Is the difference in the Syn 9, 10, 11, 12 just newer generations or are they larger/thicker matts?
I took a look at Backcountry Edge... no sales right now, but I'll keep my eyes peeled.
I have a compressor from Slime, but decent lungs as well. Never used a built in pump....
Exped has a nice mat selector/filter
http://www.exped.com/usa/en/product-category/mats?filter=open
Most of their mats fall into categories... I would say, for motorcycle camping, stick with the Trekking and Base Camp categories... The ultralight stuff is going to be thinner material and while it's pretty durable, weight doesn't matter on a motorcycle... if you are that concerned about weight on a bike, forego that piece of pie, it's a cheaper and healthier option than a more expensive mat... lol
I would stay away from the down-mats, they are VERY warm and probably TOO warm for the temps that most of us ride/camp in.. My Synmats have been great in temp that get into the teens, in fact you'll many times feel the cold from above you from the top of the sleeping bag before you'll feel ANY cold from the ground.
The thickness of the mat is important, I've slept on an old style 1.5" therm-a-rest and it was terrible... I've slept on a 4" walmart air mattress and it was comfortable going to bed but torture as the ground sucked all the heat from the mattress which in turn sucked it from me. Your body warms the air in the mattress and, along with the mattress insulation, creates a nice barrier... Not everyone likes air mattresses so there are other closed-cell foam based options that do the same thing but typically are thinner so may or may not be be as comfortable depending on your preference.
Exped has many air mattress options... for me, I look at packed size and I try to get a nice high R rating in the smallest package that I feel like packing. Yes, the built in pumps are not as efficient as I would like but they are convenient and they do work. I switched mine from a built in pump DLX version to a non pump version but use one of their pump pillows so I have a pillow and a pump in one, the pillow is great as pump and even better as a pillow. Exped customer service has been excellent... I had a faulty mattress years ago and they replaced it quickly.
Therm-a-rest now has a Neo-Air mattress pad that is similar to the exped stuff.
Big Agnes also has some good insulated air mattresses that many here have tried and some will slide into the bottom non-insulated section of a Big Agnes sleeping bag.
Always get the widest mattress you can get... or your shoulders/arms will hang off it on the cold ground so 25" minimum should be your target. The lengths of course will depend on your height so get something with at least 4 inches taller than you if possible.
I got my Mega Mat 12 at REI on closeout for 171 I think.. they usually have very nice closeout deals.
Here's a good one now for the syn mat 3D 7:
https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/product/130357/exped-synmat-3-d-7-sleeping-pad-long-wide
