Sit Pad options?

[Erica R.]

I've always overlooked a sit pad – and I'm thinking it's about time I add one to my gear. Anyone have some recommendations for one? Obviously, light – purchased or homemade is fine. Thanks!

[Max Dilthey]

Completely in love with my Thermarest Z-Lite sit pad (the Yellow/Silver one).

I use it to add some comfort to the back of my pack while hiking, and at night it fills in gaps in my hammock where I can feel cold spots. All day, it gets used. All WINTER, it gets used. It's beautiful and I'm a believer.

All that being said, you can go with less weight. Cut down a piece of Thinlight pad from Gossamer Gear.

Enjoy!

[Todd T]

I cut a 12" by 18" piece out of a cheap Wally World CCF ground pad. It was $7 at the time for the whole CCF. Probably $10 now.

[Nick Gatel]

Hmmm… is there something wrong with sitting on the ground. That is what I have been doing for a long time.

[Steven Paris]

It looks like you grew peacock feathers, Nick. : )

My take: nothing wrong with sitting on the ground, but in the PNW, that ground is often wet or muddy.

[Max Dilthey]

Changing socks in the snow is very easy with a sit pad. And when it got to -10 on Camel's Hump in VT, I was happy to have a foam pad to spend time on while waiting for snow to melt on our alcohol stove.

I was a skeptic too, but I'd rather have a sit pad than a pillow now. I don't use a pillow (although, sometimes I prop up my head with the sit pad!)

[Nick Gatel]

If one has some sort of foam support in their pack, it could be taken out for a sit pad. In rain I sit on a log or large rock, or use my folded up groundsheet to keep somewhat dry. In snow I use my foam sleeping pad to keep dry/warm, if I can't find a suitable rock or log. But I mostly sit on the ground.

You like the tiara?

[Justin Baker]

A sit pad is one of those things you can live without but once you actually use one, you always need it. It's just more comfortable.
It's nice for keeping your butt dry on wet ground or snow.
I use my z-rest which is also my sleeping pad.
The foam pads inside packs are usually very soft and will get ripped up if you use them on hard ground.

[Tom D.]

There are small, square inflatable pool flotation devices that are light and work well. I picked up a few from the dollar store.

I also have one of GG's foam sit pads. It usually is the back pad for my G4 pack and I don't often pull it out just for sitting.

[Bob Bankhead]

Strongly recommend against using an inflatable sit pad. Think about where one usually sit when hiking – on rocks, logs, pointy things that punch holes that can be hard to find and often harder to repair.

Get an old CCF pads and cut off a suitable sized piece. I've recycled my old Ridgerest pads that way. Mt inflatable pad serves as the framesheet in my pack so removing it is not something I want to do more than once a day. I carry a 20 x 24 section of Ridgerest (doubled over or rolled) strapped to the outside of my pack. I can easily pull it off for breaks and rest stops. That said, a 20 x 12 section would work as well for sitting, but I also use it in the vestibule of my tent to keep gear and my feet clean(er).

[Mobile Calculator]

…

[Gregory Stein]

Cut your pad into 3 pieces:
– one for pack
– one for sitting
– and the rest

Now, add some Velcro to the facing sides. When arriving at campsite, stitch all together.

– Works only for foam pads
– Crates cold spots in the "seams" (maybe some "overlapping" needed or curved cut)

[Jennifer Mitol]

+1 on the z lite sit pad!

And with all due respect Nick, my quite padded backside still does not appreciate sitting on hard ground, cold granite, or a bumpy log. I used to lug a chair around with me because I just found it so uncomfortable to sit for more than a few moments on a hard surface, but then the weight bug got to me and I figured I should just suck it up. The sit pad from my gorilla opened my eyes, and I then tried a friend's z lite (thanks Ken!!) and was hooked.

It's a teeny weight penalty that's worth it. To me ;)

[Nick Gatel]

"And with all due respect Nick, my quite padded backside still does not appreciate sitting on hard ground, cold granite, or a bumpy log."

