View Full Version : Foam pad just dont work anymore.
OK I cant do it anymore. I have not slept on the ground in MANY years well I have started backpacking again with my son. Our first trip I had a cheap blue foam pad. It may be me, BUT I think my pad is broken because I just cant sleep on those anymore.
I am looking for an decent, inexpensive, lite, air mattress for backpacking.
Any recommendations ?
Thanks,
J
Big aggness, or themorest.
take-a-knee
05-21-2009, 12:40
A short thermarest on top of your present pad, or, if you really want to be comfortable, a hammock.
lol
Yeah, sometimes mine does that, and they're supposed to be indestructable eh.
I might go the hammock route one of these days. Maybe this summer.
Until then I'm sticking with the blue foam pad. It's a love hate thing. :)
I use a Big Agnes insulated air core pad (shortie), and a hammock. I also carry a 6-section long z-rest (half a full-length pad) for mid-day breaks and other lounging. If I'm sleeping on the ground, the big agnes goes on top of the z-rest to increase the longevity of the air mattress.
I used to sleep just fine on a short foam pad, but as the years go on, I need more padding. The air mattress works just fine, but the hammock is solid gold.
Snowleopard
05-21-2009, 14:16
The Thermarest neoair is great but very pricey.
Try to decide if you can get by with a short pad and you'll save some weight and some money.
skinewmexico
05-21-2009, 14:37
POE Ether Thermo 6 works great, and costs about a third of the neoair. I had the exact same problem you had when I started backpacking again with my son. Saw a POE Max Thermo on Backpacker's Gear of the Year in 2004, bought it, and never looked back. I've never had a leak either; and 9 big breaths to fill it. Although some would have you believe that the entire concept of an insulated air mattress began with the Neo.
EMS makes a good insulated aircore pad thats pretty affordable.
http://www.ems.com/catalog/product_detail_square.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=8455 24442601271&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302901338
bigcranky
05-21-2009, 15:20
It's not the pad - it's you. I'm the same way, I cannot sleep on a closed cell foam pad any more. Too old I guess.
I got a Thermarest Prolite 4 as soon as they came out, and it's seen a lot of trail time in the last five years. These have been discontinued in favor of the Prolite Plus pad, so the older Prolite 4 is discounted in stores. It's still a great pad.
My hiking partner *loves* his new Big Agnes insulated Air Core pad.
fiddlehead
05-21-2009, 15:20
I think you are going about this the wrong way.
Looking for a more comfortable mattress is not the answer IMO.
Try sleeping on the bare floor at home for a few weeks before your trip.
the blue pad will then feel like the luxury item you are looking for.
I notice my wife is fine sleeping on our bare tile floor without anything underneath her.
I think to myself that that is uncomfortable. Perhaps it was for a day or two.
Now, it's fine. I still need a pillow or something to prop up my head a little bit.
YOu can carry 2 pads, and spend time blowing them up and carrying a pillow too.
But, in the end, when you are asleep...................... you are asleep.
OK . . . abandon the bed at home with your wife for a few weeks or get a Big Agnes mattress? My choice, the BA! They come in several 'flavors.' Heavier = more expensive = warmer insulation. Take your pick - they're all comfortable.
Lemni Skate
05-21-2009, 18:42
I must confess to taking Benadryl sometimes before I get on the ol' sleeping pad. It keeps me from having sniffles the next day and I could sleep like a rock on railroad ties.
cowboy nichols
05-21-2009, 18:43
Lets be honest its an age thing. I used to sleep on the ground with a quilt. a few years ago I gave up the blue pad and opt for a 3/4 therarest , I sleep great on it.
Feral Bill
05-21-2009, 22:26
Last summer I used a blue pad for the first time in years. (part of a retro gear weekend) Never again! A light 3/4 Thermarest is the minimum for me now.
Toolshed
05-21-2009, 22:52
tylenol or IB prior to bed you'll sleep better. Thermarest definitely. Max out with your blue pad and a thermarest. i have 50 year old bones and I don't care about extra weight (when not hammocking) and will carry both for more comfort. You might as well enjoy the trip!!! :)
You'll sleep better with air underneath you; either in a hammock or on an air mattress.
OK I cant do it anymore. I have not slept on the ground in MANY years well I have started backpacking again with my son. Our first trip I had a cheap blue foam pad. It may be me, BUT I think my pad is broken because I just cant sleep on those anymore.
I am looking for an decent, inexpensive, lite, air mattress for backpacking.
Any recommendations ?
Thanks,
J
:)thats why i converted to hammock camping:cool:neo
http://www.hammockforums.net/
I slept on a Big Agnes air core mummy at Trail Days. It's almost as comfortable as a hammock.
Wise Old Owl
05-21-2009, 23:38
http://gearjunkie.com/the-gear-junkie-scoop-therm-a-rest-neoair
blue foam sucks, if you are going to do foam at least get a therma-rest z-lite or ridgerest (and you don't have to worry about it deflating)..... but if you have the money go for a air mattress....
