hey guys welcome to my channel I am Amanda and in this video I'm going
to talk all about how to choose the perfect backpacking sleeping pad I have
several options here we're going to talk about the three different kinds of
sleeping pads the pros and cons of each and what the heck an r-value is so
hopefully you can make a really informed decision by the end of this video
because I know you're gonna be dropping some cash
right these are not cheap and so I want you to get the right one alright so
first up we're going to talk about the types of sleeping pads the first one
here is an air pad and this is that orange one right here pull this out nice
and thick this is the sleeping pad that I use and I absolutely love it
pros to this are that they're really lightweight they're compact and they're
comfortable I would say the air pads are probably the most common sleeping pad
that backpackers purchase the cons however are that they are pricey because
with most backpacking gear of course as you get lighter and more compact it gets
more expensive another con is that these are definitely susceptible to rips or
punctures which they come with a patch kit if you know how to use it it is not
a big deal at all you may have noticed I actually have a patch on this pad from a
couple years ago so it's really not like in my opinion a big con but it is
something that you need to be prepared to fix if you run into that issue so the
next type of pad we're going to talk about are these foam pads this right
here you open this up for you boom so these are made of a dense foam
and they're usually rolled up or kind of folded in like a Z accordion shape and
strapped to the outside of your pack the pros are that they are lightweight
durable and a lot cheaper than the air pads and you don't have to worry about
punctures or hold the cons are that they are kind of bulky you're gonna have to
roll them up strap them to the outside of your pack and they're just yeah
they're just not compact like the air pad would be the third type of sleeping
pad are the self inflating pads which is this orange one here and this is pretty
much a combo of the foam pad and the air pad there is a little bit of foam in
there you just open the valve and it kind of self inflates you can also blow
it up and so it's just kind smack in the middle of the other two we
just talked about they're comfortable and they offer really good insulation
however they still can be punctured like the air pad they come with a patch kit
and you should know how to use that before you go into the backcountry the
cons are that they're often heavier than the air pad and more expensive than the
foam pad now your sleeping pad has two purposes one to provide cushion from the
ground and two to provide insulation the insulation is what we're really gonna
focus on in this next part when we talk about an r-value so sleeping pads
come with an r-value the r-value just measures the sleeping pads capacity to
resist heat flow the higher the R value the better the sleeping pad will
insulate you from the ground and the warmer that you will be most companies
list an r-value or a temperature range on their product page or on the product
packaging itself and some companies even make women's specific sleeping pads
because in general women tend to sleep a little bit colder and so the women's
specific pads have a little bit more insulation a little higher r-value so
you can look into that as well so the main questions that you should be asking
yourself when you're considering a sleeping pad is when and where will I be
using this sleeping pad and what are the features that I value the most is it
warmth weight durability comfort size or price get really clear on that so for
example for me I really value warmth and weight I want my sleeping pad to provide
some insulation and I want it to be lightweight because I'm backpacking and
I want my pack to be as light as possible I try and use a sleeping pad that
has an r-value of at least three or four the last feature that I want to touch
upon is the size of the sleeping pad so a lot of the pads come in short tall or
wide and so there's a lot of options to kind of fit your specific body which is
great I tend to be a little bit taller than the average female and so I found
that the women's specific pads are actually a little bit short for me so I
encourage you to really pay attention to the length and the size so that you get
something that is perfect for you so there we go these are the three types of
sleeping pads the pros and cons of each and the r-value explained if you have
any additional questions on sleeping pads let me know in the comments below I
want you to feel like you can make a purchase confidently and love the
sleeping pad that you choose I will link to the one that I use below
in the description this green one right here I love it my boyfriend has one from
an older version and he loves it too and so if you're interested that will be
below and make sure before you leave to subscribe to my channel I have tons of
camping and backpacking resources for you and I'd love for you to be a part of
this community that just loves nature I'll see you in the next video peace