Gear Doctors Camping Pads Self Inflating Ultralight Apollo air 4.3-5.2 R Insulated Camping mats 1.5-3.3 in Must Haves Inflatable Foam air Sleep mat self Inflating air Mattress for Camping cot

I purchased this sleeping pad back in 2022 and have now used it on many camping trips across all seasons. It is a great piece of gear, and has been durable as well as comfortable. Takes a few minutes to inflate but I set up other stuff around camp while it's filling. You can top off with a few breaths if you want firmer sleep. Packing is also simple.My most recent trip was car camping, and the tent site was quite rocky. The Gear Doctor pad really helped sitting on tent floor and tarp. Plus, it was unseasonably chilly and the pad kept me nice and warm under my sleeping bag. I am 6 ft, 180lbs, and it's plenty big. I tend to leave it slightly under inflated so it won't slide and is a bit more comfortable. It's been stomped on, tossed around, stuff dropped on it, and never any issues.It's extremely light, but a little bulky for REALLY ultra-light backpacking. Takes up a decent portion of my 40 liter pack. That said, it works great and beats sleeping on the ground or the thin "yoga mat" style pads.I've been very happy with the Gear Doctors sleeping pad long-term and feel good knowing it has a lifetime warranty. If you're considering it, go for it.

I got this for my DIL for her birthday and she loves it. It's got great ground protection from the cold, and it really does self-inflate. She took it out in the soft snow and laid on it to see how well it works and said she could sleep on it without feeling the temp coming through.It inflates when you open the valve and the foam inside expands to pull in the air. Just like when you squeeze all the air out of a nerf ball and then release the pressure. Give it a full 5-10 minutes to do this [maybe more if it's cold], as the inflation process is very gradual. Leave it alone and come back later and put a couple of breaths in it to firm it up. Then to put it away, you fold it in half and crush it as you roll it [with the valve open of course], and this forces the air back out for storage. The storage bag that comes with it is pretty small, so the mat has to be wound tightly.Oh, and this is incredibly light. Seriously, I just put this back in the Amazon box, wrapped it, and she thought I was pranking her with an empty box.Several caveats:1] The only way to keep this rolled up is to stuff it in the bag, even if you just want to get it out of the way or are temporarily using the bag elsewhere. An attached Velcro strap could solve this.2] This isn't a problem for those in my family, but this is not a mat size for a large adult. My DIL is petite 5'0 so it works well for her, my son's toes hang off the end at 5'9, but even that is pretty comfortable for him. I'm 6'1 and it's a little small for me, though it is certainly better than many other alternatives. It still fits my torso and primary joints. This is a fine tradeoff for most people trying to keep their load light, but just something you should know.3] If the outside material [which is fairly thin but very flexible] gets punctured, you would partially deflate this when you lay on it, meaning your pressure joints will feel the ground more. Even then it will be far better than nothing, but the full effect will be lost. This is more a care issue to be aware of so that you are careful that people or the dog aren't walking on it as you are moving around before or after sleep. Do not abuse this thing, take it in the pool, put it on sharp objects or let the pets and kids play on it. Use it as intended and don't abuse it and you should be fine. If you are thinking about this for snow-sledding, a floor mat or anything else not part of sleeping, consider other choices for that. Don't just fall on it. Like anything else that is filled with air, you could blow a seam and it would likely be irreparable. However, should a puncture happen, I do believe a piece of electrical or duct tape, or even a dab of super glue would probably sufficeMy only other long-term concern is how many times this foam fully expands. She's only used it a few times so everything is great. But I've seen similar foams just get weak and just not have the spring back after 100 uses. Keeping my fingers crossed, but 5 stars for now.Update: She took this with on her latest family camping trip and now it's on a gift list for my son and the oldest grandson. Her only complaint was that people kept "borrowing" it. Still 5 stars and very highly recommended.

Let me start by saying that I had been asked by the company owner to review the product right after I had received it in the mail. I didn't do that. I wanted to truly test it before writing anything about it.I bought it to be used during my Pacific Crest Trail thruhike, which took about 5 months to complete. My body has a hard time regulating its temperature. It's always too hot or way too cold. Coming from Hawaii where my body only knew what 70⁰ and 80⁰ temperatures were, I was scared I'd be cold at night on those 20-40⁰ nights in the California desert all the way up the the Canadian border in September's cold temps.I have a Dan Durston X-Mid 2p tent. I slept on the Gear Doctors Apollo Air pad and used the Hyke & Byke Eolus 0⁰F 800FP Goose Down sleeping bag. I slept comfortably on most nights. Whenever temps got colder than 35⁰F, I'd sleep with all my layers, be a bit cold, but it was fine. I was only super cold whenever my feet had slid off the pad. Which proves its efficiency. Another thing to notice is that even though the pad does make sounds when you move around, it was one of the quietest pad out on the trail. Thermarests SUCK! They are soooo loud that I couldn't sleep a few nights because other hikers nearby were using that pad. Even with earplugs, I'd still hear the thermarest!The Apolo Air definitely kept me warm on most nights, was super easy to deflate and fold into it's little bag. However, the inflating bag isn't that great, especially for the extra weight. It also failed on me. It had a leak right on the grey valve. Making it super slow to inflate it. So I ended up ditching the inflation bag and inflated the pad by mouth after the Sierra Nevada. Which I know probably decreased the durability and usability of the pad. Because it'll create mold on the inside since there's a lot of moisture in our breath, especially if compared to the dry air pumped in by the inflation bag.I wish it was a little bit lighter in weight and a higher R value. But considering its ok R-Value and durability, plus a more affordable price under the $100 mark, you can't beat it!A lot of my friends on the trail slept cold and or had to deal with the extremely loud noise from their super expensive pads. So I'm super happy with my purchase and I hope it won't get moldy. We shall see.Overall, I recommend this sleeping pad for nights in the 30⁰F all the way up to the 100⁰F. Thanks Gear Doctors for a great product!I posted a photo of the pad after 5.5 months of using it pretty much every night. My 5 year old goddaughter is laying on it. It got dirty, but still functions perfectly, minus the inflation bag.Update: I have since switched to the Thermarest X-therm before the Florida Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. I'm very glad I switched because I encountered temps as low as 12⁰F, with a 20⁰F Western Mountaineering sleeping bag and I was never cold! I didn't even carry a puffy jacket along those 4K miles. I probably would have survived with the Gear Dr pad, but with the Thermarest, I was comfortably warm n cozy.