When I shop for a sleeping pad, I avoid the self inflating ones, because the foam/ whatever they use in the self inflating pads means that they will not pack down small/ take up too much space. Last year I was stupid enough to go out to California with only a hammock. I had this nifty piece of string that would be easier to tell if trees were within range to use the hammock. I never did find any trees the right distance and ended up using the tarp as a shelter. I recently put on a small front rack for my sleeping bag and recently made my own fork harnesses which make it easy for me to put my tent on one side and my sleeping pad/ inflatable pillows on the other. My weight savings ended being five pounds compared to using a lowrider rack with panniers.