Smallest Sleeping Pad When Packed of 2020: Top 5 Picks

Packing the smallest yet the most convenient gear is extremely important, especially if you are backpacking, therefore, we have written this comprehensive buying guide for the “smallest sleeping pad when packed“.

Quick Top 5 Picks: Smallest Sleeping Pad When Packed

• Therm-a-Rest Uberlite
• Big Agnes Uninsulated Air Core Ultra
• OutdoorsmanLab Ultralight
• Exped Synmat HL
• Nemo Tensor Ultralight

What to Look For When choosing a Sleeping Pad Rather Than Small Packed Size

It is important to find the smallest sleeping pad when packed but there are other features to be taken into consideration.

Before jumping into buying the smallest one we suggest you take a look at these features:

• Weight
• Comfort
• Insulation

There are 3 types of sleeping pads; Air, Open Cell, Closed Cell.

Air sleeping pads are the best when looking for the smallest sleeping pad when packed. They are extremely compressible and light, therefore, every recommendation in this guide is an air sleeping pad.

If you have a bad back take a look at our article about best sleeping pads for bad backs.

Weight

Weight is as important as size when backpacking. Generally, a sleeping pad weighs betweem 0.5 to 5 pounds. If you need a sleeping pad for backpacking, we recommend not to purchase one heavier than 1 pound. Therefore most of the sleeping pads selected in this article weigh less than 1 pound.

Comfort

You might be wondering how to determine if a sleeping pad is comfortable or not. Type of the sleeping pad is the first thing you need to look for when it comes to understanding if a sleeping pad is comfortable or not.

Air sleeping pads and Open-Cell sleeping pads are much comfortable compared to closed cell sleeping pads. Another thing that you need to look for is the thickness of the sleeping pad. If you get a thin sleeping pad you might feel the ground when moving during sleeping. We recommend getting a thick sleeping pad especially if you move a lot when you sleep or if you are a side sleeper.

Insulation

Insulation of a sleeping pad is measured by R-Value. The higher the R-Value, the higher the insulation.

In general, highly compressible sleeping pads have low R-value. But in this article, for those who are into cold weather camping, we have also chosen sleeping pads that are both extremely compressible (small when packed) and have high R-value.

Smallest Sleeping Pad When Packed: Top 5

Therm-a-Rest Uberlite

Best For: Smallest Sleeping Pad When Packed for Those Whose First Priority is Weight

PACKED DIMENSIONS: Ø 3.5″ x 6.5″
WEIGHT: 8.8 oz
R-VALUE: 2.0
DIMENSIONS: 72″ x 20″ x 2.5″

If you are not only searching for the smallest sleeping pad when packed, also looking for the lightest sleeping pad, then Therm-a-Rest Uberlite is ideal for you. It weighs just 8.8 lbs, and packs down to Ø 6 “x 3.5.”

If a pad has a high R-Value it generally is heavy, but that is not the case with Therm-a-Rest Uberlite. Even though it has an R-Value of 2.0, it only weighs 8.8 oz (2.0 R-Value is not very high but it can be used down to 35 °F).

Most air sleeping pads with high R-Value are noisy due to the insulation material, but Therm-a-Rest Uberlite is extremely quiet compared to other sleeping pads. It may not seem like a big deal, but believe me, it’s really, especially if you’re a light sleeper.

Therm-a-Rest Uberlite’s downsides are that it is not made of very durable material and is not suitable for side sleepers since the thickness is 2.5″.

Big Agnes Uninsulated Air Core Ultra

Best For: Smallest Sleeping Pad When Packed For Side Sleepers

PACKED DIMENSIONS: Ø 4″ x 7″
WEIGHT: 20 oz
DIMENSIONS: 72″ x 20″ x 3.5″

If a sleeping pad is extremely small when packed, it is generally thought to be thin. Big Agnes developed a great design that made the sleeping pad extremely compressible and highly thick. Although this sleeping bag can pack down to Ø 4″ x 7″ it has a thickness of 3.5″, therefore, this pad is great for side sleepers looking for the smallest sleeping pad when packed.

Big Agnes has two valves to ease the process of inflation and deflation (the first is for inflation and the second is for rapid deflation), the first valve has a stopper to prevent air from coming back out. You might think it’s not a critical feature, but it saves a lot of effort. Also, the first valve has a plug on it to deflate the pad a little, if you think the pad is too inflated.

