat Hyperlite.
As its name suggests it is a very light weight synthetic sleeping mat.
This is fully inflatable, so it has a very, very small pack size and it is going to cater
to back packers and campers who are looking for something that is comfortable, offers
a little bit of insulation for three season back packing and camping and is going to be
ultra light weight so you can pack it down and throw it into your pack when you are not
using it.
This comes in three sizes.
Here I have got the medium size which is 71 inches long, 20 and a half inches here at
the widest point.
It tapers in at the top and at the bottom just to save a little bit of weight, but it
also comes in medium wide and long wide.
This medium size weighs in right at 11.6 ounces, which, for a three season mat is pretty light
weight.
This has an R value of about 3.1, so perfect for three season use and also, as the name
suggests, it is insulated with synthetic insulation.
What Exped does with their insulation on their sleeping mats is it is bonded to the top and
the bottom of the baffles and so as you inflate the sleeping mat and those baffles separate
from each other, that synthetic insulation is spread out.
As you roll it back up, condense it, inflate it again, that insulation is going to stay
very durable for a maximum loft and ultimately to keep you a lot warmer after years of use.
The other great thing about these baffles is that the baffles are welded to the bottom
and to the top as well.
So you have got really secure kind of bonding baffles all the way through, lots of durability
there.
And with this tapered in cut, that saves a lot of weight as well.
So you can really pack it down to be small.
The other thing to note with this sleeping mat is the inflation valve here on the bottom.
This can be inflated by mouth or you can buy some of the Exped accessories separately to
inflate it if you don’t want to inflate it by mouth.
But it is on the bottom and it is a flat valve.
This is really nice of durability.
It is not going to get snagged.
It is not going to get in the way if you are sleeping on it and so a really nice design
there.
And if we do inflate it by mouth it is a one way valve so you blow into it.
You can take a break and not worry about all the air flowing back out again.
To deflate it, it is really easy.
You just have to pull on that tab and that one way valve you can easily kind of push
the valve out of the way and all the air comes out of the sleeping mat really easily.
So it does a lot of the work for you.
It is going to deflate really easily after a night of comfortable sleep and you are going
to be able to pack up for camp really fast and be on your way.
The fabric is both durable and very light weight.
And there is a brushed finish on the top so unlike some ultra light weight pads in this
category where they can be really crinkly and really noisy, this brushed fabric is pretty
quiet and, you know, if you are moving around at night at all, you know, it is not going
to be super noisy either for you or for other campers around you.
The baffles on the outside of this sleeping mat here and here are a little bit bigger.
So as you put your weight on the sleeping mat you are going to feel like this sleeping
mat is coming up around you and really cushioning you in, so you are not going to feel like
you are rolling off of this sleeping mat there, but all in all this is an ultra light weight
pad that also provides some warmth with a 3.1 R value.
It is great for three season back packing, someone who is looking for something that
is super light weight, packs down to be small and is going to offer a lot of comfort.
It is the Exped SynMat Hyperlite.