A sleeping pad attachment system enables the usage of a strap or chord wrapped underneath a sleeping pad that can then be attached to the attachment loops on a quilt. This keeps your quilt in place and allows you to turn from side to side while not having to worry about repositioning your quilt.

When I inflated the mattress I found the dimensions to the outer edges of the mattress to be 20.50 inches wide by 78.50 inches long, which is in agreement with what is advertized by BA for this model of the Insulated Air Core Ultra. The Nemo Tensor Insulated Sleeping Pad, like the previous models mentioned above, does have a non-insulated version with a 1.6 R-value, which again, doesn’t make the cut for a good 3-season sleeping pad in my opinion, so the insulated version wins again. Why this sleeping pad is great for side sleepers Last but not least is how much it costs for an insulated sleeping pad vs a non-insulated one. Firstly, it is more expensive as more materials are used as well as extra, often complicated, steps in the manufacturing process. The insulation uses strands of thermal foam layered between a Triangular Core Matrix of baffles to provide constant warmth with no cold spots. Out of sight on the inside of the sleeping bag, there is also a reflective thermal layer called Thermacapture to help trap warm air generated from body heat. Like I stated earlier, I currently own a 25 x 72 BA Insulated Air Core that I really like, but with my height being 5' 11" the effective length of this mattress is more like 70 inches, so I always have a hard time keeping a pillow under my head without having to dangle my feet off the end of the mattress. It’s not a fault of the mattress in any way, but it is something to consider when you’re selecting a mattress to make sure it will provide the amount of support you are looking for.Generally, if a sleeping pad has a different top fabric to the bottom and sides, this will be designed to make as less noise as possible. With winter sleeping pads that have a thermal reflective lining, you might think they will be even noisier. But because the noise issue became apparent early on, they are now developed to be very quiet to move about on. Value and Budget

At 6 inches deep and with a flat surface on top, this is as close as you can get to your mattress at home while you are camping. I am a side sleeper and you can let around 25% of the air out of it and still sleep like a log. I like to do this with all deep sleeping pads as I just tend to sleep better.The Sea to Summit Comfort Plus XT Insulated Air is another winter sleeping bag that feels warmer than its 4.8 R-value rating. It has air-sprung baffles created by spot welds instead of seams so that you get a very even platform to sleep on. These air-sprung baffles seem to conform to your body better than other directional baffles. This tip is sure to be controversial but take it or leave it. I believe a quilt is more comfortable for side sleepers due to your ability to maneuver around inside all while keeping your quilt in place. For this to be true however, you need to have a quilt with a sleeping pad attachment system. According to BA the primary features that are new with this version of the Insulated Air Core Ultra are as follows:

The shape of a sleeping pad is another important characteristic to consider. You usually have two options: Mummy and rectangular. Baffles— The outer chambers of the Air Core Ultra are bigger than in the original Air Core, which both we and Big Agnes hope will create a smoother and more stable surface. It has an R-value of 10.6 which is a full 2 units more than its closest rival. This will keep you warm down to extreme temperatures of -54 degrees F thanks to the insulation inside which is an open-cell polyurethane foam that won’t let you down. The top surface is a50D stretch tricot nylon which is super soft and comfortable while the sides and bottom are made from a tougher 75D polyester for durability. Down is by far the most expensive but offers an unbeatable weight-to-warmth ratio. Synthetic is more budget-friendly and reliable but will be heavier and often bulkier. R-values are now standardized by law for sleeping pads, and so you can rely on them to be fairly, if not totally, accurate. You can use R-values to judge the temperature limits they will be suitable for using our chart here.The in port of the valve assembly is used to inflate the mattress and is also used to do fine adjustments of the internal pressure for comfort. The in port has a small flexible feature to which a diaphragm is attached that acts as a one way valve when filling the mattress with air. Some people think that it is sleeping bags that keep you warm in a tent, but without a sleeping pad, your sleeping bag will only keep you warm from the top. Sleeping pads are what keep your underside warm, and they serve a very important role in resisting heat loss through the ground. If you can’t prevent losing heat through the frosty ground, you won’t last very long in winter. Is R-Value 2.5 Good for A Sleeping Pad? One of the advertized features of the Insulated Air Core Ultra is that it is made from more durable lightweight nylon rip-stop fabric that has a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material laminated to the rip-stop to provide for ultimate durability. The double rip-stop fabric being used is supposed to have 25% greater tear strength and durability. I didn’t do any physical tests to try and verify these claims, but from a subjective perspective the material does feel robust and appropriate for this application. If you like to sleep on a partially deflated sleeping pad for extra comfort, you may lose a small amount of R-value, although I don’t have access to one of Thermarest’s testing facilities to confirm this. My thinking is that with less volume inside to insulate, the worse it will perform, but by how much, I am not sure. Because this sleeping pad is so warm and well insulated, it is the perfect mat to combine with a quilt or wool blanket because you don’t need any extra warmth beneath you. One problem with down sleeping bags is that when you lay on them the down compresses and loses some of its performance – a sleeping pad like this solves that problem. With it having down feathers inside, we highly recommend using a pump instead of your breath to inflate it and avoid any condensation spoiling the down.