WHY Comprimise sleep comfort? for a FEW OUNCES?

I'd be willing to bet that what you find comfortable at XX ounces, they find comfortable at X ounces.

A lot of people can be comfy on an 1/8" pad that weighs next to nothing, and even other people can be comfy on nothing but the ground they find to sleep on. Different strokes.

For me, I need a pad. It's worth the weight to me since sleeping on a thin foam pad isn't comfortable at all, and the pressure points make my legs sore in the morning. Everybody has a different story. Also, if you can sleep great on a 2 lb pad that's 2.5" thick, and you find a 2.5" thick pad that weighs 1 lb, then why not get it?

Not trying to sound confrontational….. :)

Who are you referring to?

I ask because most of the folks I've read about state that they ARE comfy in their setup, or are trying to push the envelope to discover their limits – then work their way "backwards" a bit if needed.

Oh, and some do it for a speedy trip/personal goal.

I just don't recall anyone saying they try to sleep uncomfortably – even to save weight. In fact, many on here post that they are buying a thicker (heavier) pad just to be more comfortable.

Todd

maybe I missed it, who exactly is uncomfortable?

I'm not aware of any compromises being made. I'm actually more comfortable on my Gossemer Gear Torso Pad at 3.3oz along with my 1/8" thin pad at 1.8oz then I ever was on my late 90's era inflatible full length thermarest that weighed over a pound. And I really enjoy it more then my 3/4 legnth ridgerest which was a compromise in comfort. I do have to replace it occasionally, but its cheap. And my 6oz down jacket that I'm carrying anyway makes for a very comfortable pillow when stuffed with the rest of my extra clothing. I somehow think I'm saving more then just a few ounces over most sleeping pads.

I dont understand why folks have the need to carry monster weights just to get a better sleep? I have backpacked alot and troll alot of backpacking/hiking sites.. I just dont compremise getting a having a light pack..Yes shave comfort off in other areas … I just felt I had to throw this our here because I dont understand why folks do it..

god im such a troll

neo air 410g
0C rated 800 fill down bag 490g
pillow … stuff sack youll use anyways and some stinky clothing

900g total weight for a "comfortable sleep"

Have I ever been uncomfortable sleeping on my 2/3 length Gossamer Gear Nightlight pad under my quilt? You betcha. Is it worth it? You betcha. I don't need 10 hrs. of solid deep sleep like it's a Tempuredic mattress to be able to have a pleasant day of hiking, if I get 6 good hours of sleep and an hour or so of tossing around then I'm okay with that, it's a small compromise in my standards and tolerances that I'm willing to make and gladly accept. When you can get out with an efficient and compact pack that resembles a loaded daypack and hop around for 12hrs. in the mountains with nothing impeding you but yourself then it becomes pretty clear the benefits of lowering your standards a touch. Getting out in the mountains is as much about leaving behind the clutter and extraneous objects for a brief period of my life as it is enjoying the beauty of the outdoors.

Eric – that was hilarious!

Scott is a newbie: forgive him, for he knows not….

Scott, there are denizens of this web site that cut the handle off their toothbrushes, carry titanium potty trowels and think a single-edge razor blade is sufficient knifeage for backcountry travel. Some can get all their gear and 5 days groceries in a GoLite Ion that has been surgically altered to half its factory weight. After all that, what is a night's sleep on a 1/8" foam pad?

Also, keep in mind that some are 19 years old, which means they are invincible :)

Then again, some just can't rough it ;)

Dale

"you are invincible til your 40, and then your indestructible."

scott,

Have to tell you, I am on your side with regards to what makes my old bones comfortable.

It matters not to me what others use, I just know I am comfortable on an inflatable and not a solid foam pad.

maybe one day I will work down to one, but not today lol :)

I say each to their own.

Best part about hiking is that you do whats best for you and it doesn't affect anyone else. I'm most comfortable on a thin CCF pad.

After a long day of hiking or climbing, I can't really tell a difference in my sleep system. Besides sleeping 7 hrs, I'm also not in camp longer than it takes to pitch and tear down the tarp. Also, my everynight ridgerest seems to do my back and body better than a bed.
Muir was an old man and didn't take a sleep system. To each his own.

So it's okay for me to bring a waterbed and memory foam pillow?

"Muir was an old man and didn't take a sleep system."

Often he traveled with a wool jacket and a wool blanket, which he used to wrap up his other items (small bag of flour, small bag of salt, small bag of tea, etc.).

Of course, traveling ultralight that way almost caught up with him. While ascending Mount Shasta, he got caught by a sudden snowstorm, and the only way that he could avoid freezing to death was to lay down in the hot mud of the geothermal spring near the summit. I guess he forgot to carry any good Goretex.

–B.G.–

If you pack it in and don't expect anyone to carry it out… then by all means, bring your memory foam pillow and waterbed. Might as well pack your Goretex Snuggie while you're at it.

