Sleeping Pad

[smokedog]

For the past couple of years I have used a Big Agnes Air Core mattress but I'm thinking about giving up on it and going with something lighter. What I like about the Big Agnes is the fact that it will fit inside my pack. What I don't like is blowing the thing up and the noise that it makes every time I move around on it. Any suggestions for a light, compact pad? The closed cell pads are so bulky you have to lash them on the outside of your pack, right?

[Footslogger]

Not sure if you're willing to go with a less than full length pad but ...I weened myself off the long pads years ago and began using a 3/4 ultralight thermarest. I carry a small piece (4 folds of a Z-Rest) of foam for use as a seat on the ground and generally place that under my feet at the lower end of the thermarest at night. Anyway ...I've been using that combination for quite some time now and went with it on my thru in 2003. The thermarest weighs around 11 oz and the pad another few. Thermarest fits easily inside my pack and the pad stays on the outside for easy acess when I want to plop down on the wet ground.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[peter_pan]

Smokedog,

Since you are considering a change, give your old bones a real break and get off the ground! Hammocks are reaaaaaallllly comfortable, especially when you get rid of the pad and use under quilts...check the hammock camping forum in detail for a great amount of info on this point. just MHO. :-?

[smokedog]

Actually, Hammock Hanger was nice enough to drive down from Jacksonville to demonstrate hers a year or so ago. I bought a new tent last year, SD Light Year, which I really like. If I hadn't just purchased the tent I might take another look at a hammock, but making several major gear purchases every year can get kinda expensive.

[fantasmagris]

I recently switched from a 11 oz closed cell to a 16 oz BIG AGNES AIR CORE 3/4!! point being nothing IMO beats the BA ratio of weight/comfort.:D

[BookBurner]

Allow me to pimp the virtues of a closed-cell pad. I switched to one years ago and have never missed its open-celled cousin since. Closed-cell sleeping pads:

1. Are significantly lighter;
2. Never pop or blister;
3. Can be rolled up inside frameless packs to provide internal support;
4. Can be stored outside the pack and accessed at lunch for a comfortable place to nap or sit (especially nice when its been raining!);
5. Are significantly cheaper;
6. More than adequately comfortable for most hikers.

Give it a try, you might like it. If not, the experiment won't set you back too much and you could at least get a nice seat pad out of it.

-- BookBurner

www.enlightenedthruhiker.com

[Jeremy]

I agree with BookBurner. Closed cell pads are probably the best thing to sleep on if you do any kind of wilderness travel. They are so much lighter, more versatile, more durable, and in my opinion, more comfertable. They support my back better, and insulate me better than any self inflating pad I've ever own. I currently use a RidgeRest 3/4. It only weighs 9 oz. The Z-lite pad, which is the new version of the Z-rest, is a little more compact, but it weighs more, and has a lower R-value, which is the system they use to measure insulative properties. If I could suggest anything, it would be a RidgeRest 3/4.

[Kerosene]

Gotta disagree on the closed cell pads. As a side-sleeper, I just don't get enough cushioning for a good night's sleep. While I'm down to cutting out extra ounces, the extra quarter pound for a 3/4 Therma-Rest Prolite 3s is well worth it (I use a Z-Rest sit pad for my feet if I'm going to be sleeping on the ground.)

[Mags]

As with most outdoor gear, there is no correct answer on a good sleeping pad. I use a cut-down Z-rest for my backpacking. (Should also add that at 5'6", a full length pad is quite overkill for me). The biggest caveat is that after 1000 miles, it is time for a new one. I use a frameless pack, so the Z-rest works quite well for that purpose.

Depends on your comfort level. FWIW I use two foam pads when winter backpacking a Z-rest and a roll up foam pad.