You don’t truly appreciate a warm sleeping pad until you’ve used a bad one — or, until you’ve slept without one altogether. That thermal barrier between you and the cold ground makes the difference between a comfortable night under the stars and a miserable one. That’s why the progression of backpacking sleeping pads has historically trended toward lighter and warmer evolutions.
With its soon-to-release Ultra 6.5R Sleeping Pad, EXPED claims to have the next link in that evolutionary chain. According to the brand, the 6.5R pad offers the “Highest R-value to weight ratio that will be available on the market in 2026.”
That’s not technically accurate, since NEMO’s Tensor Extreme Conditions pad has a higher warmth-to-weight ratio — but at R-8.5, it could be a bit overkill for more casual, warmer weather camping. EXPED says its claims are focused strictly on “all-season mats.” And in that light, it does appear unmatched.
Here’s everything to know about the 2026 EXPED Ultra 6.5 Sleeping Pad.
EXPED Ultra 6.5R Sleeping Pad: Warm, Light, Almost Silent
The Ultra 6.5R uses the brand’s new Synmat Plus Technology, which leverages both reflective foil and synthetic insulation to boost warmth, cut weight, and reduce crinkle noises. It will come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, all priced at $200.
I first saw the Ultra 6.5R pad at the 2025 Summer Outdoor Media Alliance show, and it caught my attention. I am a longtime fan of the brand’s MegaMat Auto and LuxeMats, both of which I use regularly for weekend car camping trips.
They’re very well insulated and have been solid for winter camping. However, they’re also too bulky and heavy to carry into the backcountry.
The Ultra 6.5R aims to change that. It’s a backpacking sleeping pad that puts significant warmth into an ultralight package. Alex Kim, EXPED’s sales and marketing coordinator, explained the concept behind Synmat Pro Technology.
Synmat Plus combines the thermal benefits of Mylar (which reflects heat and locks it in the sleeping pad) with Texpedloft microfiber (synthetic insulation). According to Kim, the insulation traps body heat, and the reflective foil prevents it from escaping through the mat.
What’s more, this will also help to cut down crinkle noises.
“The synthetic insulation is layered between the face fabric and the reflective material,” Tracy Collins, EXPED Director of Sales and Marketing, told GearJunkie. “This acts as a buffer between the sleeper’s pressure points and the reflective material,” which, theoretically, makes it less noisy.
‘Best Warmth-to-Weight Ratio on the Market’
EXPED lauds this pad as having the best warmth-to-weight value of any all-season sleeping pad on the market. That’s specifically true of the Ultra 6.5R medium mummy, which weighs 12 ounces. That equates to 56.7 g per R-value.
However, as mentioned, the 6.5R comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Both the mummy and rectangle versions come in medium, medium-wide, and long-wide (a total of six different Ultra 6.5R sizes). Each one of those has a different weight and a different weight-to-warmth ratio.
If you compare the medium rectangle version (which weighs 1 pound, 3 ounces), there are several other sleeping pads on the market with better ratios.
Collins said the Ultra 6.5R’s main competition set is the Nemo Tensor All Season (14 ounces, 5.4 R-value) and the Therm-a-Rest X-Therm (15.5 ounces, 7.3 R-value).
Availability, Pricing
The EXPED Ultra 6.5R Sleeping Pad ships out on February 1, 2026. Like all of EXPED’s products, the Ultra 6.5R will come with covered a lifetime warranty.
Unlike many brands, EXPED will offer all shapes and sizes of the one-person Ultra 6.5R for $200. It also comes in a duo option in medium and long-wide, which will retail for $320.
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