Klymit Insulated Static V Sleeping Pad
It might not look like your traditional sleeping pad, but it gets the job done.
Unlock this article and more benefits with 40% off.
Already have an Outside Account? Sign in
40% Off Outside+.
$4.99/month $2.99/month*
Get the one subscription to fuel all your adventures.
- Map your next adventure with our premium GPS apps: Gaia GPS Premium and Trailforks Pro.
- Read unlimited digital content from 15+ brands, including Outside Magazine, Triathlete, Ski, Trail Runner, and VeloNews.
- Watch 600+ hours of endurance challenges, cycling and skiing action, and travel documentaries.
- Learn from the pros with expert-led online courses.
*Outside memberships are billed annually. Print subscriptions available to U.S. residents only. You may cancel your membership at anytime, but no refunds will be issued for payments already made. Upon cancellation, you will have access to your membership through the end of your paid year. More Details
When I first saw Klymit’s Insulated Static V sleeping pad, I was skeptical of the ridges—or, rather, V-Chambers, as Klymit calls them. Would they be comfortable? Prove unwieldy for packing? After a few weeks using it, though, my skepticism proved unfounded.
You want your sleeping pad to be warm and light, right? But also, the easier it is to pack away in the morning, the happier your day will be. The Insulated Static V ticked all these boxes: it kept me pretty warm, but also folds up and rolls away in under a minute. It’s not the single smallest or lightest pad on the market—Klymit does however make a Lite version of this pad—but at 24 ounces and a packed size similar to that of a loaf of bread, it’s pretty dang convenient.
The V-Chambers also mean that you can set up this pad up super quick. When I make camp, blowing up the Insulated Static V pad takes half the air of something like the NeoAir. This would be my a great mat for longer backpacking and climbing trips, and anytime setting up and tearing down camp quickly is a priority.
While the ribs and ridges do keep the air relatively stable and warm underneath you, if you end up bivying or sleeping on wet ground, you might find the occasional cold spot. An extra groundsheet or foam mattress under you helps in this scenario. I found that if you sleep bunched up and have a lot of weight on one area of the pad, it is possible to have parts of your body squeeze through the ridges and touch the ground, so this pad seems to work better if you are a back or side sleeper.
Overall, Klymit’s Insulated Static V gave me pretty much everything I want out of a sleeping pad. At $84.95, it’s also a great value for the price. The ease of inflating and packing away is well worth any minor issues, and I will continue to use this on three-season backpacking and climbing trips.
Rock and Ice vigorously tests all gear it reviews for either 50 days or 50 pitches. This is a time-consuming process and limits the amount of new equipment we can present to our readers. Every year hundreds of new products hit store shelves, and most of these aren’t reviewed due to our stringent selection and review process. To better keep you more up to date on what is new, we present First Look. Gear in First Look has not always been field tested, but is gear we think you’d like to know about as soon as it is available. Some of the gear will be reviewed using our 50 days/50 pitches criteria, in future print and online editions of Rock and Ice. We have opted to use affiliate links in our gear reviews. Every time you buy something after clicking on links in our gear articles you’re helping support our magazine.