ALPS Mountaineering Ultra-Light Air Pad

I bought this and didn't read the Tech Specs closely because the product already had "Ultra-Light" in the name. When I opened it I was surprised how heavy it felt. I found a website that compares sleep pads by weight and of the 49 pads compared, this one is the HEAVIEST of all the pads listed (actually tied for last place).

Excellent pad for the price! That being said, it's definitely too large for me to consider it as a backpacking pad. I've used it a few time on short trips and so far it has held up great and everyone who has slept on it has had no complaints.

Inflated nicely and packs quick. Comfortable to sleep on and not heavy.

Standard 1.5 inch pad. Used 3 or 4 times and no leaks yet. Lighter than my old thermarest. I have 2 of these and they are both fine so far.

As some have said this doesn't pack down as small as someone might like for backpacking. It is still feels fairly light though. The pad is more comfortable than it looks.

I've had many pads. This has been the most durable, lightest, and best value (get it on sale, super good deal!). While not the smallest, it's not heavy, so I don't mind. I'm a SIDE SLEEPER - this is a great pad! Backpacking over Glen Pass in the Sierras resulted in lots of posthole-ing and scraping the pad in the snow (with cover on) - no problem.

Purchased for my son to use with scout camping. 20 nights a year of tenting and backpacking calls for a decent sleeping surface. After 3 years of using lame closed cell foam mats I upgraded him to the Alps Ultralite. He is very satisfied with the pad and found it very comfortable for ground sleeping. Easily attaches to his backpack with some straps. So far, so good with the first 7 nights. No issues with losing air pressure.

I try to use this mat twice, but does not hold the air pressure constant. Brand new and it loose pressure. I have a Therm-a -Rest Prolite and the packing size difference is massive. Very disappointed with this mat.

It works. Probably not the best pad out there. Doesn't pack up as small as I'd like it to.

This pad burst after only 3 uses! What I mean by that is that the outer layer fabric separated from the inner foam layer. The consequence of that is that the pad would fill with air, but then once I lay on it, the air compressed underneath my body, would "escape" in the bubbles of fabric that had separated from the foam. What that ultimately felt like was like sleeping on the ground. Terrible quality - stay away. I'm 6 feet and 165 lbs and took moderately good care of this product. Should not have happened - ESPECIALLY only after 3 nights of sleeping on it.

I have not encountered any quality defects in this pad in the almost 2 years of having it and using it regularly. I've had it in a lot in primitive camping situations with rocks and potentially pokey grasses underneath my tent and haven't had any issues with holes, etc. I'm only 5'1" and the pad is not overly long for my use, so for taller folks I would take that into consideration. Also, it is quite light, but it is bulky, so if you are looking for the super compact gear outfit this might not be the pad to use as it does take up quite a bit of space. So, it's not the pad for everyone or all situations (but what pad is?), but I have no complaints whatsoever with regards to the quality. It is durable and comfortable.

perfection of comfortably. you will like to go trekking with this pad!!

Awesome

I gave this to my husband as a gift. He has used it 2 or 3 times and initially loved it. However, in the middle of his antelope hunt this year, the pad gets a huge bubble under his knees and deflates in other areas. He takes great care of his gear so this is obviously a manufacturing defect. However, Backcountry won't allow returns after 30 days. Not a happy camper.

It's not ultralight, but it's light enough. I use it when I'm camping on really rugged ground with lots of sharp rocks (places I feel uncomfortable bringing my UL Air Mattress) or when I'm using my hammock. A 3 inch air pad just doesn't work well with a hammock. Overall, it's warm, light, and not too badly priced.

I should have done more research, spent more money, but the sale price got me hooked and I've never owned an air-mattress, preferring the durability of my closed-cell Ridgerest mattress, all these years, so this was kind of my cynics test---fourteen days on the Sierra HIgh Route.



I followed the instructions as soon as I pulled it out of the box--let it sit around the house for a few weeks, inflated, valve open, and s on, closed . . . it was fine a comfy in the house, but the first thing I noticed was the noise----it sounded like a light sprinkle and this might have been the first note that the de-lamination was starting.



Soon as I got it out on the trail, the top sheet de-laminated, giving me a large bubble at the foot of the pad, which grew by the day until I was enjoying having my knees elevated, much like I do with my pillow at home, but . . .

. . . Sadly, in order to prevent it from further bubbling, I had to keep it basically un-inflated, or pretty much at the level that it attained on it's own, self-inflation.



Again, there's nothing light or small about it. I'd consider it a car camping mattress---I was only happy that the bubbling did not encourage a leak. I am thinking of tearing it apart now and using the durable underside as part of my groundcloth system for my next air mattress. Your results may vary.

Bought this recently to upgrade from current 3/4 REI pad. This thing is extremely comfy and not too heavy. I'm taking off a star just because of how big this thing it is. It doesn't pack down small at all. But make no mistake, it is indeed the most comfortable pad I've ever used. And holds air like a champ. No leakage whatsoever.

I used this sleeping pad for the first time on a backpacking trip last weekend and it was wonderfully comfortable, I slept like a baby every night! I followed the directions and after taking it out for the first time I opened the valve and let it fill up completely without touching it. I was surprised to see that when I used it this weekend it was actually self-inflating!! I unrolled the pad, left it in the tent with the valve open and after making dinner, it was almost completely full! I just had to top it off a little bit by blowing in to it. The pad stayed inflated through the night and was just as comfortable and firm when I woke up, I was really impressed!

The only downside is that the pad doesn't role up very small. It is extremely light weight, but somewhat awkward to fit into a backpack. I ended up using some climbing draws to attach the pad to the outside of my backpack, not a huge deal at all, it ended up working great!

I've used this twice while backpacking.
I love the pad. Keeps me warm & comfortable, inflates relatively quickly (and you can always blow into it to fill it faster).
I'm giving it 4 stars because it is slightly on the heavier side and is a bit large when rolled up. But I strap it to the outside of my pack so I don't really mind.

first night of 10 on the AT and within 15 minutes of laying on it, it bubbled on the left side. It was like sleeping on a lopsided balloon. Next 9 days spent sleepin' on the ground with the bears n the wolves! Suppose I shoulda tried it out before hauling it out into the wild.



In the process of exchanging it, and hope this was just a one time manufacturers defect. Will update review when new one arrives

love this thing. can compress pretty well too so fitting it in my luggage wasn't an issue