How to switch to non-inflatable sleeping pad

[Catherine D]

I’ve been wondering if it is possible to learn to adapt to using a non-inflatable sleeping pad. I currently use an xTherm max – it is pretty comfy but is a pain to inflate and I don’t like having to baby it. It would be so much simpler to just use a z-rest. But I can’t sleep well on it (and I’m guessing it would be too cold). I’m curious if anyone has made this transition and maybe has some tips. Also wondering about higher r-value options for a non-inflatable.

[John S.]

For most, the biggest issue is hip comfort when sleeping on side. When camping on gravel or sand (easily movable) you can make a depression for the hip bone (then pad over) and it is comfy, but that is not easy to do if you use a floored tent (exact placement for hip depression). For hard pack ground it is a different story, at least for me. You can try a thermarest inflatable seat pad partially blown up for the hip but it can lift the hips too high and cause issues.

[Brad Rogers]

I used a Thermarest Ridgerest for years as a pad and frameless pack frame (rolled up burrito style) and found it bulkier but more comfortable than the Z-lite.   As I’ve gotten older I switched to a X-Therm and thus a framed pack, but other than the bulk, the Ridgerest was a really good pad.  I had no problems using it on it’s own down to the mid 20’s (F).  It seemed warmer than it’s R value would indicate.

[DWR D]

In the ‘old days’ there was no such thing as inflatable backpacking sleep pads. We got along just fine. People even climbed very cold mountains like Mt. McKinley with them (though we would double them up). Human nature being what it is, it is hard to go back to a state of mind of that being the way it is… Maybe keep repeating to yourself the mantra, “this is the way it used to be” and eventually you will fall asleep??? No, seriously, you do get used to it after a few nights. By the last few nights of a week long backpack it’s okay… :)))   It also helps to pick softer ground to camp on… and if you are in the trees add some leaves or pine needles padding under your pad…

[Jerry Adams]

I used a foam pad but found it uncomfortable so I switched to an inflatable pad.  First, a therma-rest prolite, then uberlite

A foam pad is approximately the same warmth as an inflatable, but there’s a large range in both.

Right at the moment, when I’m car camping, I use a ridge rest foam pad under a prolite.  Because I have both and the uberlite is fragile

[Jerry Adams]

uberlite

uberlite

uberlite

weird, it only replaces the first two occurrences with a link :)

 

[Kevin @ Seek Outside]

I still use a  Zrest style, (the Exped 25 wide) and a small pro lite self inflating. I have a hard time trusting an inflatable only. I’ve had two fail on trips in the past and both were not fixable in the field. I do have a Neo air, I enjoy it, but I find my mind very comforted by the use and abuse of a foam pad. I can pull it out in the day, take a nap , use it sort of as a chair. I have a hard time letting go I guess

[Jerry Adams]

just to have another data point, my prolites have never catastrophically failed.  I do about 70 nights per year for the last 20 years.  I am fairly careful with my gear.

Several prolites have delaminated but that’s a slow failure, have been able to still use it for at least a couple weeks.

[DWR D]

If inflating an air mattress is your main concern, here is a small, 2.3 oz, electric pump to fill and deflate:

https://www.rei.com/product/171699/therm-a-rest-neoair-micro-pump

This is for Thermarest pads, but other brands may have them, dunno… or maybe could be adapted to other brands.

[Todd T]

I’d give my eye teeth to be able to use a CCF pad, but the reasons I switched to inflatable get more and more intense as I age.

The pain of inflating a pad is completely avoided by using an Exped Schnozzel.  I’m not using an Exped mat anymore, but with a little 1-inch piece of flexible plastic tubing, the Schnozzel even works with my latest favorite Thermarest Neoair XLite.

Alas, I still have to baby it a bit, but I’ve never had a catastrophic air mat failure, so I don’t much worry about it.

Edit:  I meant to mention that the Schnozzel is also an excellent dry bag for waterproofing my sleeping bag and camp clothes while hiking.  It’s one of my favorite pieces of gear.

[Brian G]

(Re:  inflating inflatables, I treated myself to a Flextailgear Tiny Pump at one point.  Maybe 80 grams.  Weight is comparable to many pump sacks if not lighter.  The same, I think, as the REI unit for thermarests noted above, and lots cheaper.  Of course, if you are doing a section hike or more it’s not really an option because of the need to eventually recharge the thing…)

[Weekend Gear Guide]

100% agree on the Flextail Tiny Pump. Makes inflating my NeoAir XTherm NXT MAX a breeze, I think in under 2 minutes at least 5 times before a recharge, though I tend to use the built in lamp hung from the top of my tent.

Add an Anker or Nitecore battery bank for additional power on the go.

[AK Granola]

I am using an Uberlite, plus a thinlight underneath. So far so good – about 60 nights on it. If it suddenly goes poof, I can live a few nights on the ground. I don’t know why folks have such a hard time inflating pads; this one takes about 30 breaths. It takes 3 minutes or so, as I take quick breaks, meanwhile I’m also arranging other things in my tent. Deflating it takes longer, actually. But the effort isn’t that great, and is totally worth it. I won’t ever go back to a non-inflatable, by choice anyway!

[Arthur]

“I don’t know why folks have such a hard time inflating pads; this one takes about 30 breaths.”   I wonder the same thing. For me, the ratio of comfort to effort is gigantic.  If I was tougher and younger might help too, I would go to a foam pad today.

[DWR D]

Everyone has different lung/breath capacity… 30 breaths for you to fill an Uberlight might translate into 60 or 90 breaths (or more) for someone else with a larger pad…. then think about that at, say, your first night at 10 or 12,000 feet… Sure… I can do that… but need to take breaks so I don’t pass out  :)))

[AK Granola]

True, everyone has different capacity. I’m not very fit, I’m a slow hiker, can’t carry a heavy load, etc. so I assume most people have way more lung capacity than I do. I guess that’s why I didn’t understand the problem. But maybe the thicker pads take a lot more effort than the uberlite.

[Jerry Adams]

I’m 69 and fairly fit.  It takes me about 30 breaths to fill uberlite.  Not a big deal.  I’ll usually break it up into two 15s.

[Mark Verber]

I started out using “egg carton” foam and ensolite, switched to therm-a-rest self inflating in the 1970s, and to insulated air mattresses around 2000.  I never thought I would go back to closed cell foam, but this year I am rethinking a bit and running some experiments. One experiment has been using a closed cell pad combined with being more careful about site selection.  My first two attempts when better than I expect with me sleeping about as well on the foam pad as I normally do using a neoair. Both locations were nearly ideal with very soft ground where I could make a “GVP Divot”.  We will see if this is sustainable.

[Sam Farrington]

Like footwear, sleeping pads suffer from the illusion that there must be a best brand.  But humans are all different, and there is no best brand.  So stuck with the ‘self inflators,’ because the air mats make me uncomfortable and nauseous.  Since the self inflators have foam inside, not just air, there is something there to improve.  Which is good, because the Thermarests were all junk.  Eventually, found that there are foams that feel better, as any couch potato knows. So there was no need to switch from self-inflators.  Just a puff or two after it self inflates and am ready to snooze.  And the weight is around 12 oz., depending on durability.

Maybe should warn that while trying on shoes is de rigueur, stores can be uncomfortable with me lying on their mats.  But so far have not been thrown out or arrested.

[Dondo .]

Hi Sam,  care to share which self-inflating pads you like?

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