A Little About Sleeping Pads
There are many options for different conditions to accommodate back country sleeping. Sleeping pads are more than just comfortable, they offer a barrier between you and the ground that won't compress like your sleeping bag does. Because of this, it will still insulate, even with you laying on top of it. This makes a sleeping pad your best friend in the winter, or even just a chilly night. That being said, you may want one in summer also, they help protect your body from rocks and sticks, and they make sleeping in the woods a bit more enjoyable. There are three main categories of sleeping pads, each having different characteristics and best applications.
Inflatable pads. These were really the world's first packable pad designs. They are kind of old school now. They were inflated with a pump or by your mouth. They offer pretty good insulation, but they are also sensitive to punctures, and become basically useless if punctured. Since the days of inflatable pads, some more technologically advanced types of pads have been developed.
Closed cell foam. This material comes in two forms: rollable, and foldable. For example the Therm-A-Rest Ridge Rest, (rollable) and Therm-A-Rest Z-lite (foldable). These are extremely lightweight. More so than any other design available, however they are not compressible at all. They use tiny bubbles of air sealed within the foam to accomplish insulation. While incompressible, they do offer the benefits of a light weight pad. It is usually the cheapest, and the lightest. This means less work for you when carrying it, and less money spent. Closed cell foam is also a good choice for those who are ultralight backpackers because they often use packs with no suspension, the closed cell foam can act like a suspension that has a dual purpose.
Self inflating pads. These are the favorite of most backpackers, they come in a variety of thicknesses, widths and weights. These pads offer the simplicity of self-inflation, more puncture resistance than an inflatable pad and in the event of a puncture, they still offer some insulation because they are made from an open celled foam. These pack down the smallest, so at a slight cost of weight, they occupy the least space in your pack, and represent the best of both worlds in many cases. While it is possible to puncture them, unlike a closed cell pad, they are easily repaired. Self inflating pads also offer the most variable comfort, a closed cell pad is a fixed hardness, it is unadjustable, unlike a self inflating pad.
As with basically all gear, it is a combination of price, weight, features and benefits.
Choosing a sleeping pad depends on what activities you want to use it for and what matters most to you. Whatever choice you make will likely be a good one, all pads are well engineered and have gotten very good over the last 10 years.
Questions and Answers
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