Not to worry… by the time you get to Kennedy Meadows next year, you will be a lean hiking queen and will no longer need the sit pad :)

I think a lot of people remove their foam pack frame sheet and use it as a sit pad. Multiple use, you know.

The thought of needing a sit pad never occurred to me. But for decades I hiked with an external frame pack, which makes a fine backrest and that is a far superior feature for resting than a sit pad.

[Ken Bennett]

I use one all the time. If I'm hammocking, I use a 3/4 length CCF pad inside, and that becomes my pad at breaks. If I'm tenting, I carry a separate piece of CCF as a sit pad. Just cut from an old Z-rest, and just large enough for my sitting area. Seems silly, but I won't hike without it.

It's multi-use, too — at night, put it inside your sleeping bag under your feet for a surprising amount of extra warmth.

[Dale Wambaugh]

+1 on the Z-Seat sit pad. Mine weighs just 2oz. I carry it in a bungee cord array or outside pack pocket where it is ready to use. An inflatable would be fragile, expensive, and would need to be inflated for use.

I use a short sleep pad and use the sit pad under my feet. I do the same in my hammock.

I've used the pad for a wind break and cozy when cooking. It would make a good forearm splint or splint padding for first aid too.

I've never liked using a pack pad for a sit pad. Most are tucked tightly into the pack and you need to empty a good portion of the pack to get the thing in or out.

[Lawson Kline]

I have been thinking of making sit pads from my InsuLite foam. I was thinking of making them 12" x 18" and either 1/2" or 3/4" thick. Any thoughts?

[Erica R.]

I hadn't seen the Z-Seat before – thanks for the recommendation of this! At 2 oz. can hardly be beat – and I think the idea of strapping it to my pack so I can easily throw it on the ground to sit when changing socks etc is a great idea. I think this looks like the way to go!

As others have said – I've gone without one for years, and never put much thought into one until recently. I think it's going to be one of those items that the convenience/comfort is worth the extra ounces!

[Dena Kelley]

I just cut one segment from a Z-Rest that I carry as a sit pad. I just need enough to keep me off of damp ground.

[Barry P]

“A sit pad is one of those things you can live without but once you actually use one, you always need it.”

+1

“ I carry it in a bungee cord array or outside pack pocket where it is ready to use. ”

+1
I keep it right on the outside of my pack. When other hikers see it— they think (and say it out loud!) “That’s what that guy sleeps on!”
Here’s a pic of my manly sleep mat, rolled up at the side, on a cool rainy morning in the Sawtooths.

I call it a kneel pad since I kneel on it more than I sit; It keeps my pants clean; It saves my knees; Makes a great tent entrance mat.; pads from the cold surface,, etc.,

-Barry
-The mountains were made for Tevas

[John Vance]

I cut my sit/kneel/stand pad from a larger pad and use it all the time. It is some 12"x18" or so and is the last thing placed in my pack on top of everything else. I too would avoid any inflatable type so you can just throw in down and rinse it off if need be.

[Adam Rothermich]

I use a panel cut from a GG Nightlight. My wife uses the other two panels as her sit pad (she deserves more wiggle room, one panel requires pretty precise bum placement). They're great when we're doing trail work, its nice to have a little bit of comfort during breaks. I don't use it backpacking much, my breaks aren't very long and usually I watch for a decent log or some sort of natural seat when looking for a spot for lunch.

Adam

[M B]

1. Use a CCF pad and keep it rolled up on top of your pack. It will also be your sit pad. Cheapest and lightest option.

2. Use a short inflateable, and use a GG nightlight for your lower legs. Keep it rolled up on top of your pack, It is your sitpad during the day

3. use a full length neoair xlite, and use a 1/8" thin foam pad under it to protect it. Keep the 1/8" pad rolled up on top of your pack during day to be your sit pad also.

4. Use a pack that incorporates a removeable pad on the outside (GG, Zpacks, etc) that serves as a sitpad.

5. Just take an extra small section of foam pad of some kind, and use it. But then its extra.

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