Exped - Ultra 5R
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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"
287
39
"it weighs under 350g"
"under 700 grams including stakes"
"It folds up and is super easy to bring on planes and for rentals"
299
78
"Just had my second camp out with it. 0 issues with warmth at 50F , unsurprisingly. Also at 60f I didn ’t sleep hot so that ’s nice too."
"I can take it down to like 25-30F very comfortably."
"20 degrees F comfortably from below. Quilt wasn't up to it"
53
6
"I'm exclusively a side sleeper and my backpacking set up I wake up pain free, so proper support for spinal alignment is so crucial as well as adequate cushion for hips and shoulders."
"I tried several pads (foam and inflatable) as a side sleeper and the Expeds are AMAZING. ... I actually get good nights sleep on trail with them"
"I sleep on a Exped Ultra 5r AT HOME every night. ... Cradles me just right with the outer "tubes" a little fatter than the midle ones."
3
0
"as a side sleeper the horizontal baffles stop my leg from sliding off onto the ground, which can be uncomfortable and cold."
"Lengthwise baffles are always the best. ... one can easily feel or sense that one is not about to move off the pad and even that one is centered on the pad. ... The Exped has slightly larger "in diameter" edge tubes, so that also helps one sense in total darkness where one's body, legs, and feet are on the pad."
"Large side baffles (like the Big Agnes you linked, I think) keeps you from flinging yourself off the pad."
Disliked most:
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."
20
18
"Was bulk and weight that chased me away from self inflators years ago. ... I find the selfinflating foam so comfortable, more so than than air mats, but it's 790 grams, very bulky and just 3.8r. Can't justify it."
"The only downside is the bulk. ... It takes up a lot of space in my pack. ... When I I’m out for long hauls I don’t have the room for it and switch to the Tensor All-Season."
"on 5+ nighter with a bear can, the bulk and weight would no longer be worth it for me."
1
22
"Dropped about 9ozs and kicked myself the rest of the way down the trail for being so gullible. ... I could really feel those 9ozs off my back."
"decidedly not UL"
"I find the exped a little more comfortable to sleep on, but still always take the neoair because of the lighter weight, which is more comfortable in my pack."
23
3
"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."
"At some point, you can't put more air inside, but the pad remains pretty soft. ... When I sleep on my side, my hip is almost touching the ground"
"Even on that bad boy i can not find good rest. ... I felt like an idiot having that thickness and pricey pad, and still not being satisfied and enjoying the experience. ... I have a couple of pressure points on my ribcage that actually is the biggest comfort issue for me i think."
18
4
"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."
"Over time, the Exped began to leak ... As best I can tell, the rubber lining inside the fabric begins to slowly degrade and develop pinhole leaks. ... You never hear leaking air. You just wake up in the morning with your hip touching the ground (I’m a side sleeper)."
"Too hard and it feels like a spring ready to bounce you off if you roll over"
liveslight 1.0Exped Ultra 5R in rectangular wide. You will love the lengthwise air chambers and how quiet this pad is. Not to even mention the side bumper action feature.
Exped has wide pads that are very quiet. The 5R is warm enough for me to 20F for sure, so in rectangular (not mummy) it might suit you. If you believe that noise comes from a pad squeaking against the fabric of a tent floor, then putting a 1/8" thinlite (or goodnite) CCF pad between an inflatable and tent floor will create enough friction to "lock" the inflatable in place and prevent squeaking. Also such a CCF will add to warmth [and weight]. And the lengthwise air chambers may help a side sleeper stay centered on the pad. I still have to wear earplugs to sleep but I imagine that you do as well because of the frogs, toads, crickets, and katydids that are tremendously noisy at night.
I also want to mention that the valves of some pads are not designed to be mistreated. For instance, on Exped pads, DO NOT simply pull the flap to open the valve. BE SURE to hold the part of the valve that is permanently attached to the pad fabric separately so that the forces of opening the flap do not tear the valve out of the fabric.
A similar thread from yesterday might be worth visiting: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/comments/1l5j7gk/noisy\_sleeping\_pad\_what\_is\_a\_good\_alternative/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/comments/1l5j7gk/noisy_sleeping_pad_what_is_a_good_alternative/) Exped Ultra 5R (aka SynMat Winter H) works for me below freezing temps. Also a WIDE pad is worth it for me. A problem with all these daily pad questions is that the daily responses are not representative of the universe of pad users. One probably has to read at least 3 months of such threads to come to the conclusion that there is no consensus. Good luck with your search and please report back what ended up working for you.
