Good to know: this sleeping pad is unisex
Pros / Reasons to Buy
- Excellent price point
- Press studs on edges allow you to combine two single pads to make a double
Cons / Reasons to Avoid
- Questionable R-Value
- No inflation tool provided
The Tame Lands sleeping pad is a fairly basic product. It’s not as comfortable as many of the other pads I’ve tested, but it also isn’t uncomfortable either and offers and decent weight and packed size and, above all else, it’s very cheap! For those on a tight budget or who are just dipping their toes into camping and don’t want to commit to pricier kit just yet, this is a very attractive option. I do have some questions about the R-Value of this pad, so I’d only recommend this pad for camping out on warmer nights.
Compare to similar products:
Nemo Switchback | Nemo Tensor All-Season | Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite NXT | Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT | Rab Stratosphere 4 | Sea to Summit Comfort Plus Insulated | Big Agnes Divide Insulated | Nemo Quasar 3D | Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Insulated | Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated | Exped Ultra 7R | Klymit Static V | Sleepingo Large | Tame Lands | Therm-A-Rest Z Lite Sol | |
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Buying Options | |||||||||||||||
Our Rating | Best Foam Sleeping Pad | Best Air Sleeping Pad | Best for Comfort and Ultralight | Best for Winter and Best Mummy Shaped Sleeping Pad | Best for Summer | Best for Side Sleepers | Best for Back Sleepers | Best Budget Air Pad | Best Rectangular Sleeping Pad | ||||||
Type and Shape | Folding, closed-cell foam | Rectangular or Mummy Inflatable | Mummy Inflatable | Mummy Inflatable | Rectangular Inflatable | Mummy Inflatable | Rectangular Inflatable | Rectangular Inflatable | Rectangular or Mummy Inflatable | Rectangular Inflatable | Rectangular or Mummy Inflatable | Rectangular Inflatable | Mummy Inflatable | Rectangular Inflatable | Folding, closed-cell foam |
Comfort | Low | Excellent | Excellent | Very Good | Excellent | Excellent | Very Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Average | Average | Low |
Warmth/R-Value | Average (R-Value = 2) | Excellent (R-Value = 5.4) | Very Good (R-Value = 4.5) | Excellent (R-Value = 7.3) | Very Good (R-Value = 3.8) | Very Good (R-Value = 4) | Very Good (R-Value = 4) | Low (R-Value = 1.8) | Very Good (R-Value = 3.2) | Very Good (R-Value = 4.8) | Excellent (R-Value = 7) | Low (R-Value = 1.3) | Low - Average (No ASTM FF3340 rated R-Value, but likely around 2) | Low - Average (No ASTM FF3340 rated R-Value, but likely around 2) | Average (R-Value = 2) |
Weight | Regular Version - 415g/14.5oz | Regular Version - 522g/1lb 2oz | Regular Version - 368g/13 oz | Regular Version - 453g/1lb | Regular Version - 695g/1lb 9oz | Regular Version - 845g/29.8oz | Regular Version - 652g/23oz | Non-Insulated Regular Version - 650g/1lb 7oz | Mummy Regular - 490g/17.3oz | Regular Version - 510g/18oz | Rectangular Medium Version - 650g/23oz | Regular Version - 530g/18.7oz | 408g/14oz | 600g/21oz | Regular Version - 410g/14oz |
Packed Size | Regular Version - 51x13x14cm/20x5x5.5in | Regular Version - 25.5x10cm/10x4in | Regular Version - 10.4x22.86cm/4.1x9in | Regular Version - 11.3x22.86cm/4.5x9in | Regular Version - 24cmx12cm/9.4inx4.7in | Regular Version - 12x23cm/5x9in | Regular Version - 20x13cm/8x5in | Non-Insulated Regular Version - 20x10cm/8x4in | Mummy Regular - 24x11cm/9.5x4.5in | Regular Version - 18x10cm/7x4in | Rectangular Medium Version - 23x14cm/9x5.5in | Regular Version - 20x8cm/8x3in | 27x8cm/10.5x3in | 23x10cm/9x4in | Regular Version - 51x13x14cm/20x5x5.5in |
Open Size | Regular Version - 183x51x2.3cm/72x20x0.9in | Regular Version - 183x51x9cm/72x20x3.5in | Regular Version - 182x50.8x7.62cm/72x20x3in | Regular Version - 177.8x50.8x7.62cm/72x20x3in | Regular Version - 183x51x8cm/72x20x3in | Regular Version - 184x55cm/72x21.5in | Regular Version - 183x51x8.25cm/72x20x3.25in | Non-Insulated Regular Version - 183x51x9cm/72x20x3.5in | Mummy Regular - 183x55-42x10cm/72x21.5-16.5x4in | Regular Version - 51x183x11cm/20x72x4.25in | Rectangular Medium Version - 183x52x9cm/72x20.4x3.5in | Regular Version - 183x58x6cm/72x23x2.5in | 187x54.6x5cm/73.5x21x2in | 188x56x5cm/74x22x2in | Regular Version - 183x51x2cm/72x20x0.75in |
