Choose the right sleeping pad

Throughout the night, the cold ground can deprive your body of heat, which means that you wake up tired and deprived of the important energy to meet the next day's goals. Sure, you want something thick and soft, but perhaps the most important function of the sleeping pad is its ability to withstand the cold. This is what makes sleeping pads so crucial for a better rest. This function is measured by entering an R-value.

What is R-value?

Technically, the R-value is a measure of thermal resistance; the higher the R-value, the more thermal resistance the material or structure has. This is not only used to measure sleeping pads. Engineers and researchers also use R-value to measure everything from windows to fiberglass.

How to use the R-value when choosing a sleeping pad

R-value can be very informative when composing your sleeping system for a specific adventure or season. Let's say you're hiking in Sarek in September. You will expect cool nights, but there is also a real potential for proper cooling. Do you then take a giant winter sleeping bag with you to be safe or three seasons and take the risk with a few cold nights? Most people will make a decision based on the warmth of the sleeping bag alone, but by including the insulation capacity of the sleeping pad in the equation, you suddenly have more options.

Here are some examples (we use Thermarest's sleeping pad as an example), with a NeoAir® XLite® (R-value: 4.2), You should get the comfort your sleeping bag is rated for. However, jump up to NeoAir® XTherm ™; (R-value: 6.9) And you can cope during the coldest nights with a larger comfort margin with only a small extra weight, which is much easier than carrying the heavy winter sleeping bag with you.