View Full Version : Ditching the pad?
hikerjohnd
03-02-2005, 20:01
I have been thinking (and even my neighbors can smell the smoke) I posted a few days ago about using a Crazy Creek chair as a sleeping pad and the general consensus seemed to be it wasn't a great idea. No problem - thanks for that feedback. Next question - I rarely stay on my pad (and I have switched to a gossamer gear nitelite) so do I really need a sleeping pad? :-?
Thanks for the feedback!
--John
bannister
03-02-2005, 20:30
I didn't use to use a sleeping pad at all, but after reading about them realized they can help keep you warm. Now I only use them if it is going to get below freezing, or there is a chance I'll have to sleep on rock.
bannister
BookBurner
03-03-2005, 08:00
If you can do without one, you're a lot tougher than me!
I wouldn't leave home without at least a thin one. Sleeping pads:
1. Insulate you from cold ground
2. Cushion you from hard ground (especially nice in popular campsites)
3. Protect your bag from dirt, nail heads, and splinters in the shelters.
Just go with a closed-cell model and save yourself the extra weight, extra money, and extra anxiety worrying about a blow-out!
Happy Trails-
BookBurner
www.enlightenedthruhiker.com
I have been thinking (and even my neighbors can smell the smoke) I posted a few days ago about using a Crazy Creek chair as a sleeping pad and the general consensus seemed to be it wasn't a great idea. No problem - thanks for that feedback. Next question - I rarely stay on my pad (and I have switched to a gossamer gear nitelite) so do I really need a sleeping pad? :-?
Thanks for the feedback!
--John
For what it's worth, most of the rangers at Philmont carry the Crazy Creek chair and use it as a sleeping pad. Now, these guys, and gals are out in the back country on a regular basis, but are not doing the big miles.
Usually the choice between a closed cell pad or inflatable pad, such as the therma-rest is young bones vs old bones. Old bones like more padding.
My advice for someone contemplating the choice is to by a closed cell pad, and then try sleeping on it for a few nights on their concrete basement floor.
SGT Rock
03-03-2005, 09:51
Get in a hammock and all you need a pad for is insulation - unless you get a good under quilt.
Lone Wolf
03-03-2005, 09:53
Don't sleep in nasty shelters either. You don't really need a pad laying on Momma Earth in a tent.
I would not go without a pad because they are so light,and are good at camp,breaks ,sleeping on,when I first started to hike I went without one but through the years its up their on my to bring list,so easy to hook somewhere on pack:sun Hipo
Lone Wolf
03-03-2005, 10:09
All you really need is a RidgeRest 3/4, weighs 9 oz. costs $17. Why get a Thermarest that weighs and costs much more. Ain't nothing lightweight about Thermarests.
Yo hikerjohnd:
i'm going the OTHER way...i've just purchased (last fall) a Z-rest for $25. (@ the Mast Store in Boone, NC)...& trying it out for 3 weeks this spring.(Apr 28-May 20)
BEFORE then....i refused to use a pad... :D
hikerjohnd
03-03-2005, 10:39
Yo hikerjohnd:
i'm going the OTHER way...i've just purchased (last fall) a Z-rest for $25. (@ the Mast Store in Boone, NC)...& trying it out for 3 weeks this spring.(Apr 28-May 20)
BEFORE then....i refused to use a pad... :D
So - have you been comfortable without a pad? I think I'm going to start with mine, but try a few nights without it...
bulldog49
03-03-2005, 10:39
All you really need is a RidgeRest 3/4, weighs 9 oz. costs $17. Why get a Thermarest that weighs and costs much more. Ain't nothing lightweight about Thermarests.
http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/accessDetail.cfm?PRODUCTS__ProductID=CA1551
ProLite 3 short weighs 13 oz. Worth the extra couple ounces to get a comfortable nights sleep and packs small.
max patch
03-03-2005, 10:56
do I really need a sleeping pad? :-?
I was just about your age when I did my thru; in VA I experimented going padless by mailing my 3/4 length thermarest ahead a week. I was much more comfortable with it than without it and was glad when I caught up to it.
Peaks makes a good point about "old" vs "young" bones; I didn't use or need a pad until I was nearly 30.
Alligator
03-03-2005, 11:21
If you're that concerned about weight, so be it. Weight and comfort are often a trade-off.
I unabashedly carry a Prolite 4 FULL LENGTH and a thermarest chair. Worth every ounce. That means I'm comfortable when:
sleeping
reading
cooking dinner
sitting by the fire
playing cards
drinking whiskey
or basically any time I am in camp.
A pad provides insulation from the cold ground, so it is definitely recommended for ground sleeping.
Try sleeping pad locks by Sierra Designs. They keep me on my pad, and I roll around like an Alligator:banana . It would be relatively simple to sew loops to attach them to a non-SD bag.