my favorite Backpacking Sleeping Pads For Stomach Sleepers
I don’t know how you end up on this article but I know you are looking for a sleeping pad that you can comfortably sleep on, I mean it might be hard to find the perfect sleeping pad especially if you are a stomach sleeper.
The thing is back sleepers don’t need that much space when sleeping and they don’t move a lot when they sleep so most sleeping pads will work for them, on the other hand, stomach sleepers move a lot when they sleep and the second thing is most stomach sleepers bent their knees and raise one arm when sleeping so they need more space on their sleeping pad.
So, my wife is a stomach sleeper I don’t know how she manages to do it but she can sleep on a queen-size bed and cover the whole thing by herself😃
What i am trying to say is 20-inch sleeping pads might be too narrow for a stomach sleeper especially if you move around when you sleep so go for wider sizes.
The other thing you have to know is the chest and the knee are the main pressure points of stomach sleepers in other words most of the body’s weight rests on these two spots, so you want something to support these two spots.
Quick note: If you have no time to read sea to summit ether light xt, on amazon is my final choice.
These are the best backpacking sleeping pads for stomach sleepers:
1. Sea to Summit Ether Light XT
So I am very picky when it comes to sleeping pads and I have tried a bunch of sleeping pads over the course of years and Sea to Summit Ether Light XT is probably the best sleeping pad I own.
I have been using this sleeping pad for over three years now, and I use it for almost half of my camping trips( I am a full-time blogger and YouTuber so I go camping and hiking a lot so you can imagine how many times I have been using this thing) and I also used this sleeping pad when hiking through the Appalachian trailsðŸ¤
First of all this thing is comfortable! you can ask anyone who owns this pad and they will tell you one thing in common it is extremely comfortable.
This pad is 4 inches thick stomach sleepers would benefit from thicker sleeping pads and it is super balanced, it supports your pressure points like a mattress, it feels like you are sleeping on your own bed.
The R-value of this sleeping pad is 3.2’s for the men and 3.5 for Women’s, and it is made from 30/40 d fabric and is quieter than most insulated sleeping pads out there I mean sleeping pads like the Therm-a-Rest-NeoAir can get pretty loud.
This pad comes with a pump sack which I find very very helpful especially after a long day of hiking the last thing you want to do is inflate your sleeping pad by mouth, so yeah it is a fantastic feature that would save a headache.
It also has a place where you stick your pillow on, it is nice if you move around when you sleep. you also have 5 different sizes and shapes you can choose from
I say you go for the rectangular shape because you don’t want your feet to hang out from the sleeping pad, stomach sleepers can use some room at the bottom for their feet which means mummy-shaped sleeping bags can be not as good as rectangular ones.
I am making it look like an advertisement?😂
Cons:
- Weight– This sleeping pad is not the lightest sleeping pad, I mean the one I own which is a men’s large is about 485 grams/17.1 oz I mean it not that it is heavy but for some people who are trying to knock every ounce of their back that can be a problem.
- Not the warmest sleeping pad– as i have said this has a 3.2 r-value, for a 485-gram sleeping pad, I would expect more. You can use it as 3-season sleeping pad but in a strong winter where the temperature goes below freezing you might feel the cold ground.
If you like it you can check it on amazon, this is the uninsulated version. The insulated version is out of stock in every online retailer. any way combine this sleeping pad with Nemo Forte ultralight sleeping bag you have got yourself the ultimate stomach sleeper camping setup.
2. Big Agnes Insulated Q-Core Deluxe
If it is not the sea to summit, big Agens q core might be the one for you, they have a lot of things in common like they both are 4inches, they look kinda the same too.
To be honest, I like the sea to summit better but this would definitely come second, or probably third after therm a rest neoair.
So I have had this sleeping pad for about 5 months now and I would say it is a very decent sleeping pad, I am 6 feet 2 and so I have the largest and the widest size that is available, 30 inches wide by 78 inches tall, there are a bunch of other sizes to choose from.
| Weight | Dimensions | Packed size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | 25 oz. | 20in X 72in | 8.5in x 4.5in |
| Regular-wide | 27 oz. | 25in x 72in | 8.5in x 4.5in |
| Tall | 31 oz. | 25in x 78in | 9.5in x 4.5in |
| Tall-wide | 34 oz. | 25in x 78in | 9.5in x 5in |
| X-wide-tall | 41 oz. | 30in x 78in | 11in x 6in |
So this sleeping pad has what I would say vertical baffles, not like typical vertical baffles just look at the picture and you would see what I mean😂.
The only reason I put this over Therm-a-Rest NeoAir, is because therm-a-rest has that crackling sound that can be disturbing to some people.
3. Therm-a-Rest NeoAir (wide!)
- R-value-4.2
- Material-Nylon
If you have been in the sleeping pad market you obviously have come across Therm-a-Rest NeoAir, I mean this sleeping bag is everywhere and the reason is obvious it is one of the best sleeping pads on the market.
So I have had this pad for some time now and I use it almost half of the time I go camping.
