I’ve been doing more car camping than usual lately and enjoy the almost sinful comfort of cheap blow-up mattresses. My only complaint is inexpensive mattresses are also very cheaply made, and it’s common to wake up in the middle of the night lying on the hard ground when they mysteriously spring leaks for no good reason. If you plan to use one, take spares!
So, I was intrigued when an NRS catalog arrived in the mail recently that listed PVC sleeping pads. I’d never heard of the concept before, and it looked like a good compromise featuring comfort which is nearly that of a cheap mattress but much more durable.
However, the NRS models were way, way out of my “experiment” budget range, so I ordered an AIRE Ultra Landing Pad that was on sale from a discount outlet.
First Impressions
Out of the box, the AIRE Ultra Landing Pad is surprisingly big and heavy – like REALLY big and heavy. Rolled up, it measures 32 inches long and a foot in diameter. While the AIRE website lists it at 14 pounds, my digital scale shows over 16. By comparison, one of my cheap WalMart twin-size mattresses comes in at under six pounds—even when you throw in my inflator that features four size D batteries. The cheapo mattresses also fold up into a fraction of the size of the AIRE Ultra Landing Pad.
I mention all this because my understanding is these pads are intended for rafting trips, and I can’t imagine that space is completely unlimited. Am I wrong? I certainly wouldn’t take one on a kayaking trip because one would pretty much fill a storage compartment on my NDK Explorer—if I could even squeeze it through the hatch to begin with.
Sleeping on an AIRE Ultra Landing Pad
I do like that the AIRE Ultra Landing Pads don’t have to be inflated. You simply open the Summit 2 valve, and the foam inside does the rest. I recommend leaving the valve open from the time you pitch your tent until you intend to sleep to give the foam as much time as possible to expand. Leaving it in the warm sun also helps.
Rolled out, the pad is 78 inches long and 30 inches wide. Because the AIRE Ultra is PVC, I would say a sheet between you and it is the bare minimum—and you’re probably going to want more because the edges of the mattress don’t really lay flat after being rolled up and will dig into your arms if you roll over on them.
While the AIRE Ultra is significantly quieter than my air mattresses when I roll around, I found the firmness to be almost too much—and that’s coming from someone who likes really firm mattresses. I think the AIRE Ultra could give a Japanese futon a run for its money. Despite the “extra” inch of padding, I still felt pressure points and didn’t sleep as soundly as advertised. It’s better than sleeping directly on the ground, but not by much.
Conclusions
As my headline reads, I just don’t get landing pads. That’s apparently a personal failure because there are lots of manufacturers making them—and they wouldn’t be if there weren’t fans of the concept.
To me, they’re big and heavy, extremely difficult to roll up after use (and I’m a big, strong lad), and not as comfortable as a “deluxe” inflatable like the Therm-a-Rest “MondoKing.” Yes, the 20 oz. PVC exterior is rugged and waterproof, but it feels more like raft material than something you want to sleep on. The welded seams and reinforced corners are built to last, but again, it feels like AIRE prioritized durability over comfort.
After hearing rave reviews about the AIRE Ultra Landing Pad, I had high hopes for this mattress. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. If you’re prioritizing a good night’s sleep, there are more comfortable and lighter options out there that are easier to pack and better suited for restful nights in the wild.
