Gear Review – Teton Sports Altos Insulated Sleeping Pad

Ok. I don’t do gear reviews super often because I truly believe that unless you can try and compare every single thing out there – you don’t know which piece of gear works best for you. But trust me when I say I have tried very close to every sleeping pad I could over the last 2 and a half years. I am a TERRIBLE sleeper.

Even at home in my own bed, it takes me hours to get comfy and fall asleep. I suffer from restless legs, slight insomnia (thanks Dad!) and just general fear of missing out. Imagine all of that in the backcountry. It’s. The. Worst. Especially when I’m with B, who can fall asleep immediately anywhere he may lie down.

I’m a side and stomach sleeper, which makes it even harder to find that perfect sleeping pad. It has to be thick enough, warm enough, light enough and tough enough.

In all honesty, my prior favorite – The Klymit Static V is still a perfectly capable sleeping pad. I woke up sore a lot but I figured that was just part of sleeping on the ground. I would still use it in a pinch and be alright. But…

After trying out ANOTHER new pad while on trail for LHX2018, the Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated pad that I paid about $125 for and had the worst few nights of sleep ever, as well as issues with it completely and quickly deflating – I made a promise to myself. I WILL FIND THE BEST SLEEPING PAD.

For LHX – Adam, Scott and Brian all were using the Teton Sports Altos. At first glance I was immediately jealous as their pads looked like luxurious, cushy pool floats. I could feel the shelter floor through mine, and they were lifted about 3 inches off the surface. Hmph.Over the course of a few days I would ask questions about how they slept, I sat on one for a bit, and I made the decision. “That’s it. When I get home I’m ordering one for my Mt. Whitney trip.” And I did! And I got to use it this weekend on an overnight. And O. M. G.

Scott from Gear Forward sitting on his Altos pad.

This past Saturday while backpacking in a storm, we got 2″ of rain dumped on us over the course of 3 hours. It got pretty chilly actually (we had planned for hot/humid – it got down to mid-60s during the afternoon) and even after all of that craziness I surprisingly had the best sleep I’ve ever had in a tent in the backcountry and I wanted to cry. Waking up comfy, well rested with no sore bones is a win for this girl.

Of course I didn’t take any pictures, but I also had no intentions of reviewing it. I just truly feel like everyone needs to know the best kept secret in the backpacking and sleeping pad world – Teton Sports did it right. – Although the insulated version weighs in at 1lb 6oz, just a tad heavier than most I’ve tried – the extra ounces are WORTH IT.

– It’s wide enough. I didn’t roll or slide off of it at all and I even slept at a slight down hill angle Saturday night. I do use a quilt so those in a full sleeping bag may or may not have sliding issues. Quilters are good to go!

– It did NOT deflate. And if it did, it was not noticeable at all. I was kept off the ground all night long and I am rejoicing. I have always had to wake up grumpy and re-inflate my pad in the middle of the night. Not anymore.

– It is ONLY $80. Best bang for your buck.

– The only downfall, in my opinion is it takes more breaths and more time to fill than most pads I’ve used. However, with how thick it is fully inflated – that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

This pad SAVED MY SLEEP! I am so excited to use it more. You just don’t even know. While we are taking our camper cross country for 18 days, we will have 5 nights where we will be sleeping in a tent – 2 at Onion Valley and 3 on the Mt. Whitney trail, so comfort is very important. I am ordering B an Altos this weekend.

Thank you Teton for your ingenuity and your ability to make quality items at affordable prices!!!

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