How necessary are sleeping pads?

[pyoder10]

Hey, I'm going on a three week hike and was wondering how necessary a sleeping pad is? Would I be fine with just have a tent, tarp under the ten, and a sleeping bag?

[mingo]

you don't need a sleeping pad. only sissies carry sleeping pads. just lay in a pile of hickory chips

[SGT Rock]

Most sleeping bags are rated on the assumption you are using one. Personaly I would rather have one and a quilt than have a full bag.

[Ender]

Except in the dead of summer, you'll probably be chilly without one. The ground absorbes heat pretty quickly...

[stag3]

You could get by without a pad provided the ground is not too cold. Any sleeping bay will compress and effectively loose all bottom insulating value. You can use wood chips :-? or leaves, but IMO the extra pound for a sleeping pad is worth carrying.

Sgt Rock's idea of a quilt instead of a bag is valid--I've started using my bag like a quilt. I've stayed warm, and it's a lot less restrictive.

[hobbit]

depends on how long your day was....... if it was a long day you def don't need one

[mnof1000v]

Before I headed out this year, I considered (for weight reasons) going without a sleeping pad. As a compromise to myself, I bought a Thermarest Ridgerest. It's light to begin with, but I tailored it to fit inside my Big Agnes bag, which has made it even lighter. Anyways, after a day's hike your body really wants SOMETHING beneath it for padding. Even if you're not worried about insulation, you owe it to your body.:)

A final note: A Ridgerest isn't the most comfortable pad on the market, nor does it pack the smallest, but it is effective, inexpensive, and light.

[kyhipo]

bring one the ground is alot more comfortable with one!and when u cook ect ect hang out,always nice to putt something under the butt.ky

[mountain squid]

The use of a sleeping pad is completely a personal comfort issue. When I was younger a ridgerest was sufficient. Not so any more (currently using a Insul-Mat, 1“, self-inflating pad). If you can be comfortable lying on rocks/twigs/roots/shelter floor, then a sleeping pad would be unnecessary. Sleeping pads also have insulating properties (R-value). If it will be cold, a pad should keep you a little warmer.

There are also numerous varieties of sleeping pads. Your feet and legs might not require as much comfort as your upper body. A 3/4 length pad is popular on the trail.

After a long day of hiking, a good night of sleep is invaluable...

See you on the trail,
mt squid

[SGT Rock]

That is why I use a hammock LOL :D

[SGTdirtman]

I stopped carrying one this year... First trip out I ran into 30 degree weather and my sleeping bag is rated to 20 but I froze my butt off because my bag just absorbed the cold from the ground. I would have still been cold with a sleeping pad but not that cold.

The last few nights I got fed up and made a big pile of dry grass and leaves about 5" inches tall then set my tent up ontop of the pile... I stayed much warmer and it was very cumfy. Im pretty much content on doing that from now on. :D

Whatever the case I would say some form of ground insulation is a very important thing to consider if the nighttime temp is anywhere under 60 degrees.

[Hana_Hanger]

If you choose not to carry a pad, even a small piece of Tyvek (weighs next to nothing (3 to 7 oz) depending on the size of course. Place under you sleeping bag would help cut the the cold seeping though. My YOUNG son uses that and all his extra clothes/pack etc... when he comes with me which is rarely...maybe that is why???

On the other hand I continue to wish for a dehydrated Queen size waterbed...with some fairy dust! :D

[neo]

i love chinese buffets in trail towns.:cool: neo

[Rambler]

Having a pad, even if just a thin one, can make a difference between a having a good night's sleep or not. Sleeping in the woods might be comfortable for a few hours, but shift positions and pretty soon a small stick, a lump of ground, a rock will start to feel hard and uncomfortable. Cover those things with a pad and you won't feel them. A pad will keep you warmer and your bag drier, if you start out on wet ground. 3/4 lenghts are lighter and work well, try 6-8 sections of a z-rest. Remember, your head can be off the end of the pad and ontop of a pillow which means the pad can be under even more of you torso. I sometimes find shelter floors harder than the ground, so pads help on wood floors, too. Take your pad along, then sleep without it. See how you do. Some days you just won't be able to find those woods chips or hay piles.

[Peaks]

The other thing to figure out is: Are you comfortable sleeping on the ground? To find out, try sleeping outside on the ground beforehand.

