for the sake of both comfort and warmth sleeping pads are crucial to getting a
good night's rest in the backcountry but how do you know which ones right for you
let's talk about how to choose backpacking sleeping pads
when choosing a sleeping pad there are three main factors that you'll want to
consider and those are comfort weight and inflation
comfort generally comes from thicker cushy or sleeping pads but you can gauge
this by trying out a couple you can do that at your local REI weight is pretty
self-explanatory which leads us to insulation most manufacturers will use a
number called an r-value to gauge how well their pads resist heat transfer
from your body into the ground the higher the R value the more insulation
the sleeping pad provides a silly pad is a crucial part of your sleep system and
your sleeping bag alone won't provide enough warmth without a proper sleeping
pad
so the first type of pad we're going to talk about our air pads these are pretty
self-explanatory you blow air into them either with your mouth or with a
lightweight pump and then that's your mattress for the night these are very
thick and comfortable while still being lightweight and most of them are
packable about two the size of a water model they also come in a wide range of
insulation options so it just as an example this pod here has an r-value of
under one so it's truly a summer weight sleeping pod and then this one is an
r-value of 5.7 so it's great for winter camping air pods provide insulation by
having extra layers in between the exterior so that might be an insulation
layer and or some sort of reflective layer you can also adjust the firmness
on an air pad by allowing some air out of the valve like I said these pads are
lightweight and compact which comes with an automatic increase in price you also
need to keep an eye out for sticks or their sharp objects as they are easy to
puncture but most air pads will come with a lightweight patch kit and they're
very easy to repair in the field some material on air pads can also be crinkly
so that's something to take a listen for if you are a light sleeper also side
sleepers sometimes find these to be not as comfortable because their hips will
touch the ground these are a great option for backpackers that are looking
to minimize weight while maximizing comfort and pack ability on the trail
and most lightweight backpackers will choose to use an air pack I have an air
pad and I love it
self-inflating pads use an open-cell foam to provide structure as well as
insulation I have a cutaway piece here of what a self inflating pad looks like
and you can see that if you were to store this you'd roll it up and that
will compress all the air out but then if you were to open the valve this sucks
all the air back in and the pad self inflates generally speaking you'll
probably have to blow some air into this to get it to its maximum comfort level
but they're pretty hassle-free self inflating pads are comfortable and they
provide a lot of insulation they're also a really good choice for people who want
something kind of a middle-of-the-road in terms of cost and they're really
comfortable for certain types of sleepers such as side sleepers these are
a bit bulkier and they're heavier than their air pad counterparts and they are
prone to getting punctures just like air pads again they're very easy to repair
in the field these are a great choice for backpackers who are looking for a
little bit of extra comfort and don't mind the slight add in bulk and weight
the last time a pad we're going to talk about our closed cell foam pads these
are the large rolled or folded pads that you see strapped to the exterior of
people's packs these use a dense foam that doesn't need to be inflated and
therefore can't be popped or really destroyed at all you can see that this
pad here has taken quite a lot of use and abuse and obviously they still work
just fine these are lightweight they're inexpensive and they're basically
indestructible and I like that you can use them as a sip pad at camp
they aren't however the most comfortable of pads and they are pretty bulky so you
will need to strap them to the exterior of your pack to carry them these are a
popular choice for ultralight backpackers or through hikers for their
ease of use and their durability and then some people will also use them in
conjunction with another type of pad to add some warmth as well as comfort
some sipping pads also have a women's specific version and there are more
differences beyond just the color that's demonstrated here with these two this
orange pad is a unisex pad and you can see where all the dots are those
represent holes that are punched out of the foam to cut down on weight because
women tend to need more insulation in their core and at their feet this
women's version of the pad has fewer holes cut out at the torso and at the
feet women specific pads also have a slightly different shape than unisex
pads and they tend to be shorter so they're a good choice for shorter
backpackers as well if you want some more information on how to choose gear
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