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Guest
Guest
The time may have come to treat myself to a new sleeping pad. Among the family we all use Thermarest pads. The one I typically take is 26” wide (and I wouldn’t want it too much narrower), 76 long (at 5’ 11” it could certainly be shorter) and 1 ½” thick when inflated (and my old bones could use more cushion these days).
Neither weight nor compressed size is much of a factor in selecting a new pad. Nor is R-value; I don’t do extreme winter camping and sleep warm in any case.
Things that are:
I would like to be mostly self-inflating. Systems that use a stuff bag bellows or pump to inflate don’t appeal to me, especially if it is raining and I need to inflate the pad inside the tent – which isn’t much bigger than the pad. If the pad needs a couple of lung puffs to finish it off that’s fine. That’s probably a no-no for pads with down fill.
I would like it to be of proven durability. I’ll never buy another Slumberjack pad, having had 4 of them fall apart in the course of too few trips – two delaminated huge bulging bubbles and two simply wouldn’t hold air. I did hole one of our Thermarest pads on a hidden greenbriar thorn at the beginning of a trip, but other than that forceful lay-on-a-thorn puncture they have held up very well (and Thermarest patched the holes).
I would like it to have more cushion/thickness/comfort than a 1 ½” thick Thermarest. Maybe much more.
Big Agnes systems won’t work for me as I usually sleep with the bag open and draped over me. I’ve heard good things about Exped comfort, but their selection of self-inflators is limited. I’ve heard Paco Pads are uber durable, but I use my pad only for sleeping and not lounging on rocks.
Should I just buy a thicker (and 20 year newer) ThermaRest, or is there really something better?
Neither weight nor compressed size is much of a factor in selecting a new pad. Nor is R-value; I don’t do extreme winter camping and sleep warm in any case.
Things that are:
I would like to be mostly self-inflating. Systems that use a stuff bag bellows or pump to inflate don’t appeal to me, especially if it is raining and I need to inflate the pad inside the tent – which isn’t much bigger than the pad. If the pad needs a couple of lung puffs to finish it off that’s fine. That’s probably a no-no for pads with down fill.
I would like it to be of proven durability. I’ll never buy another Slumberjack pad, having had 4 of them fall apart in the course of too few trips – two delaminated huge bulging bubbles and two simply wouldn’t hold air. I did hole one of our Thermarest pads on a hidden greenbriar thorn at the beginning of a trip, but other than that forceful lay-on-a-thorn puncture they have held up very well (and Thermarest patched the holes).
I would like it to have more cushion/thickness/comfort than a 1 ½” thick Thermarest. Maybe much more.
Big Agnes systems won’t work for me as I usually sleep with the bag open and draped over me. I’ve heard good things about Exped comfort, but their selection of self-inflators is limited. I’ve heard Paco Pads are uber durable, but I use my pad only for sleeping and not lounging on rocks.
Should I just buy a thicker (and 20 year newer) ThermaRest, or is there really something better?