Torso pad on JMT?

I never carry a full length pad in the Sierra in the summer.
But I find a true 'torso pad' to be too short.
I like something long enough to protect my knees from the inevitable pebbles, sticks, etc that can hurt my bony knees. So I us a pad that is extends from just blow my knees to just above my shoulders.

Billy

Hey Billy, what pad is it that you use?

THANKS

Yes. I went from a torso size pad, using my pack under my feet, to a full length pad about a year ago.

Got tired of cold feet, having to empty my pack, and pushing/retrieving my pack from the foot end of my bivy. YMMV

Steve

All I've ever carried on the JMT was an 1/8" CCF torso pad.
My reason behind this is only because I never sleep in campgrounds.
You can always find ground that is soft enough that the pad is just there to act as an insulated ground cloth.
R-value isn't the best but having a warmer bag is lighter than the extra weight it would take to keep the same warmth in a pad.

If I slept in campgrounds, I would bring an inflatable.

Jason – I think pad selection is too personal to get a viable answer that will be right for you. Depends on whether you choose to sleep at high altitude (on rock) or lower (on pine duff), sleep on your back or side or stomach, sleep fussy or sleep like a bear, etc. For all our trips, Jim and I switched from torso length to full length just a year or two ago. We won't go back, but we used to do just fine with the shorter pad. Maybe it's about getting old, or maybe it's deciding that the extra 4 oz to go from 8-oz-Torso-NeoAir to 12-oz-regular-length-NeoAir was 4oz well spent.

Jason…
I've been using the Gossamer Gear torso pad:

http://gossamergear.com/nightlight-sleeping-pad-torso-length.html

I has 3 sections and folds. Then I add one more section by ordering one of their sit pads of about the same size. I just use duct tape to attach the 4th section.
You would have to figure how long you want it and if you're tall you might have to add a 5th section. Or order two of the 3 section pads.

This is a pretty comfy egg crate pad.

Before the set up above I was using the Therma Rest z-lite which I cut down to the desired size. But I think the Gossamer pad is a little more comfortable… and a little lighter.

Billy

billy