Whereas your first comment came off as a bit pithy, this was a really informative one. Thank you for the lesson on r-value and its importance. Not an avid camper, but I sometimes do overnights in the cold and today I learned something important about air pad insulation. Thanks again.

Per REI's page on the topic, here's what they have to say about R-value: "Insulation is measured according to its capacity to resist (that's the "R") heat flow. The higher a pad's R-value, the better you can expect it to insulate you from cold surfaces. The R-values shown on REI.com product pages are provided by the manufacturers and range from 1.0 (minimally insulated) to 9.5 (well insulated). Thicker pads generally offer higher R-values."

Source: http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/right-sleeping-pad.ht...