A backpacking or tenting sleeping pad’s R-value measures its resistance to warmth loss to the bottom if you lie on it at night time. Pads with increased R-values do that extra successfully than pads with decrease R-values. R-value isn’t a measure of heat per se, however of a pad’s means to forestall the lack of the heat that your physique generates. It’s identical to the R-value used to fee house insulation.
Sleeping Pad R-Values and Air Temperature in Degrees
What’s the correlation between air temperature and sleeping pad R-values? When do you want a pad with a better R-value? This desk relies on Exped’s suggestions in Fahrenheit and Celsius levels.
| Air Temperature (F): | 50 | 30 | 25 | 10 | 0 | -15 | -25 | -40 |
| Minimum R-Value | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Air Temperature (C): | 10 | -1 | -4 | -12 | -18 | -26 | -32 | -40 |
| Minimum R-Value | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
In addition:
- R-values are additive, so you possibly can mix two pads to extend your heat stage. For instance, it’s widespread to hold a foam sleeping pad (normally R=2) in winter to make use of as a sit pad when consuming and melting snow you can place beneath an inflatable pad to extend their mixed R-value for sleeping.
- Women want increased R-values pads as a result of they’ve decrease physique mass than males. An extra R-value of 1 is normally hedge for ladies and different chilly sleepers.
- If a pad mannequin has a number of sizes, all of them have the identical R-value except specified in any other case
- EN sleeping bag temperature scores are predicated on utilizing a sleeping pad with an R-value of 5 or increased. If you end up sleeping chilly in temperatures the place you’d anticipate your sleeping bag ought to hold you heat, it might be as a result of your sleeping pad has an R-value lower than 5.
Sleeping Pad R-Value Comparison
The following desk gives a side-by-side comparability of the ASTM F3340-18 rated sleeping pads obtainable within the US market. The pad weights listed are sized for 72″ lengthy x 20″ huge pads, although there are just a few exceptions beneath. The R-Value of a pad stays the identical if you choose an extended, shorter, or wider variation of the pad.
Key: Air – Air Mattress, SI – Self Inflating, Foam – Closed Cell Foam
Sleeping Pad R-Value Standard
In 2020, the out of doors {industry} rolled out a world and industry-standard R-value take a look at process known as ASTM F3340-18. This means you possibly can evaluate the R-values of various sleeping pads made by completely different producers and know that they’re all utilizing the identical take a look at process to measure the R-values of their pads. That’s an enormous profit for shoppers and can ultimately have the identical affect that the adoption of standardized sleeping pad temperature scores had for evaluating sleeping luggage from completely different corporations.
The corporations which have adopted the brand new R-value sleeping pad commonplace (ASTM F3340-18) and retested all of their present sleeping pads embrace:
- Therm-a-Rest
- NEMO
- REI
- Exped
- Sea-to-Summit
- Big Agnes
- Klymit
What’s New in Sleeping Pads in 2023?
- Thermarest has come out with a brand new NeoAir NXT technology of pads which are quieter, thicker, and have a barely increased R-value than the final technology NeoAir pads. I don’t assume the modifications actually warrant changing your present NeoAir pad although, however the modifications needs to be engaging to new purchasers.
- Big Agnes has a handful of recent light-weight pads which are 3+ season succesful. They’re not broadly obtainable in retail but, however they make good gear and is perhaps an fascinating different.
- Klymit continues to have an impenetrable product naming scheme. I don’t get it.
Status of Industry Adoption
The adoption of the brand new R-Value commonplace was pushed by REI, which requires that the sleeping pads listed on the market on its principal web site have an ASTM F3340-18 R-Value ranking.
Many sleeping pad corporations have nonetheless not adopted the brand new ASTM F3340-18 sleeping pad R-Value commonplace and it’s not clear that they ever will. In truth, many producers don’t take a look at their pads in any respect, however “estimate” the R-values of their sleeping mats and pads. In the absence of a normal definition and take a look at process, it’s laborious to inform if their estimates are correct or whether or not they’re akin to these produced by the usual ASTM F3340-18 R-value testing protocol.
Updated January 17, 2023.
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