Materials | Polyethylene foam backed with metalized foil | 20D and 40D Nylon with two layers of metalized film | 30D Ripstop Nylon | 30D and 70D Ripstop Nylon with Thermacapture Reflective Film | 75D Polyester with 100% recycled polyester 'Stratus R' insulation | 30D/40D Nylon withThermolite insulation and Exkin Platinum film | Ripstop nylon with Thermalite insulaiton and heat-reflecting film layer | 100% Recycled Polyester | 30D/40D Nylon withThermolite insulation and Exkin Platinum film | Ripstop nylon with two layers of metalized film | 20D Ripstop polyester with down insulation | 75D Polyester | Ripstop Nylon | 40D Ripstop Nylon | Polyethylene foam backed with Thermacapture Reflective Film |
Durability | Excellent - will still work even if torn or damaged | Good - supplied with repair patches | Good - supplied with repair patches | Good - supplied with repair patches | Good - supplied with repair patches | Very Good - supplied with repair patches and spare valve parts | Good - supplied with repair patches | Good - Supplied with repair patches | Very Good - supplied with repair patches and spare valve parts | Good - Supplied with repair patches | Good - Supplied with repair patches | Good - Supplied with repair patches | Good - supplied with repair patches | Good - supplied with repair patches | Excellent - will still work even if torn or damaged |
This article is part of our series on the best sleeping pads for camping, view all articles below:
- Best Sleeping Pads for Camping
- How we Tested Sleeping Pads
- How to Choose the Right Sleeping Pad for Camping
- Compare Sleeping Pads
Related content:
Analysis and Test Results
Objectively speaking, there are many other pads out there that outperform this Tame Lands pad. However, that isn’t to say that this is a bad products: it’s still more comfortable than a basic foam folding pad and probably offer similar if not slightly better insulation. It’s got a decently low weight, packs down small and seems to be well made.
It’s also by far the least expensive product in our round up, and that’s notable in and of itself. If you can’t or don’t want to spend a lot of money on a sleeping pad or only camp occasionally then this is a very compelling option that we think would server budget conscious or beginner hikers very well indeed.
Performance Comparison
See our video 360 of the Tame Lands sleeping pad which covers some of it’s main features:
Type and Shape
The Tame Lands sleeping pad is a rectangular, inflatable sleeping pad. Tame Lands are a brand I hadn’t heard of before and it appears that this pad – offered in a single size – is their only offering for now.
Comfort
The Tame Lands is an inflatable sleeping pad and as such, it is more comfortable than a foam sleeping mat. However, this pad is relatively thin, is comprised of multiple air pockets rather than a single large air chamber and, because it is not provided with an inflation tool, you typically won’t be able to inflate it to the same firmness as pad which come with this tool.
As such, it isn’t as comfortable as some of the other pads I’ve reviewed in this round up. However, that’s not to say it’s uncomfortable and I was able to get some decent rest on this pad.
Warmth
Sleeping pads are not just about comfort: they also provide an extra layer of insulation between you and the ground when you sleep – and that’s vital for keeping warm. How well they insulate is measured by the pad’s R-Value with a higher value meaning better insulation.
Sleeping pads need to be considered as part of a sleeping system including your sleeping bag and what you wear, so a highly insulating pad won’t keep you warm on its own – but, by the same token, a pad with ahigh R value also won’t cause you to overheat on a warm night provided the rest of your ‘sleep system’ is rated appropriately. So, if you just want to own one pad and camp out in mixed weather conditions, then buying a pad with a high R-Value makes sense.
Now, this is where things get a bit confusing. Tame Lands make no reference to ‘R-Value’ in their literature and don’t mention the ASTM FF3340 standard that other manufacturers use to give standardized R-Values across the industry. They do mention an ‘Insulation Resistance’ of 2.2 which we can assume is meant to be the R-Value, but as I don’t know if this was measured according to industry standard practices, I do need to take this value with a grain of salt. Based on the feel of the pad, and my experience with it and other pads, I’d say this pad is best reserved for camping on warmer nights.
