Sleeping Pads For Lightweight Backpacking
Ultralight backpackers want to give up weight, not comfort.
Sleeping pads are pretty much a necessity for backpacking
comfort, but who wants to carry those monstrous old inflatables
down the trail? Try some of these lightweight options instead.
You can make four-ounce sleeping pads - then sometimes carry two
of them. Start with the plain blue closed-cell foam pads
available from any backpacking supplier. These are made larger
than necessary, usually 24 by 72 inches. You can just cut them
down to a four-ounce size.
It's important that it reaches from your shoulders to your hips,
so cut it to that length. Cut the width a little at a time,
testing for comfort as you go. You want the pad as small as you
can make it, while still big enough to insulate your torso from
the ground. Your head can be on a pillow of spare clothes, and
your legs on your empty pack to insulate them.
Sleeping Pads For Ultralight Fanatics
If you want it really light, cut pieces out of the pad.
Half-inch holes in the pad don't seem to make it less
comfortable. Cut out a hundred little pieces of foam, and you
get to save an ounce and join the ranks of the fanatical
ultralight backpackers.
To be comfortable with a thin pad, or none at all, try sleeping
where the ground is soft. You can also pile up leaves or dry
grass to sleep on. Please do this only where it won't harm the
enviroment, and scatter the leaves in the morning so they won't
kill the vegetation they're on. With fifteen minutes of work
each night collecting materials, you can leave the sleeping pad
home and be more comfortable. A thick pile of dried grass - now
that's a nice camping mattress.
More Comfortable Sleeping Pads
Do you need more cushioning? Inflatable sleeping pads are no
longer out of the question for lightweight backpacking. REI's
Big Agnes Air Core Pad is a 3/4 length pad that weighs just 16
ounces and is an incredible 2 1/2" thick! I haven't tried this
one yet, so if you've slept with Big Agnes, let me know how she
is.
There are also several self-inflating sleeping pads that are
reasonably light. My old Thermarest is actually only 21 ounces,
but both Thermarest and others now have self-inflating sleeping
pads that are under a pound. Now that's lightweight backpacking
comfort!