Exped - Ultra 3R
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Based on 1 year's data from Jan 28, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
276
93
"It’s is SO MUCH more quiet than the s7 it ramped up the suction power from 4000 to 19000 yet I can let it clean my office room while being in a call now."
"Extremely quiet compared to our last one to the point where we can have it running while my partner is in work meetings (besides emptying water and dust bin, but that is 10 seconds of loud x 2)."
"pads that lift on carpet so you can run it while the baby naps"
177
87
"I sleep all night and no body aches."
"I side sleep and roll around all night and don’t hit the ground with my hips. ... I am 6’4” and was weighing 250 for most of my use of that mat. Hence why I don’t mind an extra pound for a comfortable sleep at night. I am weighing 220 now and don’t touch the ground at all with the mat partially deflated."
"I'm a side sleeper and these things are an absolute godsend. Once they're in, I don't feel a thing."
533
105
"it was hands down the best night of sleep I’ve had in a tent."
"I just put up with the pinholes and patching them on trail because I can't sleep better on any other pad. ... There's a huge difference in comfort depending on your body between the dimpled baffling of the Etherlight/Tensor and the horizontal baffling of the Xlite. ... I can't sleep on horizontal baffling despite all the good features of the Xlite. ... I'm a side sleeper and my arms and shoulders ache and/or fall asleep or go numb on the Xlite. For whatver reason I can only sleep on dimpled baffles (tensor, etherlight)"
"I sleep all night and no body aches."
14
5
"I recently slept on my Exped, straight on the ground (but in a tent) at 15⁰f and had no issues with the cold."
"We sleep so comfortably, even in 30 F temperatures."
"The ultra 3/5R models are also warmer than their R value suggests. The ASTM testing doesn’t model a person moving and pumping air around inside the mat. The synthetic insulation reduces heat transfer due to airflow unlike in many mats that have foil ‘insulation’."
14
6
"only 13 oz and packs very small."
"Only difference is the Exped breaks down much smaller than the knock offs."
"1kg lighter"
Disliked most:
78
165
"An almost new pair I wore in a mountain 100 was dead after the race. ... It was all stretched out and even had a hole in the side when it wasn't that crazy technical of terrain."
"An almost new pair I wore in a mountain 100 was dead after the race. ... It was all stretched out and even had a hole in the side when it wasn't that crazy technical of terrain."
"I have additionally had issues with the Vibram soles delaminating from THREE SEPARATE PAIRS of Speedgoats now. So they are struggling with some quality control issues with their adhesive. ... I think their adhesive just degrades with time. The shoes were probably manufactured and sat in a warehouse long before they made their way to my feet. Plus I think the design of their sole contributes to the problem."
87
30
"found it to be the equivalent warmth of the insulated static v plus my ccf, and even pairing the etherlight extreme with a ccf, and having it fully inflated wasn’t nearly enough for sleeping on frozen ground or snow."
"If I need more than 4 R insulation (I'm sleeping on snow most likely) I'm taking a ccf for backup because I don't want to die."
"I've only slept on it for one night with a Thinlight underneath, where it got down to 35F and I felt the cold under the pad for sure but it was fine. ... I would *never* use it without a Thinlight. ... not anywhere near as warm."
30
27
"I hate that nylon sags and it's actually pretty weird it sucks up water. The last thing you want a tent to do is get heavier, stay wet and lose tension."
"After getting as much mileage as possible out of my BA 2P Flycreek and Tarptent Rainbow, I'm excited to invest in an ultralight shelter that shaves a pound or more off my base weight"
"It’s 100% not ultralight ... Yeah it’s heavy."
6
1
"Personally I was not able to sleep comfortably on the Exped MegaMat Lite, or its siblings (Dura/Versa/Ultra). ... A through-line in my testing of these is the vertical baffling: I regularly wake up and find my arm is numb. ... But in my adulthood I've probably maximum only got about two hours of sleep at a time on a design like these."
