View Full Version : How long should your airpad be?
I'm 5'8'' and have an neoair xlite for women's. It's size regular. It fits my entire body but it doesn't have any extra room, like my sleeping bag does.
I have the Neoair Xlite regular and it's too long on most nights. I'm far from an expert, but as a side sleeper, I want something a little wider and not quite as long. I tend to pitch my tent so that the door is downhill and then put my pack on the downhill side to stop the roll and offer some additional insulation when I inevitably roll off the pad. It also took me some time to realize that less air made for a more restful sleep and greater likelihood that I would stay on the pad.
My drill was to air it up, lay on my side and then let air out until I could just feel my hip touch ground. Then, if I thought it was going to be a cold night, then I'd give it one or two more puffs to get the hips back off the ground. I figured it was most comfortable when I was using the full loft of the pad.
It depends on several factors. A full length will be important if you take the pad into shoulder seasons. But many, including me, use a 2/3rd length pad with my shoes and other stuff under my feet to level them out. So, no single answer. If it works for you from a comfort and insulation standpoint then it works. I used a women's length pad prior to getting my short Xlite. (By the way I use a full length xtherm in the winter and shoulder seasons for the insulation.)
I use a short pad, and augment it with a short section of a z-lite pad that doubles as a kneeling pad/sitting pad. I just lay it at the bottom of my sleeping pad and rest my lower legs on it.
johnnybgood
05-24-2014, 17:09
I too am 5'8 and have a women's neoair xlite and find it perfect for my height. At 66 inches long it fits nicely in either of my solo tents with no wasted space . From a predomiately side sleepers perspective the additional 2 inches needed to cover my full body length will never come into play as my legs are always bent slightly.
The sleeping bags I use are regular length but don't overhang the pad that much at all.
Besides my pack , minus my food bag is always at my feet anyway as a cushion.
The higher insulation R value on the women's xlite , along with the shorter length is perfect for vertically challanged guys like us.
Funny that, I am at 5'8" too...As long as you don't turn and toss too much the 66" mat will do the job because I don't believe that the small gap under the tip of the hood and or foot box makes any difference.
However as a dedicated tosser (so I have been told) I find the 6' version works better for me.
I have two of the 66" and 3 or 4 longer one but are all different so hard to make a direct comparison.
MuddyWaters
05-24-2014, 19:18
I like my full length pads, esp in cold conditions.
But normally I take an xlite short. I bring a small piece of CCF to use for sitpad during day, that goes under my lower legs. On a full length pad my head can go on the pad, on the short pad, my head goes onto my "pillow" (spare clothing,etc) which is on top of my shoes, which are tucked under the end of the pad toe-first. Keeps the pillow in place.
Odd Man Out
05-24-2014, 20:13
I have the Neoair Xlite regular and it's too long on most nights. I'm far from an expert, but as a side sleeper, I want something a little wider and not quite as long. I tend to pitch my tent so that the door is downhill and then put my pack on the downhill side to stop the roll and offer some additional insulation when I inevitably roll off the pad. It also took me some time to realize that less air made for a more restful sleep and greater likelihood that I would stay on the pad.
My drill was to air it up, lay on my side and then let air out until I could just feel my hip touch ground. Then, if I thought it was going to be a cold night, then I'd give it one or two more puffs to get the hips back off the ground. I figured it was most comfortable when I was using the full loft of the pad.
I use a short pad, and augment it with a short section of a z-lite pad that doubles as a kneeling pad/sitting pad. I just lay it at the bottom of my sleeping pad and rest my lower legs on it.
Exactly the same for me. I got the Neoair Trekker which comes in a short/wide size (47"/25"). One of the few that does that. They seem to have changed the Trekker this year. They used thinner material and put in a reflective liner so it is a little lighter weight with higher R value. I kind of liked having a heavier duty pad, but still only 16 oz. I was equipping for mostly summer hikes so R value wasn't important to me. If you wanted last year's model, maybe you could still find some on close out. They are also less $$ than the Neoair UL. Also a side sleeper and use the same trick of deflating until I just about hit bottom. I also got a torso-length 3/8" CCF pad for my legs. It doubles as a sit pad, back cushion in the pack, and emergency pad if the Neoair springs a leak. Only weighs a couple of oz.
My XTherm Large arrived Thursday. I wanted the extra width and will tolerate the extra length. I also got the Exped Air Pillow Large. A very comfortable pair after one night 's use.
Wayne
Sent from somewhere around here.
To simplify it a bit since I see many talking about "short" mats, the OP is 68" high (5'8") and his mat is 66" long, so 2" shorter than he is.
Good point Franco! I am 5'8" and my pad comes down to just above my knee.
I like the large Neoair Xlite and cut it to length. That way I get the wider width and desired length.
I just remembered that when I bought my 66" Prolite I was still playing with a separate pillow solution. So in theory between the mat and the pillow I had a bit of room to move up and down.
In practice often the pillow would go one way, the mat the other and I would wake up upside down inside my sleeping bag off both of them.
(I should have used a smaller tent...)
So after a few years of trying different types of pillows I eventually settled with some clothing wrapped up in a silk liner inside the sb hood.
So now those 66" mats are a bit short for me but I do toss around a bit less too.
Thicker pad like the Exped Downmat UL7, or the Big Agnes reg. and insulated Air Cores I previously used, I want full length with no uncomfortable dropoff for the legs. The standard 72" size is great for me at 5'7". With thinner pads like the ThermaRest Prolite small and Klymit Inertia XLite, shorter is fine, as they work well with a pack under the feet.
hikernutcasey
05-30-2014, 15:14
I use a short pad and rest my feet on my bag liner (trash compactor bag) filled with clothes I'm not wearing. Or sometimes do the same thing with my pack.
thomas5052
07-12-2014, 10:44
I found that a pad that is a couple inches shorter than you still functions as well as a full pad, but that's because I don't mind my feet hanging off a couple inches!
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colorado_rob
07-12-2014, 11:43
I use a short pad, and augment it with a short section of a z-lite pad that doubles as a kneeling pad/sitting pad. I just lay it at the bottom of my sleeping pad and rest my lower legs on it. I do pretty much this exact thing, 3/4 neo air pad, short piece of foam to use under feet, doubles as sit pad.
Peakhunter
07-13-2014, 09:09
Personally I like it trimmed from head to hips because it like to hike light and fast but if I were wanting to have a more comfortable and leisurly hike I would choose a full size inflatable with good feedback.