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View Full Version : Optimal Thickness For Blue Sleeping Pad



q-tip
02-17-2012, 09:25
I am moving to a blue pad, I currently have a 3/8 pad, and folding it up to put in my pack to use as a backpad for structural support inside the pack takes up a lot of space and I like to have everything inside. What have you found as the best thickness balancing size and comfort??

garlic08
02-17-2012, 10:38
Depends on where you'll be sleeping. On most of the AT, I seldom had a problem finding nice leaf-covered sites where the pad wasn't even needed. I often had to kick a pit in the leaf litter to get my tent stakes to hold in solid ground. If you camp in the pounded areas near shelters or at commercial sites, you'll need a pad. If you plan on sleeping in shelters and you are 55, forget it--get an air mattress! If you're on snow, carry two blue pads or a roll of Reflectix duct insulation, my favorite.

I've been using a Z-rest for many years, the egg-crate style. My pack has an external pocket made for using the Z-rest as the frame. I'm not sure how that would equate to a blue foam, but 3/8" sounds fine for the sites I like to sleep in, three season use.

Tinker
02-18-2012, 00:12
For me a ccf pad is not comfortable. If you are folding your pad and placing it inside your pack you are probably using more space than if you simply roll it and place it in the pack, letting it expand to act as a pack liner and then putting your gear inside the pad. I did this to protect my 1st generation Thermarest from punctures back in the 1980s, and it was natural to continue doing it with my frameless pack. It works very well if you don't use stuffsacks.

Btw, I use a 3/8" pad in my Golite Dawn pack.