Nemo Equipment’s Tensor sleeping pad was my introduction to ultralight sleeping pads. I'll confess that when I unwrapped the Tensor (I went for the insulated version) and inflated it for the first ...

As a fairly dedicated ultralight hiker, pad inflators haven’t historically made it into my backpacking kit. The smallest pumps and inflators only weigh a few ounces, but that doesn’t tell the whole ...

Our team has collectively tested hundreds of various sleeping pads, with current author and Senior Editor Chris Carter having put over 10 different pads through the wringer in the past year alone. He ...

Working in the outdoor industry for as long as I have, I’ve become a little numb to the idea of ‘innovation’. In my experience, properly innovative takes on tents, sleeping bags and sleeping pads are ...

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT, Sea-to-Summit Pursuit Plus, and Mountain Equipment Aerostat Down 7.0 are among the best sleeping pads of 2025. I put 14 sleeping pads to the test to find the best ...

Over the years, ultralight backpacking has garnered an unfortunate reputation: obsessive, elitist, unsafe, prohibitively expensive. While we could debate the first three (obsessive is the only one I’d ...

Cushy and comfortable, like a plush car-camping pad. Excellent pressure relief. R-4.8 insulation keeps you warm down to freezing. Packs up small enough for most packs. Heavy for backpacking. My ...