Our lead tester didn't sleep in a real bed for the duration of this review opting to sleep on the ground with two pads side by side so that he could compare their comfort every night. We have a lot of friends who own one or more of these pads and have been using them for years. We quizzed them about their experiences and gathered their input.
We tested these pads everywhere we could and gathered feedback from over 50 people. We used all of these pads while guiding backpacking trips in Colorado and New Mexico. We lent them to clients and had them switch pads every night before giving us their feedback. We brought the pads on trips in southern Utah and the Eastern Sierra, sharing them with friends and rolling from pad to pad for side by side comparisons.
As with everything we test, we paid full retail for each model so that we can provide you with the most objective reviews anywhere.