This sleeping pad has a vertical baffle design. The baffles on the sides are bigger than the baffles inside, so you wouldn’t slide off the pad.

There are both insulated and uninsulated types of Big Agnes Air Core Sleeping Pad. Insulated type can protect you down to 32 °F but its packed size is a little bit bigger than uninsulated type (Ø 4″ x 8″).

Although it is made of double ripstop nylon (which is extremely durable material) it weighs only 20 oz.

OutdoorsmanLab Ultralight

Best For: Smallest Sleeping Pad When Packed for Those Who Are On a Budget

PACKED DIMENSIONS: Ø 3″ x 8″
WEIGHT: 16 oz
R-VALUE: 2.2
DIMENSIONS: 73″ x 21.6″ x 2.2″

There are plenty of sleeping pads that are extremely small when packed. But unlike others, OutdoorsmanLab Ultralight brought an innovative cellular design to the industry to increase the comfort.

It weighs 16 oz, can pack down to Ø 3″ x 8″ and has an R-Value of 2.2. It might not seem like a big number but it can protect you from the cold until 30 °F.

OutdoorsmanLab Ultralight is a budget-friendly sleeping pad and it is made of durable, ultralight ripstop 20D Nylon.

You might think that the smallest sleeping pad when packed, might be small when inflated, but that is not the case, it is 21″ wide and 6ft long.

This sleeping pad is 2.2″ thick. Although it is more than enough for a regular sleeper, it is thin for a side sleeper. When you sleep on your side, pressure on the sleeping pad increases, therefore you would feel the ground more.

Exped Synmat HL

Best For: Smallest Sleeping Pad When Packed for Cold Weather Camping

PACKED DIMENSIONS: Ø 3.5″ x 7.5″
WEIGHT: 15.4 oz
R-VALUE: 3.3
DIMENSIONS: 72″ x 20″ Shoulder Width x 13.8″ Foot Width x 2.8″

If you are into cold weather camping and looking for a sleeping pad that has a small packed size, Exped Synmat HL is perfect for you. Exped Synmat HL has an R-Value of 3.3 (which protects the user down to 5 °F), weighs 15.4 oz and can be packed down to Ø 3.5″ x 7.5″.

It is a mummy shaped sleeping pad. Its sizes are 72″ Length x 20″ Shoulder Width / 13.8″ Foot Width x 2.8″ Thickness. If you are a steady sleeper you wouldn’t get uncomfortable on a mummy-shaped pad but If you are fellow who moves a lot during sleeping we recommend regular-shaped pads.

Since it has a thickness of 2.8″ it can be used by side sleepers as well. The material of the sleeping pad is extremely durable (20D polyester) and on top, there is a TPU polyether laminate to make it waterproof.

Another great thing about the pad is, it comes with a pump sack.

If you are into cold weather camping and looking for a durable, small packed sized, lightweight sleeping pad, we strongly recommend Exped Synmat HL.

Some campers think packing a pump sack is unnecessary since it only takes 2-3 minutes to inflate a sleeping pad. But while we inflate with the mouth, we also blow saliva in the pad, and in time, moisture causes mold, thereby reducing a sleeping pad life. So pump sack is not a crucial gear but it is one of the “good to have” items.

Nemo Tensor Ultralight

Best For: Smallest Sleeping Pad When Packed / Best Overall

PACKED DIMENSIONS: Ø 3″ x 8″
WEIGHT: 15 oz
R-VALUE: 3.5
DIMENSIONS: 72″ x 20″ x 3″

Another sleeping pad that made into the top 5 list of the smallest sleeping pad when packed is Nemo Tensor Ultralight. If you are looking for a durable, convenient, four-season sleeping pad Nemo Tensor Ultralight is the whole package.

There are both insulated and uninsulated types of Nemo Tensor Ultralight. The insulated type has a high Warmth/Weight Ratio since it has an R-value of 3.5 and weighs only 15 oz.

By “the whole package”, we don’t mean just a high R-value and low weight, it also has excellent specs: 3″ of thickness (suitable for side sleepers), Ø 3″ x 8″ packed size and 20D polyester material makes it the best overall.

Another great thing about the pad is, it comes with a pump sack.