"Muir was an old man and didn't take a sleep system." He didn't need to; he just whacked a few branches off a live pine tree and slept on them. So much for "leave no trace". ;-)

"So much for "leave no trace". ;-)"

Au contraire!
Unless you've found one of John Muir's beds of fresh pine boughs…

If a backpacker fells a tree in the forest and nobody finds it did he leave a trace?

Scott,

You're right that a good night's sleep is more important than shaving a few ounces. But, what if you could get the same comfortable sleep and carry 1-2 pounds less? Some can.

Which lighter pads, bags, and pillows have you tried which made you uncomfortable? It's a process of finding the right sleeping system which fits you best. If you go get a cheap blue CCF pad, you'll probably be uncomfortable. But for the same or maybe less weight, you could get one of the Gossamer Gear pads, a Ridgerest, or a Neoair and be quite more comfortable. It takes time and sometimes money to optimize your sleep system weight-wise. Maybe you do need a heavy pad, but you won't really know if it's a need until you've tried the other options.

For example, I'm a side sleeper. In my teens, I wondered why most people carried around a sleeping pad. I was fine without one, and didn't mind shivering myself to sleep in the winter once in a while. Now that I'm older, maybe wiser, and have lost my invincibility, I discovered that I'm fine with just a foam pad if I have a pillow which is as deep as the distance from my shoulder to my head. I've tried the Exped and MontBell inflatable pillows (2-3 oz each). They're comfy, but I really need something deeper. I'm working on figuring out how to bag or strap one of these pillows with my rain jacket or other gear I already carry. My Ridgerest is not bad, but I plan to try out a Gossamer Gear pad to see if it's better.

For winter, I sleep on a 2 lb full-length Downmat 7.

My 30 oz synthetic mummy bag and synthetic quilt of the same weight just aren't as comfortable as I would like. In their place, I've purchased a mummy bag which is 21 oz, but also stretches to allow the same freedom a quilt has, but without the drafts.

> "you are invincible till you're 40, and then you're indestructible."

At some stage you give up on that and just get ornery…

(40? That was a looong time ago …)

Cheers
:-)

…

The only time I can recall someone mentioning being uncomfortable with their sleep system was Glen Van Peski in, if I recall, Gossamer Gear's "Lighten Up" DVD. At one point he refers to Tylenol PM as making the difference between sleeping on a super-thin mattress and a cushier one. Each to his own, but I've never thought that taking a sleep-inducing painkiller was much of a strategy as far as comfortable rest goes; once in a while it might be needed, but surely not planned for? Come to think of it, I think that I may also have heard Mr Van Peski refer to accepting shivering as a way to warm up at night. He's clearly a hardier soul than I!

For my part I compromise with a foam pad, but a comfortable one rather than the absolute lightest available. As Nessmuk put it, "We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it."

I used to be able to sleep great on a thin foam mat, but that was some years ago. Since I injured my back I now need to sleep mostly on my side and as I am very boney I need something more cushy. Also getting a good nights sleep is very important to me now for various reasons.

I have just had my first two nights using my Kooka bay mat (R4 60x20x2.5" at 9.5 oz) it worked very well and I slept much better than on my old Prolite. I would highly recommend one of bender's mats so far.

However, if I could I would like to go back to foam for the simplicity, weight savings and reliability. My back is getting much better thanks to regular stretching, but I still think my foam mat days may be behind me :)

I definitely agree with the OP!

It has to be said that sleep styles are about as individual as shoe sizes–what works for one person won't necessarily work for another.

I have found that there is an age related function. My joints have gotten much more sensitive to pressure over the years, so the pads got too thin :-). I'm a side sleeper with ample (!) hips, which makes it worse. This is how I've progressed or, if you prefer, regressed:

Pre-teens, teens, early 20's: No pad, just extra layer of blanket underneath.

40's and early 50's: 1 inch Thermarest

Late 50's through late 60's: 2 inch thick Thermarest LE

Late 60's through present: 2.5 inch thick POE Insulmat Max Thermo (predecessor of the Ether Thermo 6), pumped up halfway, just enough to keep my hips and shoulders off the ground. It's also half the weight of the 2-inch thick Thermarest LE. Since I'm short and sleep curled up in the fetal position, a 2/3 length pad is just fine for me.

For one summer I tried the NeoAir, but I couldn't get comfortable on it. With the many narrow tubes, I couldn't find a sweet spot between having my hip on the ground and the mat being too hard. (I had a similar problem with the 8-tube BA Insulated Air Pad.) The horizontal tubes of the NeoAir "bucked me off" almost every time I turned over!

When my POE pad (going into its sixth year) either gets too thin or gives up the ghost, I'll be having some chats with Bender at Kooka Bay about a custom pad!

Warmth is also important. My POE pad goes down to the low 20's, far better than the NeoAir which got cold for me in the mid-30's.

As I mentioned, everyone is different. Take the pad that is comfortable for you!