ProView – Exped DeepSleep Mat 7.5

The past two months, I had the pleasure of changing up my “work-life” sleeping system and using Exped’s DeepSleep 7.5 LXW sleeping pad. Using the pad in a multitude of terrain across three different states allowed me to put it to the test, and I got to say, I love it.

I guide a broad range of multi-day trips; a select few of them I get to sleep indoors on the floor, but most often it’s outdoors all the way. Unfortunately, I am somewhat of a sleep snob. I don’t want to be, trust me, but I need a lot of comfort to sleep well when I am not in my own bed. That’s where this pad shines the most. From sleeping on the floor in a haunted lodge in the Colorado hills to the soft packed sand in the Moab desert, the DeepSleep performed flawlessly and I got a great night’s sleep to prepare for a full day of guiding every time. I used the DeepSleep inside and outside in nighttime temperatures ranging from 30s-50s. It has a soft exterior that doesn’t make ANY noise when you toss and turn and, as a bonus, is a nice feel for when you inevitably wriggle out of your bag or the sheets slide off. (Pro-tip: commit to sheets and blankets, baby, it’s awesome.) 

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Performance

The DeepSleep is massive. At 78”L x 30”W x 3”H, this puppy is basically a twin-sized mattress. Besides making it crazy comfy, the size makes the pad an excellent choice for those wanting to sleep in the back of their cars but would like the option to ‘put their bed away’ for more space while traveling. It does take up the majority of a two-person tent. So, if you’re looking to share a tent, you will either be stuffing the other pad in (doable but stretches your tent bottom) or using a 3 person and up size tent. The one inevitable con to making such a large and thick pad is the rolled up size. It measures in at 30 inches long and 8 inches wide, which designates it to car camping use only.

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So far it has proven to be quite durable. I used the pad next to fires, on rocks, in the sand, and had a puppy play on it to no notable wear. The intake and outtake valves on the DeepSleep are sweet. They both are one-way-only valves that make inflating and deflating a quick breeze. I could not get this pad to lose air over multiple nights of use. So much so that I left it blown up in my house for a week to see if it would seep even a little (spoiler: it did not.)

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Friendliness to the Earth

Researching the sustainability of Exped products was quite interesting. They have a page dedicated to being green on their website and go above and beyond the Bluesign minimum that a lot of outdoor brands are adopting. They hold their partners to high standards and use factories that provide “progressive working and employment conditions”, are Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified, and are bluesign and/or Oeko-Tex® 100 certified. They also never use plastic in packing and shipping -which is awesome and seemingly a no-brainer yet not many companies do it. 

The Final Word

The perfect sleeping pad for those who are looking for an extremely comfortable night’s sleep but are not quite “trust fund” enough to buy a sprinter van. The Exped Deepsleep LXW is huge, thick, and quiet. It’s an excellent choice for car campers whether you’re on the ground or in the back of your Subie hatchback.

Shop the Exped DeepSleep Mat 7.5 on Outdoor Prolink. Not a member? Apply today!