Easing the pain of the GG Nightlight…

[Ryan Gardner]

What do you take (if anything) to help you sleep better on the GG Nightlight? (Even with a Thinlight underneath I still wake up every hour).

I don't think NyQuil caps do anything for pain, but it sure knocks me out. Haven't tried it on the trail though. Any ideas? I'd prefer not to have a hangover in the morning.

[John S.]

Some take Vitamin T….tylenol PM

[Adam Rothermich]

I normally take some Vitamin I (Ibuprofen) before I go to bed. It helps with any pains left over from the day and helps the pad feel a tad more comfortable.

Adam

[Kathleen B]

My baby brother, an MD, told me the cause for sleeping pain on closed cell foam pads is having birthdays. Easy for him to say. The little twerp is only 45.

[Ryan Gardner]

Uh oh… I'm only 23.

[Jay Well]

I am only 29 but I still have trouble sleeping through the night on super thin pads and am weary about any medication to help me sleep, so I have been using a exped downmat 7 short. It weighs a lot, 19oz with the modified stuffsack inflation device, but it is well worth it when I can easily sleep though the night and feel well rested the next day. I only use the thin foam pads when I am really trying to get my weight down or on short trips where my bed is only a few days away.

[Kathleen B]

I thought that would get some reaction! However, you have to realize that Baby Brother's idea of roughing it is no microwave. I can run circles around him on any terrain. I just need my Big Agnes air mattress at night!

[EndoftheTrail]

I camped with a piece of blue foam until two years ago (age 45) — when I 'graduated' to a self-inflating pad. Blue foam was OK — but the self-inflating pad is absolutely heavenly for me.

I know that the 2.5" air pads are ven cushier… but I see this as a one-way street. As long as the self-inflating serves me well, I will keep deferring my switch to air pads.

Ryan — if your foam pad is driving you to contemplate drugging yourself — then do yourself a favor and move on to a self-inflating pad. Hiking should be fun. Drugging oneself to save half a pound doesn't make sense to me…

[Lynn Tramper]

Ditch the nightlight. I am a very tolerant sleeper, but even I can't handle the nightlight. I use a cut down RidgeRest (torso length) and am a happy camper. I don't really like inflatables.

[Andrew Richard]

you can spend energy fussing over this pad or that pad, or you can make another choice…
use a hammock.
Now Im not trying to convert anyone, just mentioning that for me, all the pads were uncomfortable to me. A hammock with a GG nightlite pad is a much better nights sleep, and in these winter months when the temps reach 35 or less, I have to go down to the ground. The big agnes insul. air core is my go-to pad.

[John Haley]

I received my brand new Nightlight Torso in the mail today. After using it for both my pad and pack frame for well over a month last fall, I figured that I deserved a new non-compressed one to start my thru(s) this year. I'm hitting the 68 mark in two months and can still use it. I've considered using the Montbell 90, but since going SUL just can't bring myself to carry the extra weight.

[Lynn Tramper]

I suppose a hammock would be good unless you're like me…mostly hike as a couple, and lots of nights above treeline.

As a couple I am acutely aware that everyone's tolerance and comfort level is different. I am happy with my 4 ounce RidgeRest torso pad. My partner will not leave home withou a 27 ounce Stepehnson's DAM! If the GG nightlight is not comfy for you then simply ditch it. Not worth a bad night's sleep or drugging yourself to sleep for the sake of a few ounces. When you start going down that road, insanity soon ensues and next thing you know you'll be hiking naked with no pack, no food and no sleep, head and body shaved, intentionally dehydrated, just to prove you can go lighter than everyone else ;)

[Mark Verber]

What do I do to sleep better with a nightlight (or any foam pad)? Leave it at home, or combine it with insulated air mattress. :-)

Some of us just don't get a good night sleep on a foam pad, even after several exhausting days. Some people adapt after a few nights. If you have used the nightlight several nights in a row and still find yourself waking up too frequently, then try something difference. I recommend air mattresses, but a self inflating foam mat, hammock, or maybe a cot could possibly help as well.

–mark

[Mark Hurd]

I use a double layer. I use two of the GG NightLight pads. (One for torso and one for my legs.) Then I use a Montbell 90 on top of the GG torso pad. Very plush.

I use one of the pads as part of the frame for my SMD Essence pack and the other I strap on the outside to pull off for a seat when I stop along the trail or in camp.

I get full length insulation with extra cushion for my hips and shoulder and a great seat pad for about 17 oz (482 gm).

-Mark

[George Matthews]

I'm 53 and am happy using:
NightLight(Torso) plus the 1/8 ThinLight Insulation Pad

Before them I used Thermarest Prolite 4 regular or Prolite 3 small. Now my son (25) has the Prolite 4 and my other son (29) has the Prolite 3. When I backpack with either of them, they always ask me if Im sure I dont want to use the Thermarest. I havent yet.

Possibly I've grown comfortably numb and/or my bones/joints are always sore so I dont notice discomfort when backpacking. : )

[Adrian B]

After a few uncomfortable nights out on a nightlight, back home I stopped sleeping on my bed and migrated to the floor (still softer than the foam pad!).

But after a few weeks I'm starting to find my torso nightlight more pleasant… of course I don't have a partner to explain myself to. Friends think I'm nuts of course.

[Monty Montana]

First a question for Allison: how did you get your Ridgerest down to 4 oz? I have the 3/4 version and it weighs 9 oz, I think. Did you chop down the length and width?

