Choosing a sleeping pad for camping
I currently own the most basic closed cell sleeping pad that one could buy. I'd like to upgrade to a better self inflating pad. I've narrowed it down to about two options:
REI AirRail 1.5
REI Trekker
The first has a higher r-value, is cheaper, and is flat which may be nice when sleeping with another person. However, it's about twice as large as it doesn't fold when wrapping up. Now I'd like to take this on car camps, bike tours, and backpacking. It shouldn't be a problem on my bike as my previous pad is about the same size.
But when backpacking, would there be a significant disadvantage to taking the larger pad? I assume it would have to go on the outside of the pack. Would the smaller one reasonably fit in a pack? It's a pound heavier but I don't plan on going on week long hikes just yet. Is this just a question of whether I would prefer the comfort of a nice pad or the comfort of less clunky gear?
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For 1lbs 1oz (740g) I'd choose an inflatable pad. Mine is 72"x20"x2.5" and super comfortable. It's also warm because your body is not in contact with the ground. It takes a few minutes to inflate by mouth (it's an "air core", no foam inside) but well worth the time.
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For the characteristics of the pads you selected, here is what I can say:
Weight
Crucial when backpacking.
- 1lbs 1oz (740g) is on the heavy side, but still doable.
- 2.5 lbs (1140g) is enormous. If you put that on the outside of your pack, it could unbalance it, and pull you backward. Unless you put it at the bottom, but then you risk tearing your pad when you put your pack down.
Packing size
- 6.5 x 9 inches is ~10L, which fits in a pack.
- 4.75 x 21.25 inches is ~12.5L. Not much more, pretty thin so you can possible put it in the pack, but the length may be an inconvenience to fill your pack.
R-value
Both are winter-capable values, depending on what the winter looks like where you are.
- 4.2. Should be good down to -10C (15F)
- 5.6. Should be good down to -20C (0F)
Comfort
.25" (6.3mm) may make a difference, but that part is very subjective. I find 1.5" (38mm) to be plenty. The shape depends on how you sleep.
Conclusion
If I had to choose within these 2, I would not hesitate and take the AirRail 1.5. But it is still too heavy for backpacking for me, so I would probably not take it anyway, unless I needed the R-value for cold weather.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/14146. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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