ALPS Mountaineering Summit Sleeping Pad - Self-Inflating, Long

I have multiple sleeping pads ranging from expensive Thermarests to much larger ones for car camping. I was looking for a pad that could be used on a cot during longer car camping trips. The size was a bigger factor in choosing a pad since this went on a cot. Plus I didn't want to pay a ton for it. This pad fits perfectly. Is very well constructed. I really like that the underside of the pad has little rubber dots on it, which prevents the pad from sliding around while sleeping. This always happened with my Thermarest pads, on the ground or on a cot. Thickness is great. I tested this on the ground and didn't feel the ground on my hips or shoulders at all, letting me sleep on my side. You can't beat the price on this....it's a fraction of the price compared to what I purchased at REI in the past. In terms of self-inflating qualities...it works as good as most, which means they don't fully self inflate, especially if stored rolled up at home. They inflate 1/2 - 2/3 of the way. Regardless of what pad you buy, expect to blow air into it. Even the best "self inflating" pads might self inflate 3/4 of the way, but if stored rolled up then a year later they don't self inflate. Since this was shipped rolled up, it only self inflated about half way in 15 minutes. Thus, I wouldn't really consider "self inflating" a factor when buying a pad. I see it more as a marketing gimmick. As others mentioned, it's heavy. Not so much because of the construction or materials, but the size. It's quite a bit wider and longer than your avg backpacking pad. So I wouldn't plan to use this on long hikes where weight might become a factor. Better for short hikes and more so for car camping. Insulation rating is good as well, for those that care.

If there was any "con" or feedback I would give the designers of this product. I would opt for heavier nylon rollup straps. Very minor feedback, as what they provided works fine. Lastly, the valve design seems little odd. Very robust in that it's metal vs plastic, but I wasn't 100% sure how to optimize getting air into it. I only used this once so far, so I assume I'll figure it out.