I've used this sleeping pad for years for everything from sleeping on soggy grass in the summer to camping on snow in the winter. It's tough and resilient and insulates well against rocks, tree roots and god knows what else is poking up from the ground at me while I sleep. I LOVE how lightweight it is. I REALLY love how it takes me 1 second to unroll it and 5 seconds to roll it back up. I'm comfy and resting on my butt before my buddies with inflatables have even dug theirs out of their packs! :)

I thought this would be the solution to getting good insulation and protection from the snow with a lightweight pad. Wrong, it is only R2.5 rated and does not keep me warm enough without a bag with a temp rating better than conditions. The pad is quite light but you pay a price in bulk that make your pack awkward. I am going back to my guide light (R3.8 rated) inflatable and with suck up the additional pound of weight to have a softer, warmer pad that fits inside my pack or at least easily on the outside.

I use this pad and a Thermarest Trail Pro. The Ridgerest is much nicer when doing longer trips due to its lightweight. The tradeoff with the lightweight is how incredibly bulky the pad is. The regular is so large when rolled up that it is even hard to strap onto my backpack. When climbing during times when I want a more streamlined pack I usually use the Trail Pro because I can roll it up tightly and fit it inside of my pack. If buying the Ridgerest again I would buy the shorter version and just use my pack and the rope as cushioning underneath my feet. Having a pad that takes up less space is always nice for me.