Sweaty-Adeptness1541 1.0I love my Exped Ultra 3R and 5R LW (77.6 x 25.6 x 3). I'm also 6'2", 225lb weight and they are perfect for me, confortable and lightweight. I'm sure the MegaMat Ultra is also very comfortable, thought the weight would be a deal breaker for me. If you are just interested in comfort, then I would also look at a large Thermarest Neoloft. [](https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/cdn/shop/files/Therm-A-Rest_NeoLoft_Sleeping_Mat_Front.webp?v=1747222905) [](https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/cdn/shop/files/14158_thermarest_neoloft_ember_regularwide_angle_gearjunkie2024.webp?v=1747836793) [](https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/cdn/shop/files/Therm-A-Rest_NeoLoft_Sleeping_Mat_Thickness.webp?v=1747836793) [](https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/cdn/shop/files/Therm-A-Rest_NeoLoft_Sleeping_Mat_Length.webp?v=1747836793) [](https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/cdn/shop/files/Therm-A-Rest_NeoLoft_Sleeping_Mat_Packsize.webp?v=1747836793) [](https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/cdn/shop/files/Therm-A-Rest_NeoLoft_Sleeping_Mat_Contents.webp?v=1747836793) [](https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/cdn/shop/files/Therm-A-Rest_NeoLoft_Sleeping_Mat_Lifestyle.webp?v=1747836793) [](https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/cdn/shop/files/Therm-A-Rest_NeoLoft_Sleeping_Mat_Pump_Sack.webp?v=1747836793) [](https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/cdn/shop/files/Therm-A-Rest_NeoLoft_Sleeping_Mat_Lifestyle_2.webp?v=1747836793) [](https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/cdn/shop/files/Therm-A-Rest_NeoLoft_Sleeping_Mat_Lifestyle_3.webp?v=1747836793) [](https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/cdn/shop/files/Therm-A-Rest_NeoLoft_Sleeping_Mat_Lifestyle_4.webp?v=1747836793) [](https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/cdn/shop/files/Therm-A-Rest_NeoLoft_Sleeping_Mat_Lifestyle_5.webp?v=1747836793) [](https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/cdn/shop/files/Therm-A-Rest_NeoLoft_Sleeping_Mat_MSR_Tent.webp?v=1747836793) [](https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/cdn/shop/files/preview_images/hqdefault_4af17b86-5265-4bb8-8ca6-4ccd61bc2141.jpg?v=1737734349)
Yes, I generally side sleep. I the vertical baffles help prevent me from sliding off and i never find that I bottom out. 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’. I think the Exped Ultra 3/5R are underrated, especially in North America. However I don’t think the 7R, with down insulation, performs as well.
z0hu 1.0Aside from weight, R value, and bulk, I would say the rest is subjective. I'm not doing much ultralight camping stuff atm so I am using a bit heavier Exped Ultra 5R and I love the thing, I fill it up to the max and it feels like I am on a real bed. Some pads if I fill them up to the max they are super uncomfortable.
6'1.5" here at 250 pounds. I own an exped Ultra 5R LW, Ultra 3R Duo LW, Dura 5R Duo regular, and some Nemo roamers (like megamat). When solo I use the 5R LW. When I'm tent sharing with 1 of my kids, we share the 3R Duo. When I'm with 2 kids, Dura+ultra 5R. They all feel similar to me, kinda airy feeling mattress but they don't compare to the roamers which feels like my bed at home. I inflate them pretty much to their max also, I guess I'm used to a firm mattress, which isn't the case for everyone. Still feels good to me on my side. When I sleep on the Dura 5R regular my feet hang off and it's not bad but long term I would definitely prefer the longer pad, especially in cold or wet conditions. People here mention UL being ok with shorter pads but if you are considering this megamat ultra that's not the same realm haha. I used to use a short foam pad that just went under my shoulders and butt and it's definitely not comfortable, but was definitely ultralight. Tbh I get the megamat ultra market. People who wanna go backpacking with a nice mattress a step above these other ones, but it's all about how important that is to you. I could carry that on a one or 2 nighter probably as a luxury but on 5+ nighter with a bear can, the bulk and weight would no longer be worth it for me. But if it's the only way someone could sleep, then I can see it being an option.
BobsMn 0.7I like my Exped 5R. 2 valves. a really nice inflation bag. Not very expensive. Comfortable. Just finished a trip in Alaska with it. Temps were 1C to 10C. Mine is the Long and Wide model and it comes in at 785 grams. Insulation rating of 5R. I'm an all over the place sleeper. I use an Enlighted Equipment quilt (with a foot box) instead of a bag.
kneippmotor 0.7I have the 3R MW and 5R MW. I’m going on a bikepacking trip next week with temps around 5-10 at night. I will bring my 3R. If I have the room for it on the bike I might go for the 5R. I will make the final decision as I pack my bike. I did buy a 7R to replace my xtherm, but the down seemed poorly distributed when I held it up to the light so I returned it. 5R with a ccf on top served me well at -5-10C last winter.
Moose_on_a_walk 0.7They're all good pads. I find them all comfortable in their own ways. Exped has the nicest fabric, but it's also the thickest which I don't really like. The Nemo tensor is the overall most comfortable, no nonsense, best of all worlds. The Xlite is my favorite however. I like the horizontal baffles. The new NXT version isn't as loud as its predecessors. The mummy shape is tapered in the perfect places unlike Expeds mummy pads, I prefer it over rectangular ones.
No-Scarcity-4080 0.7Exped 5r Regular/wide. Were the same height so don’t get the long. Absolute beast of a sleeping pad!
AdPresent9414 0.4I second this. Love my exped 3R and 5R. The UL 5R is ~$160 and sleeps better than thicker pads I've used
After_Pitch5991 0.4I 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 pads are highly underrated!
angryjew 0.4Agree 100%. I actually got the 5r because I was waking up every 20 min with pain in my arm from my thermarest. Figured out the side baffles were killing me. The exped is so nice I sleep so much better now.
If you liked the Dura why not get the 5r? I just got one, the mummy version which saves a few ounces, to replace my thermarest and I love it.
I have the 5r and love it. Exped rules.
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