DownTo1 Packs

The engine's answer

Best sleeping mat in chilly nights around 3 °C, under €400

Therm-a-Rest

RidgeRest SOLar

The other indestructible foam mat, with a slightly better R-value.

  • Cannot puncture, and needs no maintenance
  • Better R-value than most closed-cell foam
  • Extremely cheap
  • Rolls rather than folds, so it is awkward to strap on
  • Thin and hard

Find it at Bergfreunde · Trekkinn · Decathlon · Alpinetrek · eBay (used)

Why it wins, in numbers

Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest SOLar is the sleeping mat the engine picked for this trip: €45 and 400 g, R-value 2.6, a 50% match on the questions asked. The kit around it comes to €365 of the €400 ceiling, leaving €35.

What the engine asked for: a sleeping bag rated to 1 °C or lower, a mat with an R-value of at least 2.5, a pack of at least 39 L, and €400 for all four; anything that falls short of these is flagged beside the item.

The kit it belongs to

Four items chosen together, not four separate winners. Swapping one moves the others.

4.10 kg on your back · €365 of a budget of €400

Tent
3F UL Gear Lanshan 2: €130, 1.10 kg, Season rating 3, 50% match.
Sleeping bag
Forclaz MT500 0 °C Down: €130, 1.10 kg, Comfort rating 0 °C, 50% match.
Sleeping mat
Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest SOLar: €45, 400 g, R-value 2.6, 50% match.
Backpack
Forclaz MT100 Easyfit 50: €60, 1.50 kg, Capacity 50 L, 50% match.

What the runners-up gave up

Each of these still leaves a kit that closes — the budget holds and the pack shuts. This is where each one lost.

  • Forclaz MT500 Air LA cheap, long, perfectly adequate summer mat.Forclaz MT500 Air L — €70, 550 g — gives up Price: €70 against the winner's €45. It scores 50% to the winner's 50%.
  • Naturehike Ultralight AirThe budget end of the air-mat market, with the expected caveats.Naturehike Ultralight Air — €50, 480 g — gives up Weight: 480 g against the winner's 400 g. It scores 50% to the winner's 50%.
  • Naturehike R5 InsulatedA high R-value on paper for a remarkably low price.Naturehike R5 Insulated — €80, 750 g — gives up Weight: 750 g against the winner's 400 g. It scores 50% to the winner's 50%.

Questions this trip raises

How much does the whole kit cost?
€365 for all four items, €35 under the €400 ceiling. Prices are indicative euro list prices; the shops set their own.
How much does it weigh?
4.10 kg base weight — tent, sleeping bag, mat and pack together, before food, water and clothes. The pack is rated to carry 16 kg comfortably.
Is Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest SOLar warm enough on the ground at 3 °C?
Its R-value is 2.6. For nights near 3 °C the engine requires at least 2.5, which it meets.

Change an assumption

This page answers one trip. Yours is not that trip — adjust the nights, the budget or the company and watch all four re-rank.

Build my kit

Specifications are manufacturers’ own published figures and prices are indicative, not live. Comfort ratings and R-values are comparable across brands but describe a standardised sleeper on standardised ground — neither is a promise about you on a particular night. Check the current spec and price with the retailer before buying.