Surplusman
05-22-2009, 06:23
My 62-year old bones will not allow me to sleep on a foam pad at all. I use a hammock, which solves the problem. If I did the ground thing, I would get a 3/4 Thermarest or something similar. :)
OK I cant do it anymore. I have not slept on the ground in MANY years well I have started backpacking again with my son. Our first trip I had a cheap blue foam pad. It may be me, BUT I think my pad is broken because I just cant sleep on those anymore.
I am looking for an decent, inexpensive, lite, air mattress for backpacking.
Any recommendations ?
Thanks,
J
I have an inflatable, insulated pad called an Insulmat. Easy to carry, blows up in about 6 -8 good breaths and is a lot more comfortable than any foam mat.
I have an inflatable, insulated pad called an Insulmat. Easy to carry, blows up in about 6 -8 good breaths and is a lot more comfortable than any foam mat.
It weighs 1 pound.
littlelaurel59
05-22-2009, 14:36
OK I cant do it anymore. I have not slept on the ground in MANY years well I have started backpacking again with my son. Our first trip I had a cheap blue foam pad. It may be me, BUT I think my pad is broken because I just cant sleep on those anymore.
I am looking for an decent, inexpensive, lite, air mattress for backpacking.
Any recommendations ?
Thanks,
J
It is a proven unscientific fact that the ground has gotten harder over the past 30 years- something to do with global warming, changing weather patterns, gravity, cell phones, immunizations, and global terrorism:-?
The only solution is to get off the ground. The thicker the air mattress, the more comfortable. Of course, weight and cost have to be considered. The ulitmate air mattress (for many of us) is the 18" or so under a hammock. The "cheap blue foam pad" will still work to provide insulation when needed. It is also easier to get up from that level than from the ground.
Snowleopard
05-22-2009, 15:06
It is a proven unscientific fact that the ground has gotten harder over the past 30 years- something to do with global warming, changing weather patterns, gravity, cell phones, immunizations, and global terrorism:-?
There is ample evidence that gravity has increased has increased since I was a young man:
It is harder and slower to climb hills, mountains and even stairs.
There are more aches and pains after physical activity.
There is more weight pressing on the ground when I lie down.
It is harder to get back up after I lie down.
Even my scale shows more weight when I step on it than it did 40 years ago.
This is all proves that I now live on a higher gravity planet than I once did.
To answer OP's question, this is my list in order of comfort:
Thick air mattress that needs to be inflated (neo air, etc.)
Classic thermarest style self inflating mattress.
Z-rest foam pad (by thermarest).
Regular foam pad such as Walmart blue pad.
Probably if a blue foam pad doesn't work for you at all a Z-rest won't either.
If 3/4 length pads work for you, they're lighter and cheaper.
The neoair is light and comfy and I bought one; for not much more I could hire a porter to carry a real bed for me. :)
i sleep better in my hammock than my bed.
Chaplain
05-23-2009, 02:33
I recommend you really looking at the hammocks. I use them for warm weather. Colder then I switch to air mattress like Big Agnes and a tent, etc.
johnnybgood
05-23-2009, 18:20
I also thought a piece of eggcrate foam would suffice for comfort, after all it did a pretty decent job just a few short years ago. This time , not so much.
Dropped off the trail and went to an outfitters to buy a thermarest .
Long story short... We aren't as tough as we once were.
chiefduffy
05-23-2009, 19:06
i sleep better in my hammock than my bed.
I used to scoff at statements like this, 'till I started sleeping in my hammock. It's true for me also.
I also thought a piece of eggcrate foam would suffice for comfort, after all it did a pretty decent job just a few short years ago. This time , not so much.
Dropped off the trail and went to an outfitters to buy a thermarest .
Long story short... We aren't as tough as we once were.
I can attest to that. The pack feels heavier, and the pad feels thinner. Thank God for improved technology. I have the new Thermarest Prolite Plus regular. The old hips just don't take to the cold hard ground like they did 20 years ago.
bigcranky
05-23-2009, 19:57
The pack feels heavier, and the pad feels thinner.
See Snowleopard's post above -- gravity has more effect on old people.
if I hike a lot in one season I can work my way down to a thin foam pad
daddytwosticks
05-24-2009, 14:08
If I'm sleeping on the undisturbed, virgin forest floor, the thinnest foam pad for warmth purposes will suffice. If'n I'm laying on the hard shelter floor, it better be an inflatable for sure. :)
Thanks for all the great ideas. I will start trying them cheapest one first of course, until I find what I can deal with.
J
Of course it depends alot on the ground your sleeping on. I think body weight has alot to do with it also. I think if I lose more weight the good old blue foam pad will continue to serve me well, unless I'm sleeping on rock or even a wooden floor. Getting the ground shaped just right makes a big difference also.
Of course it depends alot on the ground your sleeping on. I think body weight has alot to do with it also. I think if I lose more weight the good old blue foam pad will continue to serve me well, unless I'm sleeping on rock or even a wooden floor. Getting the ground shaped just right makes a big difference also.
Some of my problem may have been the ground had a hump and it was really uneven.
J