NEMO - Switchback Ultralight Sleeping Pad

My exact setup atm is a Dura 3R and Nemo Switchback. I feel like a king after coming from a old school thermarest and ground tarp

The nemo switchback is a bit more comfortable than the z-lite because it has a different dimple structure. I think the comfort benefit of a switchback is worth the increased price compared to an Ozark trail or aliexpress ccf sleeping pad. Additional recommendations: Others have mentioned short or torso length pads, but these certainly aren't for everyone. You should get a full length pad, use it for a few nights, then trial run using the pad shortened without actually cutting the pad. You can do this by just leaving the pad partially folded and sleeping on the unfolded part. The most trimming you should do from the start is just removing sections that are longer than your height. For example if you're 5'6" and the pad is 6' you can take off a couple sections and still have a full body pad. Going along with this, if you use a pillow, because ccf pads are so thin you can put the pillow off the edge of the pad to increase its effective length.

Everyone prioritizes things differently. Some people want the perfect piece of gear for every situation. Some people prioritize money, weight, comfort etc. For me, I didn’t want to buy multiple pads for multiple situations. So I bought the thermarest xlite with R value of 4.5 and a Nemo foldable switchback. Now I am covered all season comfortably with will not need to buy anything else. Have you slept on a foldable pad before? As a side sleeper I could not get comfortable. Where I backpack, it can get cold at night even in the summer and I didn’t want to be caught unprepared, so I always use my inflatable pad. You will eventually get a puncture in your inflatable sleeping pad, which is why you bring a small repair kit.

Have you considered a camping cot? There are a lot of ultralight options now which are about the same price as a good sleeping pad for side sleepers. The only difference being is the weight, you’re looking at around 1.5kg for a cot bed which would be double the weight of a sleeping pad. For me, the extra weight is worth it for the comfort. For context I’ve tried Therm-a-Rest, Big Agnes and Nemo mats. If I’m going for comfort, the cot bed wins every time.

Yep I bring two pads as well. Although my system is a little bit different in that I use an X-therm combined with a 80x40 1/8th pad as my floor and then can fold it down in an emergency. I'm surprised that worked for you. I know when I had first gotten my sulo I took it down to 22F on snow with just a nemo switchback because that's all I owned and could very easily feel the cold from the pad

When I did Baker I brought a closed cell pad (Nemo switch back) and an inflatable (Sea to summit) for comfort and redundancy. You'll be hard pressed to find a new bag that's also lightweight for $200. You'll probably need to see if you can find something used or I would recommend you see if you can rent one.

My Nemo pad is more comfortable than my Purple bed 😂

I have the switchback and it’s warm enough for 32F for me but not cushy enough for my hips.

Glad you had success with it! I was super hyped about it from all the accounts of its comfort. Right now my “light” ground sleeping loadout is a klymit insulated paired with Nemo switchback (most comfortable combo I’ve found outside of self inflating) with tarp and bivvy. If I’m going less than 8 miles for an overnight and either the weather is extreme winter or I have a camping partner I haul my stupidly heavy mondo king pad and split the weight of the 3 man tent between us. Been leaning towards just going fully back to my hammmock but I think I’ve determined that I need an open cell/self inflating style pad to prevent hip pain on the ground.

Nemo all the way!! They are luxury and pack up so small! I’ve been pregnant and camped with them and they are superb!