So this pad has two versions: the regular 20 inches and wide 25 inches. we will be focusing on the wide version because like I have said the best bet for a stomach sleeper is a wide sleeping bag.
It is 2.5 inches thick for both the 20 inch and the 25 inch version, as a stomach sleeper I wouldn’t say thickness is not something you should obsess like a side sleeper but you don’t want anything that is thinner than 2.5 inches or 3 inches if you are not skinny.
One of the reasons I love love love! this sleeping pad is its weight, I mean the largest size(which I own) is 22 ounces, and the r-value is 4.2 which is incredible I mean I am a tall dude and I have always been getting large sleeping pads and so I don’t normally get something decent that is less than 35-30 ounces.
| Weight | Dimensions | Packed size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 8 oz. | 20in x 47in | 9in x 3.5in |
| Regular | 12 oz. | 20in x 72in | 9in x 4.1in |
| Large | 22.4 oz. | 25in x 77in | 11in x 4.6in |
| Regular-wide | 15.5 oz. | 25in x 72in | 9in x 4.6in |
This thing use to have a 3.2 r-value back then therm-a-rest updated it and they made it 4.2 without increasing the weight.
There is the standard valve and WingLock valve, I got the winglock and I like it a lot.
Cons: the thing I don’t like about this sleeping bag is it makes a crackling sound when you move. I personally don’t mind it but nerve-wracking for some people.
4. Exped Megamat 10
To spice up things I added a foam sleeping pad for car campers, i mean if you have the space to carry a foam pad it is a no brainer you should go for it.
Exped Megamat 10 is a sleeping pad I came to know from fellow campers, I heard it is almost like a mattress so I decided to include it in the list.
The pad is about 4 inches thick just like the Sea to Summit Ether Light XT but I would say this is comfier I mean obviously because this is a foam mattress.
Unlike most of the typical sleeping pads, the outside layer is this stretchy fabric that feels good to sleep on I mean you can sleep on it without a sleeping bag. and guess what it is 30 inches wide and 77,6 inches/197 cm tall🙂
With big size comes heavyweight, the pad alone without the bag, and the pamp sack it weighs 91oz/2.57 kgs that might not be possible to carry with a backpack though.
Cold weather is not something you have to worry about with this sleeping pad it is rated for -40 °F which means even if you want to go to Antarctica you are good😂
Deflating this pad might be a little tricky like most open-cell sleeping pads, but once you get the hang of it it becomes easier just don’t forget to close the valve after you deflate it though.
One thing that bugs me is it doesn’t come with a pillow so if you are a pillow person you might need to buy a camping pillow, but it does have things that you might need like a mat, mini pump, pump sack, and a repair kit.
5. NEMO Tensor Insulated
- R-value-3.5
- Material- 20D fabric
Nemo is a very reputable brand that I love, their sleeping pads are my favorite. NEMO Tensor is an example of Nemo’s quality products
With a 3 inches thickness and a variety of sizes and shapes to choose from if you ask me this sleeping pad is the only sleeping pad I might choose over the Thermarest neo air and the sea to summit for camping.
Both this and Thermarest have their own pros and cons, the main cons of Thermarest are the cracking sound it makes and it has a little bit of hard feel to it on the other side Nemo tensor is like the softest and the quietest thing ever.
This sleeping pad has two versions, insulated and uninsulated, Nemo doesn’t state the R-value of sleeping pads. I don’t know the reason, I wish they did, but I would say you can comfortably sleep up to 20F with the insulated version.
A review from clever hiker states that the R-value of the Nemo tensor 3.5 I don’t know how accurate that is though.
The best bet for I would say is here is the regular/wide or long/wide version.
What to avoid as a stomach sleeper?
Horizontal baffles are always better– Vertical baffles are becoming less common as more people are finding them uncomfortable I had never liked them anyway, so if you are a beginner camper wondering which is better, I say you go for a horizontal baffle but if you prefer vertical baffles try one with shallow baffle like Exped SynMat 7
Narrow sleeping pads are not your friend– Like I said go for wider sleeping pads especially if you move a lot when sleep.
Rectangular-shaped sleeping bags are better– Due to the obsession with lightweight gears most sleeping pads and sleeping bags are made as compact as possible, one of the methods companies use to cut some ounces is by cutting the edges of the sleeping pads and make them mummy-shaped which means if you don’t order a bigger size than your normally wound your feet might touch the ground(for stomach sleepers), it doesn’t matter for side and back sleepers because their feet are not pointing downwards when sleeping.
Avoid big pillows– I don’t find the need in using a pillow when you are a stomach sleeper. I will sometimes be sleeping on my stomach and I find it more comfortable to sleep without a pillow. on a sleeping pad, it might be a little hard to sleep without a pillow but as much as possible use a small pillow.
For stomach sleepers A firm, supportive mattress and a low loft pillow can help ensure the spine is kept in alignment.
sleepfoundation.org
Conclusion
It is the small things that can be big problems when camping so make sure you do good research before buying your gear and if you are a beginner camper there are a lot of people who have more experience in camping that might be willing to help you so be shy ask questions in forums and on social media platforms🙂
