Sleeping with a back – new pad?

Hello Robert,

I also have lumbar spine issues. My first question is whether this happens on the first one or two nights of a trip, or  is it constant over say 4 or 6 nights?  My second question is whether you do any stretching before going to bed.  I find a sleep much better at home after doing 3 or 4 child’s repose positions before I go to bed.

It might not be the sleeping pad, but the backpacking that is irritating your nerves, especially if you are hiking in bad form for your back.  I had one Physical Therapist who cautioned me about the use of hiking poles because they can cause you to lean forward while hiking, losing the natural S curve of your spine, and irritating/compressing the lumbar nerves.

But back to the pad. I think you might be over inflating the NeoAir. I like comfort. I use a 25 inch wide NeoAir xtherm on top of a 20 inch Evazote pad from MLD with two Exped UL pillows. You could also use a Zrest pad.  I usually find I need to add or release air in the first hour of sleeping to get a firmness that allows my back to curve naturally when sleeping on my back. With the closed cell pad under the Neoair, I can even release enough air so when I am on my side, my hip is close to the foam pad, but the Neoair has enough air in it to maintain a nice support for my spine.

I start as a side sleeper using one pillow under my head and one between my knees. But I mostly sleep on my back after the first two hours.

I never sleep well the first night but usually by the second night I am sleeping almost as comfortably as at home on my extra firm BeautyRest mattress.

Sometimes I also put a very thin piece of 1/8 inch Evazote pad on top of the NeoAir to reduce noise.

The best place to experiment is your backyard.

Are you using a wide pad?  If you’re sleeping on your back on a 20″ pad, your arms are likely falling off the pad, which might be putting added stress on your back.  For back sleepers, pad width can be almost as important as thickness.

I have back problems and bring an extra inflatable hospital pillow (1 oz) to put under my knees (when on back) or between knees when lying on my side. It’s still incredibly painful and I don’t sleep much, but I get through the nights. In the morning I hobble around for a while until things loosen up. And in the afternoon, I do some gentle stretching exercises that I’ve found help me.

I have similar back issues, but I’m a side sleeper. I have at least 100 nights on an long X-therm. At first I found the pad uncomfortable completely inflated. I figured out that the pad is much more comfortable and no issues if, after fully inflating, I quickly open and close the valve twice to let just a little air out of the mattress. Seems to make a huge difference for me.

Assume you’ve tried PT for the back and maintain a routine that helps, so won’t go there.

I’ve never been comfortable on Thermarest pads, either the old ‘self-inflating’ ones or the new air mats.  The Nemo self-inflaters work best for me, because the foam has a gel-like quality, and am closer to the ground than with an air mat.  And the other posters are right about gauging the amount of inflation being key.

One other thought: You may benefit from a pack suspension that removes more of the pack weight from your back and shoulders, and puts it over the hips and legs.  You can spend a lot for customized or expensive packs, or just go into an REI or similar store and try them on with some weight in stuff sacks.  Just as with shoes, you will probably know when you try the one that feels and fits much better.

I have a history of lower back issues and sciatica. the horizontal baffles on the neo air line aggravates my issues, for some reason. I’ve had better luck with vertical baffles like exped has and the multi baffle system found on sea to summit pads. also ccf is comfortable but only if I sleep on my back, but I’m a side sleeper for half of the night

so far I’m really enjoying the ether light xt

Should have made clear that the foam in the Nemo self-inflaters is not closed cell.  It is open cell, and only works in conjunction with the air in the cells.

Thank you for the ideas.  I will definitely try the hospital pillow under my knees (where do you buy those – I looked on Amazon with no luck).  I will also try the stretching before I go to sleep.  That may very well be part of the solution.  I have wide pads so that my arms to don’t fall off the pad, and I don’t inflate it all the way.  Although, I probably could experiment a little more to find the optimal amount of inflation for me.  I think my pack is pretty well dialed in.  I started with a granite gear blaze 60.  This past year I decided to get something new and have tried a GG Mariposa, a ULA Catalyst, a HMG southwest 3400, and ended up with a zpacks arc haul.  I like the arc haul a lot – way better than anything else for me.  I will post back after I’ve tried these things – hopefully I’ll have found a solution.

Robert, an old friend told me that the Arc Haul packs from ZP takes the weight off the back, and your experience confirms that it may work for others as well.   Good luck.

The hospital pillows can be found on Litesmith.

Kelly

I have mild scoliosis. My back issues are minimal, but I spend time almost every night doing various floor exercises (think: yoga) to flex my spine.

I used a LuxuryLite pack frame with a large volume bag–an old Mariposa with absolutely no structure–strapped on the frame. The external frame transferred weight off my shoulders and entirely onto my hips. This combo weighed in at just over two pounds.  Anyway, the big plus of the LL frame is the hip belt–very very plush–and also the lip at the bottom of the frame that carried a bear canister perfectly.

Getting weight off the shoulders and onto the hips is crucial for people with back issues. External frame packs do this very well. But they’ve become extinct. The external frame mantra is, ‘weight onto the frame; frame on the hips.’  the leg muscles are by far the most powerful in our bodies, and transferring weight onto the hips means weight is carried more by these muscles, and not the muscles in the back.

It’d be nice to see a modern take on externals.  Why not?  During a recent googling I came across the Vargo Ti frames and packs.  At least it’s something.  ~RL

Seek Outside packs are external framed