Now that I have used this 20 x 78 inch Insulated Air Core Ultra for the last couple of months, I find I really like the longer length and I would recommend this length mattress to anyone close to or taller than six feet. Before I get into the details of the Insulated Air Core Ultra design, I wanted to comment on how comfortable the mattress is to sleep on since this is the primary reason for buying a mattress. As I mentioned earlier, I have been using an earlier version of this design for a number of years and have always found it very comfortable. While my old mattress size was a 25 x 72 and the mattress I am reviewing is a 20 x 78, I found this mattress to be just as comfortable as my old mattress. So from a sleeping perspective I am a very happy camper sleeping on this mattress. Foam sleeping mats with an average depth of 2 inches will typically have an R-value of 1.5 to 2.2, and so by adding one to your air mattress, this is how much you can increase your R-value. Is it worth doing? If your sleeping pad or bag isn’t very warm, then absolutely.

The advertized size for the Insulated Air Core Ultra I am reviewing is 20 inches wide by 78 inches long for an inflated mattress. Just for completeness I thought I would include the dimensions of the un-inflated mattress, which are 25.75 inches wide and 79.25 inches long. BA advertizes that the insulation used in the Insulation Air Core Ultra is WRM HL. The WRM HL used in this mattress is a high loft synthetic insulation that I couldn’t find any specific information on to see how it compares to other synthetic insulations on the market today, but when you handle the deflated mattress you can feel that the insulation is physically present.The one thing that I have found when considering the size of an inflated mattress is that the actual useable area can sometimes be less then the advertized size. When a mattress has design features like the tubes that make up the Insulated Air Core Ultra, the radius on the outer edge of the tubes around the perimeter of the mattress really are not that useful in providing support, especially when the mattress is inflated at a higher pressure. You can use a second sleeping pad underneath your primary pad to gain some extra cushion. A closed-cell foam pad will probably serve this purpose the best. The photo below helps demonstrate this point. When you measure across the crest of the tubes on the mattress you find that this dimension is only about 18.0 inches compared to the 20.0 inch overall width. The same holds true along the length of the mattress as the length along the top of the tubes is about 75.50 inches before it rolls off to the 78.0 inch overall length.

An insulated winter sleeping pad can keep you warm in two ways: by limiting radiative heat transfer with reflective foil or by limiting convective heat transfer with synthetic or down-fill insulation. Our advice would be to get as warm a sleeping pad as possible for winter camping and to add at least -10 degrees to the recommended temperature so that you are less likely to ever face being in a dangerous situation. And remember that there are other things to take into consideration other than weight. Types of Sleeping Pad Insulation At four inches deep you have lots of play to let some air out if you prefer a softer mattress to a firm one, and still comfortably sleep on your side. The top material is a silky soft and smooth 50D stretch fabric while the sides and bottom are more rugged with a 75D polyester composition. You can zip two sleeping bags together or use a double so that you and your partner can snuggle up for warmth on those romantic winter camping trips.

Does Deflating Your Sleeping Pad Reduce Insulation?

R-values are now standardized by law for sleeping pads, and so you can rely on them to be fairly, if not totally, accurate. You can use R-values to judge the temperature limits they will be suitable for using our chart here. One of the big fears most people have with using an inflatable sleeping pad in winter is the fact that a puncture can make it unusable (if you don’t have a repair kit). I had this fear for many years, too, but after spending hundreds of nights camping on all kinds of rough ground, I have become way more trusting. I have never had a puncture (touch wood), but I have seen two other people struggle with it. In both cases, a simple adhesive puncture patch solved the problem in less than five minutes once we found the hole. When I inflated the mattress I found the dimensions to the outer edges of the mattress to be 20.50 inches wide by 78.50 inches long, which is in agreement with what is advertized by BA for this model of the Insulated Air Core Ultra. The Comfort Plus XT Insulated Air Mat has two types of insulation including Exkin Platinum which is a reflective foil lining the inside of the chambers but doesn’t make any crinkly noises like emergency blankets. Then it also has Thermolite high loft synthetic insulation that prevents convective heat loss. This extra insulation does add a fair bit of weight but it is also what makes this a 4 season winter sleeping pad.