|
Sleeping pads for lightweight camping serve two
main functions. They keep you warm when temperatures drop by suspending
you off of the cold ground and help you sleep better because they protect you from feeling
every bump or rock on the ground. There are basically two types of
sleeping pads. There are ones that self inflate like the Thermarest brand and
there are the ones that are basically a dense foam rubber pad like Ridge Rest
brand. We own and use both types depending on the continent we are
traveling.
Dense foam pads are very durable because there is
no danger of them leaking. They can be used to sit around a campfire.
They do not last forever as the salesperson may tell you. After a few
years of regular use the dense foam padding gets permanently compressed and
looses it's effectiveness. They have to be replaced every few years of
continuous use.
The self inflating pads are much warmer in cold
weather, pack smaller, and are a bit more comfortable to sleep on. The
disadvantage is that they can leak air from a puncture or the valves eventually
wear out. When the air mattress can not hold air it is completely
worthless. For this reason it is necessary to also carry a repair kit.
Because self inflating mattresses are prone to punctures it is important to be very
careful with them. They are for only inside the tent or on a ground cloth
when camping under the stars.
Things
that we look for when buying Sleeping Pads
- Non-sliding surface There
is a real problem when sleeping on any type of sleeping pad with sliding
off and becoming separated during the night. When this happens you
wake up cold or stiff from sleeping on the cold hard ground. Some
trekking camping pad makers claim to have solved this problem by
including a slightly tacky surface. This is something the cheap
pads often omit.
- 3/4 or full length This
is a big decision when you buy a foam rubber pad or air mattress.
This question is really about what you will put under your feet.
If you have something like a jacket to put under your feet then you may
want to go with the shorter sleeping pad. A jacket may work for
short trips in warm weather but for extended outings and cold weather
you will want the longer pad so there is room for your feet. When
we have our camp chairs along we use them under our feet and select a
3/4 length pad.
Accessories that we like
- Patch kit This
camping air mattress patch kit must include supplies to repair both the pad and
valve from leaking.
|
.jpg)
