i forgot to review my sleeping pad!

like i said before i went to the bwca, i wasn’t going to skimp on sleeping. i spent $25 on a coop pillow, which i loved, and $110 on a klymit klymaloft sleeping pad, which, once i figured out the right air amount, was actually one of the best low-profile sleeping pads i’ve slept on.

first, let’s just get this out of the way: it’s hard being a lady camper, especially on-the-ground camping. stomach sleeping is no good, and side sleeping can be painful if you’re not properly supported.

on top of that, most of the reviews and people extolling the virtues of sleep pads are men, who don’t have any sort of hip bones that dig into the ground. so, while i was searching for reviews on the klymaloft, and if i should that or the thermarest, i kept staring at these dudes talking about how great these sleep pads are…. and i’m wondering, are they, really, for a lady?

the lack of lady low-profile sleep pad reviews is minimal to nil.

SO HERE’S ONE!

first, i prefer a tent with a cot in it, so for purposes of this review, i’m going to talk about both ground and cot sleeping.

why the klymaloft? 

i had a klymit static v, which was a reasonable addition to my cot sleeping setup, and the pros i liked about it were:

1. easy to blow up
2. it held the air
3. the air chambers made sense

so when i saw that klymit had JUST released a high-end sleep mat, i was like, that may be the one for me. i tried to get klymit to give me one in exchange for realistic lady reviews, both written and video, but no such luck. looks like i’d have to spend the $150 on a comfortable sleeping endeavor. however, klymit was out of stock! so after a little internet sleuthing, i found one for cheaper at left lane sports and snatched it up.

preparation

blowing up the klymaloft is definitely not as easy as the static v. if there is one huge con to the pad, it’s how you have to blow it up. i realize that it’s made to use with a pump, but i was not hauling around an extra piece of equipment in my canoe pack, and it only took about 20 breaths to fully blow up.

unfortunately, there is no spigot or spout for blowing it up – it’s placing your moth over a hole in the pad, which has a flippy deal for inflate or deflate. so that’s kind of annoying, but once you get going, it’s fine. just don’t share blowing up duties with anyone, cuz there’s a lot of slobber. oh, and definitely remember to click the outer casing in place; it helps keep the air in.

inflation levels

the first night on the ground i had inflated too much, but i was too antsy to realize it. i didn’t sleep well in the first place so my uncomfortable sleep was just as much the faulty of my anxious brain as it was my overinflated sleep pad. when i woke up in the morning, my hips hurt, which is pretty normal for any ground or tent sleeping for me.

but the second night, i ended up with a little give in the pad, and i slept like a rock. and not just on my sides – i slept on my back, too, with minimal pain in my lower back from too much support. it was slightly less inflated than it could’ve been, because when i was on my sides, there was very slight touching of my hips on the ground.

then the third night i thought, what if it was a little more inflated, but i stuck my inflatable cushion thing under the buns/hips area? that did not work well. it was too firm, and my cushion did not stay inflated.

the fourth night i figured it out. i tested it and made sure it wasn’t too firm, but my hips were still off the ground. it took a bit of adjusting, but i got it, and slept like a rock again.

and the pad held all its air all nights!

cot sleeping

like i said earlier, i was using a klymit static v for my cot, but i was also bringing along a memory foam 2″ sleeping pad with it to put on my cot while i car camped. from now on, i just need the klymaloft, which saves a lot of hassle with the pad. the footprint of the klymaloft is bigger than the static v, but the comfort is worth it.

conclusion

is it worth spending $100-150 on a sleeping pad? i’ve used the pad for 3 2-day car camping excursions and one 4-day canoe trip to the bwca, and it’s holding up nicely. so far, i do say it’s worth it, but i’ll see how it lasts through next summer before i say that it’ll hold up well. i expect something that i spend that kind of money on to last a while, and i just don’t have the longevity yet. if it holds up? then definitely worth it.

just make sure to adjust it to your level of firmness!