A sleeping pad’s R-Value measures its ability to insulate you from cold ground and keep you warm. The higher the R value, the more effective it is. Sleeping Pad R value performance testing is done in a 70 F environment with no air movement. As such, it doesn’t reflect many real world conditions where you’d use a sleeping pad, so I recommend that you augment any gear selection that you make with field testing.If you are interested in sleeping pads for early spring, late autumn or winter conditions, R-Value is additive. When it gets cold, I like to use two pads, a closed cell foam pad and an insulated inflatable one with a combined R-Value of at least 5.For purposes of backpacking, you also need to factor in weight, comfort, compressibility, and rigidity when you make a sleeping pad selection. In addition, side sleepers may not receive the full R-value of benefit of an inflatable insulated pad because their bodies are not in full contact with the surface of the pad. This is particularly true for insulated sleeping pads that depend on your body heat to warm them up, including the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir product line, Exped’s DownMats and Big Agnes’ Insulated Pads.The following table provides a side by side comparison of the major sleeping pads available in the US market.
The pad weights listed are sized for 72″ long x 20″ wide pads, though there are a few exceptions below. The R-Value of a pad should still remain the same if you select a longer, shorter, or wider variation of the pad. If a sleeping pad has a R-Value of “Not Available”, it’s because the manufacturer has not supplied one or R-value testing has not been performed. If you make a purchase after clicking on the links above, a portion of the sale helps support this site at no additional cost to you.Purple® Pillow: The World's First No-Pressure Head Bed Most pillows are made from garbage.Lumpy foam, stabby feathers, and melty memory foam. None of it actually considers the needs of your head.That’s why we’re bringing you the Purple® Pillow, the world’s first pillow that’s more like a bed for your head! The Purple® Pillow is made of three parts: Every time you share Purple on social media, the Sleepy Scientist will save a Wookie! Support Purple (and Chewbacca) by taking 2 seconds to share the Purple® Pillow with your friends!
Anyone who sleeps or has a head.The traditional idea of a “pillow” isn’t working. They’re lumpy, flat, hot, and lack proper neck support.We didn’t treat the pillow like an accessory to your mattress, but as a mattress in and of itself—a bed for your head. The head has its own set of needs: We reimagined the “pillow” as a “head bed” and used the same revolutionary material that has worked so well for so many people in our Purple® Bed to create it.The Purple® Bed is the first product we launched on Kickstarter exactly one year ago. The response to our launch has been so overwhelmingly positive, and the warm welcome we received on Kickstarter encouraged us to come back with our new, game-changing product.The mattress is made with a layer of Hyper-Elastic Polymer™—a super stretchy, super durable, non-toxic, food-grade material that we invented to give people the perfect balance of support and comfort they need in a mattress. The Hyper-Elastic Polymer™ is arranged in a grid system we call the Smart Comfort Grid™.
This grid system creates small columns all over the mattress that help support your body while allowing your pressure points to relax into the mattress.This is all wrapped in a super stretchy and soft cover to make the perfect mattress. And now we have the perfect pillow to match! Unlike most pillows, our Purple® Pillow isn’t a bunch of old, ineffective materials smashed together in an uncomfortable, lumpy rectangle. Instead, we took the game-changing material in our mattress, Hyper-Elastic Polymer™, and optimized it for your head.The pillow is 24" long, 16" wide, and about 3" tall without the booster. The optional air booster adds up to two extra inches of height. Warning: This pillow is not for pillow fights! It weighs about 10 pounds, and that’s a good thing because weight equals quality. Purple is heavy because we use the highest quality materials to make our ultimate comfort technology. Purple believes all sleepers deserve a great night’s sleep, so we wanted to make the Purple® Pillow customizable.
That’s why we included an air booster that can be inflated to raise the pillow to your desired height. This is great for side sleepers or snorers who need a little extra boost (see what we did there?) when they sleep. No matter how you sleep, your neck should always be in beautiful alignment with the Purple® Pillow! The material on the outside of the pillow (or head bed, as we like to call it) is super soft and comfortable. It is made from polyester. This fabric makes your pillow ultra-touchable and super stretchy, so your face feels like it’s being hugged by a panda bear while your head comfortably relaxes into a pool of Purple awesome. Neck support completely evacuates to either side of your head, forcing you to fluff all night. The Wedge causes neck strain so your spine can't be in perfect alignment. Too much neck support means neck and shoulder pain so you look like an evil henchman the next day. Not enough or too much neck support—either way you wake up sweaty from the hot memory foam.
The Purple® Pillow perfectly cradles your cranium while supporting your neck without you needing to readjust. What Are Other People Saying About Purple? "Purple is one of the most unique mattresses I have tested to date. A combination of a Hyper-Elastic Polymer™ and two layers of polyurethane foam come together for a feel unlike any other. There are great levels of support, comfort, bounce, and exceptional cooling. Purple does a nice job of relieving pressure points in addition to minimizing motion transfer across the mattress." - Sleepopolis Review, 4.7 StarsHow Purple, Uber and Airbnb Are Disrupting and Redefining Old Industries - Entrepreneur3 Highly Memorable Product Demos That Made Their Brand - Inc.Can't Fall Asleep or Stay Asleep? 6 Products That Will Change Your Life - LifehackPurple Is Better Than Any Mattress at Macy's, Walmart or Costco - ClapwayStep one in our mission to bring comfort to everyone in the world was the Purple® Bed. We were blown away by the incredible support we got from the Kickstarter community and for the mattress after our campaign ended.
Clearly, we are addressing a problem millions of people are experiencing every day: bad, uncomfortable sleep that affects their health, productivity, and happiness.With the Purple® Pillow, we begin step two. We are calling on our community of innovators on Kickstarter to help us launch this new, unique product. We can’t do this without your support, and that’s why we’ve come back to Kickstarter, to share the next step in our comfort mission with you first. In 1989, two brothers, engineers Tony and Terry Pearce, partnered to change the world.Tony’s 13 years of experience in advanced aerospace materials, and Terry’s 20 years of experience in manufacturing, design, and project management, led to a partnership creating high-tech carbon fiber sporting goods and wheelchairs. The Pearce brothers created technology that was used in products by Nike, Johnson & Johnson, and Hill-Rom. But, eventually, the Pearces set out to create a technology that could revolutionize cushioning at a much lower cost.
Purple began to evolve through a series of discoveries and product developments. The first breakthrough came in 1996, when the Pearces invented Hyper-Elastic Polymer™.This amazingly soft, yet strong material could stretch 15 times its resting size, was uber-durable, and never took a body impression. The key discovery came when Hyper-Elastic Polymer™ was molded in a shape that could “relax” under pressure points, redistributing the pressure to other areas. The same feature turned out to give amazing back support in mattresses.Three years ago, the Pearces set out to combine all their knowledge of cushioning into the world’s best mattress. The Pearce brothers use custom designed and built machinery to make Hyper-Elastic Polymer™ in the USA at production rates that allowed them to significantly cut the cost of this miracle material to consumers. The Purple® Bed was born! And just as the Pearce brothers dreamed it would be, it is better than any $4000 mattress and costs significantly less.