As for getting a good night's sleep on the Nightlight, I use several tactics to welcome the Sandman. First, I limit my intake of liquids in the evening so I don't have to get up in the middle of the night. Then I take Ibuprofen, which will reduce any knee, ankle or other swelling and manage aches. Finally, I place the pad under my sleeping bag convoluted side down, which makes for a not so lumpy surface to sleep on.

However, I think the real reason a good sleep on the Nightlight is so elusive is the sudden change in altitude, from sea level to 5000' or more. When I'm in Montana, my hometown is at 3500', so the change in altitude when going up to the mountains isn't so dramatic and sleep seems to come easier.

[Jonathan Ryan]

I guess I should confess that I am 26 and a light sleeper in the back country as well (AKA: a wimp). So I use a BMW Torsolite and a GG Nightlight 3/4 with a dose of Tylenol pm and that seems to do the trick for me. But I figure if I am not sleeping well I will not hike well so what is the point of being uncomfortable. Those of you out there that can sleep all night on a foam torso pad, I envy you!!

[Colleen Clemens]

i sleep on a self-inflater. i tried medicating. didn't work, and i thought, "i'm drugging myself for a lighter pack? oh, heck no." so i'm back to a heavy, soft, delicious self-inflater. makes me warm & happy.

[Paul Tree]

I have a ridgerest I take everywhere. The trick for me is find some softer soil or gravel, be really tired, and mentally relaxed.

If you are still thinking about work, how early you need to get up, your guylines, kids, mosquitoes or bears, it can keep you from descending to REM. If you are really type A, some relaxation techniques may help.

An alarm can really help you sleep, ironic huh?

Edit: I sleep well with an alarm if by myself, but with friends, I worry that it will annoy them. In spring around here, there are reliable bird sounds to wake to.

[Ryan Faulkner]

I dont have much of a problem sleeping on anything.. am am only 15

I tried out the nightlight for a while, its a good lightweight pad, no problems, but I switched back to my cut down Ridgerest (4.9oz), mostly because it is thinner and I can pack my gear easier with it rolled up in my pack than with the nightlight, and It has a higher R-value according to therm-a-rest website.

also.. I was always a little worried about the pad ripping and tearing at the seam, that I really dident need, bucause I was just rolling it in my pack, not folding for use with a GG pack.

If I were to try this style of pad again, I would just get one from Nunatak, and cut it down myself, so there is no seams.
but I dont know if i ever will again, I have been much happier with my old cut down ridgerest.
mabey its time for a new one of those…

[David Wills]

I go back and forth about what I want to sleep on. I usually use blue a convulated foam pad from walmart that is about 6 or 7 years old and cut to torso length. I think it is extra wide which is nice. I just switched to regular blue pads for the full length which I value because of cold feet. I tried and returned a BA Ins. Aircore to REI b/c it was too much on the weight/comfort side of things as opposed to function (I was looking for warmth, DAM here I come!). I use one of those 2 oz thinlites in warm weather including a 2+ week trip last summer primarily in shelters. Talk about a rough nights sleep. I did find that sleeping on a nice spot of grass makes the thinlite more comfy than any foam pad in a shelter though. Site selection is an artform, and despite some crazy ideas and dated techniques by SUL standards, Ray Jardine has the absolute best description of how to go about site selection in his Beyond Backpacking book. The right spot can make all the difference in the world for a good nights sleep.

EDIT: Ryan, I just saw your post about how you are out in the desert and have no soft stuff. That sucks for SUL pads. Might as well get a montbell pad, or one of the insulated air mats if its a big deal.

[Barry P]

Hello guys and gals,
This is my first post here.

“What do you take (if anything) to help you sleep better on the GG Nightlight? (Even with a Thinlight underneath I still wake up every hour).”

I concur with taking vitamin T p.m. Wow. I wake up refreshed after that. Anyway, here’s my trick. Fyi, I’m 44, 5’8” 150lbs.

For my UL trips, I only go with the GG Torso pad (3.7oz, bumps down) with an 1.5”x30”x15” open cell pad (5.5oz, bumps up) on top. I then have my backpack under my legs. There’s a peace of mind not worrying about leakage. And you don’t lose air pressure during a cool night. This is comfy on my back and stomach. I may sleep on my side, but not for long.

May everyone find their sleeping zen :)

-Barry

[Ryan Gardner]

Hey Barry,

Welcome to the site! I'm looking at the specs of that closed cell foam pad and scratching my head. The 15 inches is wide I assume, and 30" going along your torso, but where are you getting a closed cell foam pad that is 1.5" thick? Also, what does that weigh?

[Barry P]

“where are you getting a closed cell foam pad that is 1.5" thick? Also, what does that weigh?”

It weighs 5.5oz. I got my egg crate foam mat from Walmart about 2 years ago. It’s for a twin bed; and I cut a little bit off :).
The walmart now only has 1” thick. It doesn’t feel very good. I found a 1.5” open cell mat at Target. When I cut it down, it weighed less than 5.5oz. But it didn’t feel as comfortable. So density also plays a roll.

You can also find scrap pieces at stores that make beds.

It took me a little while (few months) to figure out a sleeping arrangement. I don’t think I’m there yet. Instead of a GG Torso pad, I sometimes take a Z-rest torso pad. I like my little open cell pad. If I lay it on a self-inflater, that feels real nice!

Good luck.

-Barry

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