Air Mattresses w/ Framless packs

U.L.A- Custom fit, custom pack. A excellent thru-hiking pack.

but it will work with the air mattress without problem? will it also work in the other packs?

There is plenty of cubic inchess in the ULA packs to store your mattress open- but I would store them in there stuff sack. I think in the long run the air matresses are much easyer to store. Less Hassles-I have tried packing my mattress that way and find it too much work. To each is there cumfort level own.

Hi Isaac,

I've been using an insulated air mattress for the last year and have used it with a Golite Pinnacle and a ULA conduit. The Golite Pinnacle has a built in foam backpanel that is quite stiff and provides good load transfer to the hips by itself. On this pack I just roll up the mattress and stuff it in the pack. The conduit has a sleeve for putting in a mattress, and in my opinion an air mattress by itself will not provide good load transfer to your hips. What I do with that pack is place a foam pad that is 20×20 and folded down the middle in the pad sleeve. It only weighs a few oz and supplements my mattress (which is 48 inches long), plus I use it as a sit pad in camp. The bigger ULA packs (circuit and catalyst) are framed packs and so you do not need anything for use as a back support.

I've seen people do it on the Gossamer Gear packs, and I say pics of a lady who her air mattress and chair kit in the sleeve.

thanks guys

I use the ULA Conduit and a BA insulated air core pad. What I do is pack the mattress rolled up as normal and do not use it for any part of the "frame". The Conduit comes with an optional 1/4" foam back pad. I use this and a GG sit pad as the frame. It works very well up to 20 lbs. (It might work above that but I have not tried it.)