portage dog wrote on May 22^nd, 2020 at 2:35pm:


That must be the blue pack you sometimes would carry resting on the top of your pack on your back.  I swear you are a reincarnated Voyageur. You need to get a pipe and a red cap and learn the songs. 

portage dog wrote on May 22^nd, 2020 at 2:35pm:


   
  Great minds think alike

I have a 2" thick close cell foam pad on the bottoms of both my food pack and gear pack. A little cushion if you drop your pack or fall on rough ground.
I figure with that foam and the way I pack my gear in zip-lock 3-gallon bags, If I ever dump over my packs will float nicely.

Cool stuff ST.  I line the inside of my GG#4 pack, bottom and sides with a closed cell pad (old GI issue....) for my two 30L barrels to protect them as well and more importantly, my back. It also gives the pack some structure, making it easier to insert/remove the barrels at camp. The bottom pad helps keep the hard barrel edges/bottoms from creating circular wear spots in the pack material.  Last year I switched to CCS single barrel packs...much lighter to carry that two 30's... and pad the bottom on those as well. 

pd

Quote:


That's similar to what I do. Everything for sleep in one spot. I have a 3/4 Thermarest pad, just the thin one. I use that to protect my food pails in my Granite Gear food pack so if I set the pack down/fall on rocks it won't crack the pails.

I attach that 3/4 pad to my inflatable pad with that double pad mating they sell. That gives me about 3" from knee's up. Unless weight is a limiting factor get the most padding you can afford.

K63,

You can't put a price on a good night's sleep.  Especially in the back country.  My go to is a Big Agnes Q Core Insulated 25x72x4.25.  Still packs down to about the size of a 1L bottle and pretty light.  BA has a rep for great gear for a good reason.  Check out their pads at (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) and you'll see they have a LOT of options to get you what you need. They even make a pad now that's 40" wide! Talk about luxury.  I agree with Solus on the hips thing and as a side sleeper, nice to have that thick pad.  Bonus - all new pads come with an inflation bag to save a few breaths and keep moisture out of your pad. 

I z-fold my pad like it comes from the manufacturer.  They do that for a reason.  I lent one out once and the person folded it in thirds length-wise then rolled it bottom to top...ended up forcing all the insulation to the top of the pad and ruining it.  For trips, I have a 13L dry bag for my sleep kit.  I drop the folded and rolled pad inside, then 'reverse roll' the pad to open the center and now the pad is on the wall of the dry bag.  I stuff my down sleeping bag into the center of it and smoosh it down so there is room for the BA AXL air pillow, inflation bag, and my sleep clothes.  This puts all sleep gear in one spot, waterproofs it and you loose the bag and pad stuff sacks for even less gear. 

pd

As I've gotten older my hips have gotten more sensitive to sleeping on the ground. Moved from self-inflating thermarests to an Exped DownMat 9 (Very comfortable and great insulation) and have now settled on a Nemo Cosmo Insulated pad (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links). Its wider, thicker and longer than the Exped. Inflates a little easier and deflates much easier. Super comfortable. I also use a Big Agnes Air core pad when I want something smaller and lighter and nearly as comfortable .

This is an updated version of what I have.
I paid much less but that was 10 yrs ago.
Easy to inflate/deflate. I open valve while I'm laying on it to deflate, then close valve and roll to deflate as usual.
  If you have decent lung power it inflates easily, no need for a pump.

  A good night's sleep makes a big difference. I would sacrifice some extra weight for that.
They make a woman's model that is a little bit shorter BUT it only comes in the 20" wide model.

  I have the men's large which is 25" wide. That extra width makes a big difference is you turn side to side as you sleep.
  I take a camp pillow too. The pad is a pain to fold just right to get into its stuff sack. I don't do that.
I fold it in half the long way and then roll it up and put it in a small COMPRESSION stuff sack along with my camp pillow. Much easier/quicker that way.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

Several years ago, I picked up a Thermarest Neo-Air X-Therm. I've been happy with it - light, compact, warm, comfortable. It replaced an Exped Synmat 7, which is a good pad, but heavier. As you mentioned, there are lots of good options and sales at the moment. There's also a new standardized R-value test (think sleeping bag EN) that most use this year. There are some good hiking blogs with reviews and information.

Been out of the game and off the site for a few years (well, actually - quite a few years). Looking to pick your learned brains on sleeping pads/mats - they seem to have evolved quite a bit since I last hit the trails.

Looking at the usual - how small does it pack, how light is it, how easy to inflate/deflate, durability, etc etc etc.

Thank in advance......