Sleeping Pad recommendations

[Roche]

All you folks with those heavy inflatibles (been there, done that) ought to try a hammock. It improved my comfort level 1000% more than anything you can put on the ground.

I can't find a hammock that will fit inside my Contrail.

[JAK]

I use a cheap blue foam pad. In summer once I went without one and carried a light wool blanket instead, and something for a ground sheet. It was a nice change. It was heavier, but more versatile and easier to pack, and I carry so little in summer anyway.

[garlic08]

I think it depends on where you plan to sleep and on your site selection. On much of the AT, I found that no pad was needed at all. There was so much hardwood forest and the leaf duff was so thick in places I had to dig small pits to get my tent stakes to hold. But I could not sleep at all on the plank flooring in shelters with my six sections of cut-down Z-rest, so I didn't try it more than once. Same with the pounded tent sites near the shelters.

I've only met a few thru-hikers who have been able to get an inflatable pad to last a whole season without repair/replacement. It can be done, but it's tricky. If you're after reliability and light weight, it can also be done with careful site selection (or a hammock, of course).

[seminoles]

I use a BA air core which is thick and comfortable...the problem is that is slips and slides and folds in half..making a good night sleep impossible. I am looking into something else that might stay in place.

[SteveJ]

I normally hammock, but am having to go to ground as I take my son to Philmont this summer. I used my new large TR neo-air for the first time a few weeks ago. I slept!

[mister krabs]

In summer use a POE ether lite something or other 2/3 length mummy self inflating. I think it's called the peak oyl now. I like the side bars that keep you on it. It's 1 inch thick, good enough for forest floor. It's not as comfortable as my Thermarest classic (1.5in) or camp (3in) which I use in the winter, but it's only 13oz.

[Tin Man]

I normally hammock, but am having to go to ground as I take my son to Philmont this summer. I used my new large TR neo-air for the first time a few weeks ago. I slept!

why do you have to go to ground at philmont?? scouting doesn't allow you to share a tent with him.

[The Unknown Hiker]

I've used a Thermarest Pro-3 (short length) on three thru-hikes - never had a puncture or leak (watch where you lay it). I think that pad only weighs about 3-4 inches more than a full-length Z-rest (which can of course be cut down). The comfort of the air pad makes a major difference to me.

Also consider the R factor (insulating ability) I think the Prolite 3 is higher than the Z-rest and the Prolite 4 is definitely higher (but weighs more than the Prolite 3).

The Neo I've heard is a bit less durable - not sure.

Tip for the Thermarest - blow up all the way and lay down on it. Then slowly let out just enough air so your hips are at a comfortable height.

[SteveJ]

why do you have to go to ground at philmont?? scouting doesn't allow you to share a tent with him.

Hammocks are explicitly forbidden at Philmont (let's not get into it - they do things their way based on a lot of experience....). Actually, Scouting does allow me to share a tent with my son, but he will be tenting with a friend. I'll be on the ground in a tarptent......

[ragincajun]

i use a small 3/4 length foam pad weighs just 8 oz fits outside pack rolls up in 30 sec a good easy way to cut weight everybody has to find ways to make weight since more people carry way more gadgets than they used to they have to cut weight on easy stuff like sleeppads

[russb]

put the solid core pad under you in the hammock - it's like sleeping on air.

QFT
+1


message is too short

[Feral Bill]

I tried my old blue foam for a trip a couple of years ago. I can no longer sleep on it well. The short, thin thermarest is pretty light and works for me. Car camping I use the big fat Thermarest

[STICK]

I have 2 self inflating and a Synmat. My son has a Z-Lite, and I have a few ccfs. The ccfs would be the very last choice, both in terms of comfort as well as packability. If I am trying to cut down weight I carry one of the self inflatables which for me are plenty comfy, and for winter I have my synmat. I would be willing to carry the synmat anytimme except for maybe the dead middle of summer when its just to dang hot. I will be getting the small NeoAir for my Thru (in 2013, I have a while.)
In winter when it was really cold I would bring the ccf to layer under my self inflator, but now that I have the synmat, the ccf's are not really used much. I cut one down into squares that I will use as a sit pad.
Some that would be good to look into are the pads at Kooka Bay. Some nice Down Filled mats, that weigh less than the Expeds and are cheaper to.

[skinewmexico]

ctually, Scouting does allow me to share a tent with my son, but he will be tenting with a friend.

Good for you! Nothing undermines the patrol method like one boy off sleeping with daddy.

And I've used a POE Max Thermo (Ether Thermo 6) for 5 years without a leak. That is desert use, not lush forest use.

[Tinker]

i guess it is an age thing... i will hang on to my BA air core but will make sure i have repair kit or tape. Sleep and good rest is vital to me. Thanks to al and have a belssed day!

Good call. That's what I use when I have to share a tent with someone else. I carry a torso sized piece of closed cell foam for an unexpectedly cold night (used on top of the pad) or (used under the pad), for puncture protection on unusually rough ground.

Ccf does make a nice "doormat" for a hammock as well as a good sit pad, so it's worth having a small piece in the pack.

[WalksInDark]

Here is another weigh in from the "getting older" and "have damaged my body by using it" crowd: between my rotator cuff surgery; dual ACL repairs; and the fact that I have no meat on my hips or butte; I have gone the inflatable mattress route (in cooler weather, I even use one in my hammock).

I started with a Thermorest self inflating luxury camp (2.5" open foam with contoured plush top, 4.35#, R-7)
which has never leaked or been hard to put back into a regular size (not the one Thermorest ships them in) stuff sack.

But upon doing much more cold weather (do to -20) winter camping, I have recently switched to an Exped Downmat pump up pad. The pad is filled with 700 fill goose down weighs about 2.5# and has an R-8 insulating value. While the decrease in weight and increase in R value are nice, what really makes this pad extra special is that as you move around on it your sleeping bag does not slide off, nor do the air chambers distort and make you uncomfortable. I sleep on a Sleep Number mattress at home and the Exped DAM is almost as comfortable.

[greentick]

If I might be sleeping in a shelter I bring the POE max thermo. If ground sleeping I have a 3/4 zrest that works fine.

[generoll]

BA makes sleeping bags with pad pockets, so the rolling off your pad issue is pretty well taken care of.

[Sassafras Lass]

I seriously considered a self-inflating before going with my BA Insulated Air Core.

What made me lean towards full inflatible vs. self-inflating was pretty much the thickness. My BA pad weighs 18 oz. - a Thermarest Trail Lite regular is still 2 lbs. Then again, if you pick up the Thermarest Pro Lite, the small is only 17 oz. But for just about the same weight, I have a whole inch more padding, which my shoulders and hips very much appreciate. That's the main difference, as they are priced pretty comparably (unless you find a great sale, as I did - got my BA pad new for around $40, give or take a few bucks).

I've heard many great things about both styles, so I suppose it's a matter of which one has the best features (to you) and which one has a great sale

[JAK]

I've aways used a bluefoam pad, and I learned from this site to make a depression for my butt, which does help. Also works for your hip is you turn on your side. Putting something between you knees helps when you turn sideways also. I would like to try a hammock. Someday.