Best backpacking sleeping pads

Start here: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT. It's the pad most backpackers end up with — 13 oz, R-value 4.5, 3 inches thick, and it packs to a water-bottle size. Warm enough for three-season use and light enough to forget you're carrying it. The trade-off is the crinkly fabric and a price that stings.

Who the others suit:

• NEMO Tensor Elite — gram-counters and summer fastpackers; 8.5 oz, but only R-2.4, so it's a warm-weather pad.
• Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT — cold sleepers, shoulder-season and winter trips; R-7.3 at 15.5 oz.
• Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated — side sleepers who want a thick, quiet, cushy pad without much weight penalty.
• Nemo Tensor All-Season — a balanced all-rounder with a wide option for restless sleepers.
• Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft — comfort-first car campers and taller hikers; 4.6 inches thick, but heavier.
• Therm-a-Rest ReCharge XL — budget-conscious campers who don't mind 26 oz.
• Sea to Summit Pursuit — a simple, durable three-season pad for shorter trips.
• Klymit Static V — a first pad or loaner; cheap and light-ish, but barely insulated.
• Gossamer Gear Thinlight / Fitply foam — ultralight minimalists adding a foam layer under an inflatable, or summer-only sleepers.

Check the R-value against your season: below 3 is summer-only.