For complete transparency, this is a very early first look, and due to COVID-19, I haven’t yet taken this pad into the field for a good overnight camping experience. I’ll update the story with more in-depth review material once I have a chance to do so. The good news is, it’s the year 2023 and there are plenty of options for great camping sleeping pads. In fact, there are so many options that you may need some help narrowing down the options. From the best affordable sleeping pad to the absolute top-end option on the market, there’s lots of choices.

However, in recent years, sleeping pads have improved significantly. Now, with advancements in cell design and baffling, many high-quality sleeping pads offer exceptional warmth and comfort. Now for me, that's not a major issue as I don't plan on using this in the winter months. It may get used in early spring and late fall, and I think the insulating factor it does have will do fine for me. If you're a winter camper that relies on true R-value, you may want to consider other brands. You can now directly compare the R-value of mats rated using the ASTM F3340-18 with confidence that is a fair and accurate comparison between mats. In simple terms, the higher the R-value, the warmer the mat. As a side sleeper, I found adjusting the pad to a middle firmness allowed me to find comfort on my side while still supporting me off the ground entirely.But what really won us over is its comfort level. We were pleasantly surprised to find it felt great and wasn’t noisy when we shifted positions during the night. It’s one of the lightest none-inflatable mats around but it doesn’t fold up quite as small as I would like, that’s probably the main disadvantage of this sleeping pad.

Deep Weld Patterning: Unlike traditional pads that flatten the bag’s fill, Deep Welds create expansion zones that allow your bag to fully loft beneath you for improved thermal comfort. I can see how some sleepers wouldn’t like the V-shape or need time to get used to it, but both my boyfriend and I felt comfortable and stable on this pad. What is more, I found the Static V2 is much quieter than my other pad! Since the R Value of the Comfort Plus SI is around 4, mild winter adventures are now a possibility. That said, keep your expectations realistic. This is not an extreme cold weather sleeping pad.

Value

While foam pads do not require inflation to use, all other pad types are built with an integrated air valve. Historically, valves have been the weak point of sleeping pads, and they can be difficult to replace once broken.