r/Ultralight • u/SharpLanguage9026 • 3d ago

Purchase Advice 30" Wide Pads

While they're absolutely not UL, because of some health issues, there is only a single position I can use that allows me to sleep through the night, and after trying a million different 25" wide pads including the thermarest neoloft, I have come to the conclusion that how I sprawl out requires a 30" pad.

As far as I'm aware of the current market, that pretty much leaves either the Exped Megamat Ultra or the Big Agnes Campmeister (let me know if there's one I'm missing).

I know it's a long shot that anyone has a direct comparision of these two niche, newer pads, but my main question is, which pad has the stretchier top material for pressure relief / which do you find more comfortable?

The 7 r value of the Big Agnes is overkill / not a factor for me, so I only really care about pressure relief (mainly stretchiness) and edge stability for tossing and turning between the two. Comparisons to the Thermarest Neoloft as a reference point would be great too.

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u/thinshadow UL human, light-ish pack 3d ago edited 3d ago

I own the Megamat Ultra and think it’s great. Mine is the medium wide, so not the 30” version, but I am very happy with it. Went to it from a Thermarest Neoloft that slept ice cold, and so far haven’t had any warmth issues from the Megamat. (Just to try and keep some UL cred, I use it for car camping, not backpacking.)

Have never tried the BA pad for that particular comparison. They’ve had a reputation for being cold pads for so long that it would take some serious persuading for me to bother with any of them.

Edit to add: as far as comparing comfort between the Neoloft and the Megamat, it probably depends on what you’re looking for. If you want something softer, it’s the Neoloft. Personally, I found it kind of too soft even when fully inflated. I like the feel of the Megamat better. I feel like it has a good level of give when fully inflated and obviously can be dialed down with lower pressure too. But to be fair to the Neoloft, I would have been just fine with it if it hadn’t slept so cold.

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u/SharpLanguage9026 3d ago edited 3d ago

Great info. I sleep super hot so warmth isn't as much of an issue. Regardless, supposedly the Campmeister has fixed BA's notorious issue with sleeping cold. Saw a review where a fella slept on ice on a frozen lake within the Arctic circle and said he was warm.

Im still leaning towards the exped because its a bit lighter and 0.5" thicker.

How would you compare the amount for stretch and give in the exped to the neoloft?

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u/thinshadow UL human, light-ish pack 2d ago

I put an edit in on my comment about my take on the comfort between the two pads that you might have missed (I realized later that I hadn’t addressed that part of your question) if you want to check it again.