[pct-l] Sleeping mats

[Sean Carey]

I went with the ridgerest after reading many positive things about it on the
internet. I haven't used it yet, but maybe you could google for advise as
well and find some of the good things I read about it. The previous poster
was right though about it depends on whats good for you. I was willing to
carry a little extra weight and deal with extra bulkiness for comfort. We
will see if I made the right choice or not. lol. Good luck to you as well.

Sean C.

On Sun, May 3, 2009 at 9:21 PM, Eric Lee <saintgimp at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Mike wrote:
> >
> I'm looking for ideas/brands for a sleeping mat. Any wisdom from the trail?
> >
>
> A lot depends on what your body will put up with.  Many hikers use very
> light foam pads of one sort or another, as Mags said.  They don't work for
> me.  I don't sleep well on a thin pad and if I don't sleep well, I don't
> hike well, so a bit more weight is a net positive for me.
>
> I carried a Thermarest Prolite 3 Short (3/4 length) for a few years but it
> still wasn't really adequate for a good night's sleep.  Two years ago I met
> a thru-hiker carrying a Big Agnes Air Core pad (mummy cut) and he swore it
> was worth its weight in Snickers bars. I tried one last year and I heartily
> agree!  It's not self-inflating so you have to spend a minute or two
> blowing
> it up every night, but it's 2.5 inches thick, full length, and soft enough
> to let my weary bones rest without aching too much.  Totally worth it.  The
> biggest drawback is that if you put a hole in it you *have* to repair it
> immediately because otherwise there's no padding at all.  A bit risky in
> the
> desert.
>
> For reference, here's weights for some popular pads (all regular length,
> shorts are lighter):
>
> Thermarest Ridgerest:       14 oz
> Thermarest Z-Lite:          15 oz
> Thermarest Prolite 3:       20 oz
> Big Agnes Air Core (mummy): 21 oz
>
> Thermarest has a new line, the "Neo Air", which appears to be a
> non-self-inflating pad like the Big Agnes Air Core.  It's 2.5 inches thick
> and only 14 oz (same as a Ridgerest!), but is insanely expensive at $150
> (yikes!).
>
> Eric
>
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