djb

Well dah, wouldn't you rather sit in your bathtub on top of your camping mat in warm or cold water?
Doesn't apply to Scandinavians obviously, right Sven?

rifraf

Personally, I’d be hoping to find the leak without having to make the leap into the bath but certainly you’d be right with regards to water temperatures if it was deemed necessary to climb on in, more so given I’m currently wintering in Otago, New Zealand where we enjoyed a particularly chilly start of winter morning in this hemisphere

headwind15

There is a lot of discussion here about punctures. Outside of making a recommendation for a pad, I do recommend that you ditch your tent "footprint"/ ground cover and upgrade to a Tyvek lightweight puncture resistant ground cover. Assuming you don't like/ enjoy sleeping on a deflated pad/ hard ground.

djb

Good on you to bring this stuff up.
People put their inflatable mats in sun, or in tent in sun, and they over inflate and ballooning causing issues.
They take em out and sit lie on thorns or rocks or pointy sticksOr set tents up without checking and clearing stuff
so yes, there's a personal responsibility here too, and sometimes solid foam mats are the way to go, if they don't take precautions and or if the conditions are bad, then it's probably wiser going solid foam.

greatbasin

I just bought a Neoair (Thermarest) (got the idea from Staehpj1). I used the 20% off coupon REI sends out this time of year for their anniversary. No experience or review yet but I'm looking forward to the comfort and small packing size. I bought it for my wife to use backpacking together, and for me to use solo bike-touring.

In the past, I favored closed-cell foam. Currently using a Nemo Z-fold short model. Past pads, I cut off below the knees to save weight and bulk. R-value for these pads are about 2. They work, but comfort is not great. The main reason I've stuck with them is durability. I wanted my stuff to be bomb-proof, especially when I bring my 90-pound dog (not on the bike, but all other trips).

I also have the self-inflating Thermarest. R-value on these is 5 and mine are the 25"-wide version. I've had four for the last 15 years and only had to make one repair. I used them with the dog too, but not backpacking -- they're too big and bulky. So they're used for car camping. I will also use them on top of the cots when camping for longer durations -- that outfit requires the full-size truck or a utility trailer. I wouldn't take one bike touring because when they're rolled up, they make a awkward long package. The Neoair isn't full of foam so it can be folded and rolled into a much smaller package that will fit neatly in a pannier.

I'm actually hoping to use a hammock for my next bike tour. I have and have used hammocks with success. I find them harder to use for a group, but for solo camping they can work great. It's always a challenge to find an ideal place to hang it, especially when one end can't be hung on a motor vehicle which makes a convenient and sturdy anchor. Safest bet would be to take a hammock and the Neoair as a backup in case I end up without a place to hang the hammock, but that offends my minimalist sensibility. It would be better to leave the hammock because the pad can always be made to work. So I will have strengthen my resolve to find places to hang the hammock and dare to go without the pad. Some destinations are better than others for this, and what I have in mind for my next several tours should not be too daring, but I can see how it might affect my itinerary. I might be reluctant to pass a good hang spot and keep pedaling into later hours if I'm worried I won't find another. I might also find myself with the hour getting late and needing to pedal-on because there's no where to hang. I tend to plan my routes carefully, but not my pace or timeline.

Tourist in MSN

Very good point on packed volume.

I started with closed cell foam half a century ago for camping, switched to self inflating pads about a quarter century ago for the comfort when camping. Then a bit over a decade ago bought an air mattress without foam because it fits in a pannier better. At that time, the packed volume was the only reason that I bought an air mattress, it was even slightly heavier than my self inflating pad. Kept using the self inflated pad for backpacking and canoeing. But in the past couple years stopped using the self inflating pads for non-cycling trips and switched to air mattress for comfort.

The only time that I used a closed cell foam pad for the past couple decades was for snow camping, put that under my other pad or air mattress for insulation.

Vast majority of my camping is in areas without thorns, thus I have not had to worry too much about ground sheets or putting a foam pad under the air-tight pad/mattress. I did a week long van supported trip with ACA in West Texas a few years ago, they specifically recommended a foam pad under any air mattresses due to thorns. I rolled the dice and did not bring one, did not have a puncture but I was very careful when setting up my tent and packing it later.

headwind15

When I first started touring (over 36 years ago) I used a foam pad, I could sleep on it. Fast forward 36 years and now I can't get comfortable on a foam pad, plus honestly the take up a lot of space.

staehpj1

I probably could sleep on one, but my neoair is so comfortable I am not inclined to try. As far as taking up space, that may or may not be an issue. Strapping it on top of a rack or outside the pack when backpacking it may be a complete nonissue for some. Others may be bothered by it. It probably depends of whether the space is needed for something else. Also for a rackless system there may not be a place for it.

Tourist in MSN

The newer backpacks do not have as many lash points for that sort of thing compared to the vintage packs we used to use.

I could do that with my older packs, but not the newer ones. My old Tourpack below.

staehpj1

I still see quite a few folks with one of those folding pads lashed on, often vertically on the back or side of a small pack. Not so often across the back like your picture or under the top flap like I carried mine decades ago.

I see a lot like this on the Florida Trail.

Tourist in MSN

I do not see that many of the foam pads used here. Maybe there are not enough thorn bushes to discourage inflated pads and mattresses here, most of my camping is in Minnesota and thorns that can puncture air mattresses are quite rare.

My recent trips were on Superior Hiking Trail, there are no shelters with hard floors. But I have done a few backpackign trips and also kayak trips on Isle Royale in the past decade where there are a lot of shelters with wood floors, and that hard wood floor is REALLY hard if you do not have an air mattress. My first trip there I had a thin self inflating shorty pad and that was a mistake.

I have switched to an air mattress for backpacking, partly because of ease of stowing it in the pack and partly because it is more comfortable. I do not have a good photo of the backpack I started using a couple years ago, this is a stock photo of it off the internet, but mine is green.


It would be possible to strap on a foam pad like in your photo, but it lacks those convenient lashing points that the older packs all had. If you lashed it on like on yours, you lose access to some of the pockets. This is a Traverse 70. I am sure this is much bigger and heavier than you would use. More here:
https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/revie...op-traverse-70

staehpj1

It is something I have only seen much pretty recently. I haven't backpacked for a while and when I last did it was in the Sierras. The ones I have seen lately were section or thru hikers on the Florida Trail which passes by not too far from where I live. I don't know if those pads or carrying them that way are popular with thru hikers on the AT or PCT these days. They would be light and trouble free.

dls

I can vouch for the comfort of the Nemo Tensor™ Ultralight Sleeping Pad Series but I have only slept on it a couple times so I can’t vouch for longevity. I have the Long Wide, which is 76”x25”, so it is relatively roomy.