[Just Jeff]

When 2-7 oz could make the difference between sleeping or not, why cut corners?
http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/xdpy/s/Sleeping/index.html

[Vi+]

I camped before ground pads were invented (or, at least, before such things were officially designated), this includes “camping” in the U.S. Army, in the European Alps, in WINTER. Winter temperatures were below minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

The army provided each of us with a “mountain bag,” which sounded impressive. These bags have been renamed “medium weight sleeping bag.” We all froze. I was shaking when I entered the bag at night. I was shaking whenever I awakened during the night. I was still shaking when I awakened in the morning. I have no reason to believe I ever stopped shaking. There were times I wondered, when entering my sleeping bag, whether I would be alive in the morning.

I would be amazed if all mountain troops are not now issued ground pads. You ask, “How necessary are sleeping pads?” No one died. They aren’t NECESSARY at all. You need to decide, however, is your goal to challenge yourself to survive, or have fun?

If I had it all to do over again, given the choice between a loftier sleeping bag without a ground pad or a ground pad with the same sleeping bag, I’d keep the sleeping bag and carry a ground pad.

[Bilko]

Hey, I'm going on a three week hike and was wondering how necessary a sleeping pad is? Would I be fine with just have a tent, tarp under the ten, and a sleeping bag?

Go for it. Try the three week hike without a sleeping pad and then decide.
I like a soft ground pad. You may not even notice the difference.

[dadecker]

Keep in mind that the ground will likely not be 98.6 degrees and therefore take heat from you throughout the night. It is well worth the extra couple of ounces to bring a pad if even a thin one.

[Footslogger]

If you're over 50 and don't have a lot of "natural padding" some form of sleeping pad is absolutely a must.

'Slogger

[Programbo]

There is no rational reason for NOT carrying a ground pad...Heck even in Vietnam where my spouse is from and they sleep on wood they still have enough sense to roll out a bamboo thatched mat first

[pyoder10]

I can use either one of the eggshell type sleeping pads or the inflatable ones, what are advantages and disadvantages to each? I'm still not sure if I want to bring one at all.

[Just Jeff]

Not taking some kind of ground insulation is like not carrying a stove on a multi-day hike. You can get by w/o it, but is it really worth the few ounces you'll save? (Actually, I'd rather go on a multi-day hike w/o a stove than w/o some kind of bottom insulation.)

Inflatables are thicker and more comfortable, but heavier and pricier. And they're not much good when punctured, so carry a small repair kit. Some are self-inflatable, like ThermaRests - just open the valve and open cell foam inside inflates the pad, then close the valve and go to sleep. Other inflatables (like Down Air Mats) require a pump, but are often warmer. My Downmat's stuffsack is the pump and it gives 2.8" of insulation when inflated.

Closed-cell pads (egg-crate, ridged, flat, etc) are very cheap, very light, very durable, don't soak up water, and insulate better (per ounce) than other types. They hardly compress at all, so they're bulkier when packed than similarly sized inflatables, and they're nowhere near as comfortable as inflatables for most people.

Open-cell pads are like big sponges, or like the egg crate pads Walmart sells to put on top of you bed at home. OCF compresses and absorbs water, so it's usually not good for a ground pad by itself. There are pads that combine a thin layer of CCF with an egg crate layer of OCF that's more comfortable than a plain CCF pad, but it's insanely bulky.

If you just want a cheap, indestructable insulation layer then get a CCF. If you want comfort at the expense of a few extra ounces and can be careful where you lay it (clear the area of rocks and sticks just like you normally would and use a ground cloth), then go for the inflatable.

[Frosty]

The last few nights I got fed up and made a big pile of dry grass and leaves about 5" inches tall then set my tent up ontop of the pile... I stayed much warmer and it was very cumfy. Im pretty much content on doing that from now on. :D Ripping up grass to make a bed is not sustainable, certainly not LNT. It is kindof like the old "browse bed" if you are an old hiker. But even so, where would you get your dry grasses and leaves after it rains for a week?

[Footslogger]

I can use either one of the eggshell type sleeping pads or the inflatable ones, what are advantages and disadvantages to each? I'm still not sure if I want to bring one at all.
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Eggshell types are lighter, fast, easy and less expensive. But, they don't offer as much padding as inflatables.

Self inflators are heavier and more expensive and need to be relatively full of air to offer maximum comfort. As they "age" you need to manually inflate them a bit to "top off" the air supply to get to that comfort level.

I own both and teeter back and forth between the two styles. I use the 3/4 length to cut down on the weight.

'Slogger

[max patch]

There are good reasons already listed to carry a pad so I won't repeat them.

I will say that on my thru somewhere in VA I mailed my 3/4 length thermarest ahead a week and experimented without it. I was glad when I reached town and got it back.