0
2
"(Exped backpacking style inflatable pad) not as quiet!"
"the exped still makes noise ... the noise caused by the sleeping bag sliding around on the pad ... I turn over nonstop all night long and am insanely sensitive to noise."
MrTru1te 1.0I use the small rectangular version of the 3r. Plenty warm enough down to freezing. It feels warmer than only 3 of r vallue. I can sleep on my side just fine with the rectangular version and I chose the small one since it’s long enough for me at 175cm since I ralrely sleep with my legs straight. If I don’t inflate it to the max it’s quite comfortable and I’ve had the same issues that you describe with many other brands including thermarest and Nemo. Edit : I was able to get it cheaper than the xlite where I live. I’m in eu. Also the pump sack is awesome and doubles as a good pack liner when I store my clothes and sleeping bag.
Unparalleled_ 1.0Personally id avoid thermarest cause they are so loud. They also come in weighing over spec often, so they warmth/weight advantage is a bit smaller than it seems. If you are considering other options. I think that the vertical baffles are way more comfortable. Exped, big agnes do these. A good deal on an exped mat in the UK https://www.expeduk.com/products/ultra-3r?variant=44171519230266&country=GB¤cy=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20269517648&gbraid=0AAAAApwKUJuFrFp2UHLTjT1Yw3J7Jtb3K&gclid=CjwKCAjw3f_BBhAPEiwAaA3K5PDLOMRlNwjFmZzPRNER1N8ldFP9UYieepFeWgIYz7oR24VeuniABRoCUAkQAvD_BwE
burgiebeer 0.5As far as $/warmth ratio, this one is the winner. $50+ cheaper than S2S, Therma, Nemo and really comfy. I love mine.
The 3R is a pretty incredibly value for an 18oz pad at around $150. The 5R is probably better for being in Maine outside of summer.
dacv393 0.5Tensor Elite listed specs are 20x72 at 8.5 ounces . Exped ultra 3r in the mirrored mummy 20.5x72 configuration is 12.9 ounces. 8.5 ounces vs 12.9 ounces. So not half the weight It's 1.5x the weight, not 2x. And it's warmer and way more durable
EricC2010 0.5This is what I use and love it.
jiffyparkinglot 0.5This is the pad that finally let me sleep
LowShoulder3437 0.5+1 for this pad. I find it to be extremely comfortable and it comes with the best inflation sack on the market…doubles as a waterproof pack liner.
Stiebah 0.5Exped Ultra 3R RW Thank me later
I work at an outdoor shop as well, it’s such an easy recommendation it’s insane, best value for money, great warranty policy and the people that work at Exped are always super professional.
After_Pitch5991 0.3I am an Exped Ultra 3R and 5R fan. I feel like they are highly underrated in the hiking community. My opinion is they sleep warmer than rated, are super comfortable, quite and cost less than a lot of pads. Just an FYI if you want another possibility/option. Edit: Sorry, I forgot this was Ultralight. I was thinking it was the Appalachian Trail sub.
Exped Ulrta 3R or 5R. It's my favorite. I only use the 3R and pair it with a CCF pad in cold weather.
I backpack a lot and have a lot of bad back issues. I always dial my gear in at home before going into the field. I like Exped Ultra pads, I mostly use the 3R. They are highly underrated and are super comfortable for me. I use the trekology pillow. I have expermented with two in the past but I am back to one. I have used sleeping bags and quilts. Bags are out for me. Quilts are more comfortable. This year I went with the Zen Bivy light bed and it is very comfortable. I flip and flop all night and love this quilt/half sheet so far. I can get into any position for comfort.
I use the Exped Ultra 3r and love it. Their pads are highly underrated.
Exped pads are highly underrated!
an_atomic_nop 0.3After most of a thru with a 3R it's the only sleeping pad I would ever want on the AT. Comes with great pump sack. Get in a bag on top of it for winter.
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