Ease of Use
This inflatable pad does not come with an inflation tool – that’s perhaps understandable given the very low price point. However, in my opinion, this really impacts the ease of use as you have to inflate it with your breath alone. This isn’t particularly difficult, and I could actually inflate this pad in less time than it took to inflate some other pads with their provided inflation tools. But after a long hike, manually inflating a pad can be the last thing you need and I felt a little dizzy after inflating the Tame Lands!
The valve on this pad appears to be a standard size and, whilst I didn’t test this, I’d assume that most inflation tools – whether they are motorized or manual bags – will be compatible with this pad. I know we have a few of these in the This Expansive Adventure kit room from other pieces of gear and would certainly consider bringing one along when using this pad.
Using an inflation tool will also help to get the pad inflated to a higher pressure than you can achieve with breath alone. This will make it firmer and more supportive and definitely improve comfort.
I created the video below that shows the Tame Lands sleeping pad being set up in real time which takes roughly 1 minute 19 seconds to inflate:
Weight
This pad weighs in at 600g/21oz. That certainly isn’t the lightest I’ve assessed, but given the very low price of this pad, I think it’s a very respectable weight.
Packed Size
This pad packs down int its supplied stuff sack to around 23x10cm/9x4in. Once again, we’ve assessed other pads in this round up that pack down smaller, but this Tame Lands pad isn’t far off and for the price, the size is perfectly reasonable.
The video I created below shows the Tame Lands sleeping pad being deflated and packed down in real time, which takes roughly 2 minutes 21 seconds:
Open Size
The Tame Lands sleeping pad is offered in a single size and it is 188x56x5cm/74x22x2in when inflated. Whilst it’s thinner than most of the other inflatable pads we’ve assessed, the surface area is actually a little larger than most manufacturer’s ‘standard’ or ‘regular’ sized pads which I think is a welcome feature.
Features
This is a fairly basic pad, so it doesn’t have much by way of headline features. As mentioned above, the single size is slightly larger than most manufacturer’s ‘standard’ or ‘regular’ sized pads – and this certainly will equate to a more comfortable sleeping experience for some, though it wasn’t a major plus point for me.
The pad also features a row of press studs on each long edge. Initially, I was stumped as to the purpose of these as there’s no indication in the packaging as to what they are for. I later learned they are to allow you to attach two pads together to make a double. I actually think this is a neat feature, though, as we only had access to one Tame Lands pad, I didn’t get to test how well this works in practice.
Materials
The Tame Lands sleeping pad is made from 40D ripstop nylon. The valve is slightly flexible plastic. The 40D nylon feels quite substantial – though not as much as the 75D polyester in the Klymit Static V – and I certainly didn’t think the pad felt poorly made.
Durability
First up, inflatable pads are never going to be as durable as folding foam pads and the fact that the Tame lands pad comes with a set or repair patches (as do all the inflatable pads in this round up) is testament to this. That said, I don’t think inflatable pads need delicate handling and provided you follow what I’d consider to be common-sense precautions, like not setting the up directly on sharp stones or thorny foliage, then they should last for a very long time indeed.
Sustainability
Outwardly, Tame Lands present themselves as a sustainable brand. The packaging for this sleeping pad is labelled as ‘Forest friendly’ and has ‘please recycle me’ printed on it in large type. The brand also say they plant a tree for every product sold with over 68000 planted so far (though there’s nothing to expand on this beyond the marketing headline).
Looking past this, though, there’s no info on whether the actual product contains any recycled material or is manufactured in a sustainable way. Though the 40D nylon it’s made from should be easily recyclable at the end of the product’s life.
Price
Price is one area where the Tame Lands pad wins out. At the time of writing it costs $29.99/£35.60. That’s cheaper even than some of the folding foam pads we’ve seen. The price point of this product really is remarkable and I think I’d be willing to forgive a lot of its flaws for this alone.
It’s easy to say that I’d rather use a better spec’d pad from a big name manufacturer that costs ten times or more what this pad does, but the fact is that affordable gear is essential if outdoors activities are to remain accessible and this pad, whilst it does make some concessions to hit its price point, is certainly very far from a bad choice.
Conclusion
The Tame Lands sleeping pad is a budget-focused product that, whilst it does make some concessions to hit its low price point, still offers a great combo of features. It’s fairly comfortable, packs down small and isn’t too heavy.
Whilst I’d like to have seen it come with an inflation tool and its low insulation makes it best suited for warm-weather camping, I think this is a good choice for those looking to dip their toes into the world of camping or who only camp very occasionally. It’s also a good choice for those who can’t or don’t want to pay big money for a sleeping pad. Provided you know the product’s limits, I think this pad could serve you very well indeed.
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