View Full Version : Pack weight decision
I am trying to decide whether or not to use my lighter but less comfortable sleeping pad (.87lbs) or my bulkier more comfortable pad (3.6lbs). My base pack weight with the lighter one is 14.73lbs and with the heavier pad, 16.97. Is is worth the extra weight? I will be hiking long-distance.
Gray Blazer
04-21-2010, 08:00
My sleeping pad is heavy but extremely cmfortable. I won't hike w/o it.
fiddlehead
04-21-2010, 08:15
My mother in law is 76 and still sleeps on a bare tile floor.
You can get used to anything.
Leave the luxury items at home.
Kerosene
04-21-2010, 08:22
While sleeping comfort is important, increasing your base weight by 19% is huge. At your young age, I would think that you could get use to the less comfy pad...eventually. Remember that Fiddlehead's mother has been sleeping on the floor all her life.
The 0.87 lb (14 oz) pad is the same weight as a Thermarest Prolite 3s, which certainly did the job for a decade before I bought my 9 oz NeoAir.
Stir Fry
04-21-2010, 08:23
Sleep comfortable or Hike comfortable its your choice in the end.
I'm pretty sure you could switch to a hammock and not only lower your weight but sleep in the air - you can't even compare it to sleeping on the ground - apples and oranges.
Raul Perez
04-21-2010, 08:48
My mother in law is 76 and still sleeps on a bare tile floor.
You can get used to anything.
Leave the luxury items at home.
That's no way to treat your mother-in-law :-?
Use the lighter pad (get one even lighter if you can) and also try to reduce your pack weight more to 12lbs. Grandma Gatewood is right. Most people are pantywaists.
mister krabs
04-21-2010, 09:08
Sell both and get something in between. Thermarest backpacker short (http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___47619)is 30$ 1.5 inches thick and 1.5 lbs.
garlic08
04-21-2010, 09:14
You're young and should be able to sleep well on harder surfaces in comfort. Try it out. It's all about being able to get rest when you're not hiking.
Site selection has a lot to do with it, too. If you're planning on sleeping many nights on hard plank shelter floors, get a thicker pad. If you can choose deep leaf or conifer duff most nights, you won't even need one at all.
I'm with Piper--all I use is six sections of Z-rest at six ounces, and I'm 52. My hiking partner is 64 and he uses the same thing. We both love our light packs.
beakerman
04-21-2010, 09:22
like 10K said...do both...sleep and hike comfortable...use a hammock and take teh lighter pad. I do this and the cheap $5 blue/green pad from wally world is what I use to keep my back from getting cold in the hammock.
It depends on how you secure it too. You don't want 3 lbs flopping around back there
Bags4266
04-21-2010, 09:48
I agree w/ Mr Krabs, sell what you have or donate. And buy yourself a lighter cushier one. I use the BA air core at 21oz its not that light. Its 10 oz's heavier than my pad but its worth it. The difference between your pad weights is huge.
Appalachian Tater
04-21-2010, 10:29
Why does it have to be either/or?
Thermarest makes some very comfortable inflatable pads that weigh a pound or so. You can also compromise and keep the weight down even more by using a short pad for 3-season hiking.
BobTheBuilder
04-21-2010, 10:33
My mother in law is 76 and still sleeps on a bare tile floor.
That's pretty harsh. I even give my dog a blanket to sleep on. Oh, wait, you said mother-in-law. Never mind.
this is the most remarkable thread i've read in a long time. pretty much everyone in agreement on the main issue. wow...
Old Grouse
04-21-2010, 10:41
this is the most remarkable thread i've read in a long time. pretty much everyone in agreement on the main issue. wow...
That's right, Fiddlehead should spring for a duvet.
bigcranky
04-21-2010, 10:56
3+ pounds? Ouch. I like to sleep in comfort, too, and my comfortable pad is a Prolite 4 that weighs 24 ounces. That's old, though, since newer Prolite pads are a little lighter, and the inflatables are lighter still.
The Neoair is a neat concept, but most reports say it's not so good in cold weather. YMMV. I've been happy with my Prolite 4 in all seasons, from single digits to nights in the 70s.
skinewmexico
04-21-2010, 13:26
POE Ether Thermo 6 is a good compromise, at a good price.
white_russian
04-21-2010, 13:40
You are 26. The only thing people at that age should need a pad for is insulation.
SGT Rock
04-21-2010, 13:59
My mother in law is 76 and still sleeps on a bare tile floor.
You can get used to anything.
Leave the luxury items at home.
Damn, and I was drinking coffee when I read that.:eek:
SGT Rock
04-21-2010, 14:01
I would go which ever way makes you happy. If you are going for a long distance, then take the heavier one and send it home if you find you don't need all that. Or go the other way and have someone ready to send it out to you if you find out you need it. Option 1 is probably the easier way to do it, option 2 is the heavier way to start.
Johnny Swank
04-21-2010, 15:31
I'd opt for the lighter one. If you can't sleep on it, it's a sign that you just need to hike more miles before going to bed :)
wystiria
04-21-2010, 15:46
The Neoair is a neat concept, but most reports say it's not so good in cold weather. YMMV. I've been happy with my Prolite 4 in all seasons, from single digits to nights in the 70s.
Most anyone who upgrades to the Neoair still has a functioning more insulated Pad for winter ;) I know I have the prolite 4 myself - which I get by with in the winter (has a +2 R value over the Neoair)
but my neoair is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much more comfy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and a whole lot less weight.
*** to answer the original post, I would upgrade the pad, if I really couldn't afford that personally I would carry the extra weight....I think.
Don't sell it:use it to stretch out a bit and have a nap at a Rest Stop on the way to the trail.
I am looking to purchase a Gossamer Gear ccf pad, because it is lightweight, packs well, and people say they like it. I want to compare it to my old blue ccf pad. I am 62.
I have a never used Exped Down Mat 7 short mat I just purchased for more serious cold weather and comfort.
I say, have more than one sleeping pad. I have four, including the ThermaRest short and the NeoAir short.
Many people like the Ridgerest. Many people swear by Cascade Designs ThermaRest.
Do carry the one that packs well and isn't overkill for the campsites you can expect.
By the way, "forest duff" with a bivy or a groundsheet makes a comfortable bed.