I plan on doing a 2-3 month self contained tour from Maine to Florida in the Fall. Trying to choose the most appropriate sleeping pad. Am thinking that an insulated pad will be needed for the first half, since the night temperatures will dip much lower than down south. I own two sleeping bags I can use. One is synthetic and rated to 20 degrees. The second is down and rated to 30 degrees.

My priority, after comfort, is the smallest packing space. I already have an older self-inflating therm-a-rest, but it only packs down to about 14" x 10", is nearly 3lbs and takes up a lot of space in the pannier. I would like the weight of the new pad to be no more than 2lbs, plus it needs to be wide.

My question is, can the sleeping bag make up for a lower R rated pad? Would appreciate input from experienced riders who traveled through different temperature zones.